Monitor profiles describe how the monitor is currently reproducing colour.

In this feature we’ll start with screen profiles before moving on to printing profiles and how to obtain them and how to use them. Photographers are generally interested in screen profiles as well as printing profiles because both play critical roles in determining how well what you see on the screen when editing images will match the printed output. Without profiles, variations between devices and media will inevitably lead to incorrect colour reproduction and off-colour prints. When profiles are consistent throughout the workflow, the output will reflect the colours and tones recorded by the capture device. The best screen profiles will also take into account the user’s ambient lighting conditions.Īn ICC profile can be created for each input or output medium, including input devices like scanners and cameras, display devices like monitors and projectors and outputs such as papers and other printing media. For a screen it will define the brightness, contrast and colour values for reproduction in the light of the screen’s resolution, contrast and gamut capabilities.

Each profile defines the most saturated colours as well as the range of tones the device is able to produce in a standard colour space.Ī profile for a printer will specify a precise combination of printer, ink, paper and output settings. They are used to define the way an output device (printer or screen for example) should represent colour for the specific combination of parameters controlling the input data it receives. ICC profiles are pieces of software code containing information that characterises each colour input or output device in an imaging workflow according to standards set up by the International Colour Consortium (ICC). ICC profiles play a critical role in an imaging workflow.

How to install icc profile mac photoshop