How to create a color profile for your monitor

A color profile is a set of preset parameters for a computer monitor or printer. The jurisdiction of the color profile includes changing the settings for the range of colors used by the device and the brightness of the displayed picture.

What is a color profile?

Contrast and much more. It serves to simplify the transfer of graphic information between devices with different pixel color display systems. If you do not use color profiles, the picture will be distorted when transferred to another device.

The printer profile additionally contains information about how much ink needs to be used, or in what ratio they need to be mixed in order to accurately convey the color of the printed image.

The profile of a monitor is based on its size, bending angle, and the ability of the matrix to convey a palette of colors. Optimal settings strive to create the most comfortable conditions for displaying an image on the screen and correctly rearranging the arrangement of pixels in a new way.

REFERENCE! If, for example, an LCD TV screen is used as a monitor, then it has its own picture display settings that change the image properties in accordance with the selected profile.

The role of the profile for accurate image transmission is great.It is this that ensures the correct conversion of graphic information between devices using different image encoding systems. For those who constantly work with images, such as photographers, it is very important to be able to adjust color profiles and choose the right one.

How to achieve correct color rendering?

To accurately and correctly transfer color images between devices, the user needs to set the system color profile. The sequence of actions for this:

• Go to the Desktop, and from there click on the “My Computer” shortcut.
• Select the local disk on which the system is installed. By default this is drive C, but some users install the system on a different drive themselves depending on their preferences.
• Enter “System32” in the search field and open the found folder. Inside it you need to follow the path Spool – Drivers – Color.
• The last folder contains profiles. The user can only select one of them, right-click on it and select “Install profile”.

To set a color profile for your monitor, do the following:

• Log into the system using an administrator profile. On the desktop, right-click on an empty space and select “Properties” from the menu that opens.
• The user will see the “Screen” window, where he should select “Options” and click the “Advanced” button.
• Another window will open where you need to select “Color Management” and click “Add”. Another menu will pop up where you will need to select a suitable profile from several offered and add it with the appropriate button.
• Apply changes and close all windows.

Setting up a profile for the printer:

• Open “Start”, then “Control Panel” and in “Hardware and Sound” click on “View devices and printers”.
• In the window, right-click the printer icon and select “Printer Properties”.
• A menu will open where the user should select the “Color Management” tab and click the corresponding button. A profile is selected in the new menu, after which all changes must be saved.

Typically, suitable profiles are installed along with the drivers of a new device when it is first connected to a computer. The user can only establish a correspondence between different devices, if necessary.

ATTENTION: If the user has changed the brand of ink or the type of paper on which they are printing, they will most likely need to change the color profile.

If none of the profiles are suitable or do not meet the user's requirements, then one can be created manually. This process requires a lot of effort and a lot of time, but if you have the skills, you can make the configuration file yourself. Approximate sequence of actions for calibration:

• Assessing the monitor's capabilities.
• Reset the monitor to default settings.
• Detecting the difference between extreme values ​​of color and lighting, and searching among them for the position of the necessary parameters.
• Generating a file with settings using a calibrator program.

Recommendations

Some of the most common profiles for ensuring “mutual understanding” between a computer and a printer are those that have “RGB” in their name. This is the name of the system in which any color is a mixture of three numbers from 0 to 255, according to the intensity of red, green and blue.This system is the most popular, and most devices rely on it.

The WideGamoutRGB and ProPhotoRGB profiles are designed for professional photographers. They allow you to accurately convey the location of pixels in space and convey the entire color palette of the converted scheme.