Color Management is Not Color Correction
In the webinar I presented to the Graphic Artists Guild titled Color Management for the Graphic Arts Professional, I highlighted a key concept—that color management is not color correction. It is a common misunderstanding that the two processes are thought to improve color, but in fact, they are two very different things.
Color correction is the process of making changes to the color—either overall or to a specific area—to improve the image. Color management concerns maintaining color appearance.
Color Correction vs. Color Management
If for instance, an image is in need of color correction because it has an overall color-cast, or if it needs selective color correction (i.e flesh tones are too red, a sky is heading toward purple, a color of a product is not accurately represented) a color-managed workflow will not compensate for the problem. If the color in an image is “bad” in some way, color management will dutifully reproduce the image as is. Displeasing color in, displeasing color out. Why is this?
Color Management’s Role
Color management’s role is to preserve color appearance. It doesn’t know if a color is “off”. Color management does not perform color or image evaluation. Only a human being can determine whether a color is not pleasing and should be amended.
Color management’s goal is to maintain consistent color appearance as the file moves through the digital workflow from capture to final output. If you do not want the “off” color maintained then the file must be color-corrected before passing it to the next step in the production workflow.
With that said, to accurately evaluate whether color correction is needed, the file must be viewed on a calibrated and profiled monitor. If you are unfamiliar with monitor calibration and profiling, I wrote an article for on monitor calibration for the Graphic Artists Guild, Spring 2013 newsletter. Contact me and I’ll be happy to send you a copy of article.
No Bad Originals
I started this discussion by referring to images needing color retouching as “bad” originals. But in fact, most color problems can be fixed. Therefore, there are really no bad originals. If the color of an image is slightly or drastically “off”, know this– in the hands of a Digital Imaging Specialist skilled in color correction most color and tonal problems can be corrected. To get a sense of the magic that can be done to improve seemingly bad images, take a look at some of the examples I highlight in the Improving Stock portfolio gallery as well as many of the other images featured throughout the ChromaQueen site.
In conclusion, remember—to communicate color accurately with everyone in the production workflow and maintain color appearance, a color-managed workflow is vital. But, if you don’t like what you see when you open the image on your display for the first time, work with a skilled Photoshop/ Color Specialist to achieve correct color before moving forward with the design and layout of the project.
This article originally appeared on chromaqueen.com. Republished with permission of the author. ©Martha DiMeo 2013
More from ChromaQueen.com
Visit the ChromaQueen blog for more informative articles on color management, color design, image enhancement, photo retouching, and photo editing written specifically for the graphic design and photography community.
Martha DiMeo is intensely passionate about photography, Photoshop, and superb color reproduction. During the course of her 25 year career Martha has worked as a staff photographer for Hallmark Cards, as a Digital Imaging Specialist for leading magazine titles (The New Yorker, Fortune, People) and has established and managed in-house prepress and art production departments (Cahners Business Information, Elegant Publishing). Her entrepreneurial spirit lead her to launch ChromaQueen.com, a photo editing services company specializing in photo retouching and color correction for books, magazines, art publishers, and marketing and advertising clients. Martha would be delighted to talk to you about your next color correction and retouching project. To get started, take advantage of the free image evaluation service offered through the ChromaQueen site. Upload files to receive a complimentary, no obligation, review of your images. She can be reached at 617-855-8474.
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