Photoshop Tutorials

Color management is considered to be just about the most complex part of the Photoshop software program. It is a highly specialized field, and the good news is, it is not applicable to every Photoshop user. If you are happy with the results when you print an image you created in Photoshop, then you do not need to worry about it. If you are the only one who has access to the computer and printer you use to do your work, then you shouldn’t have to worry about color management. But if the color of the printed output of your work does not match the colors you see on the screen when you are editing it, then you should look into color management.

In general, to manage your color, you need to work with four different factors; you computer monitor, you ICC-aware image editor, your tagged image files, and your printer profiles. To manage the color on your computer monitor, you need to calibrate the monitor. Experts recommend doing this once a month or so. Most people do not find the Adobe Gamma calibration program that comes with Photoshop adequate for this task, and instead experts recommend that you buy some other hardware calibration program like Spyder Express. Simply insert the software disc and follow the on-screen prompts and attach the Spyder tool to your monitor. The process is relatively straight forward, aside from the last part of the process, which requires you to make some judgments on black and white color squares and then red, green, and blue squares. If you don’t make the best choice, the colors on your monitor will suffer. If you do not have a good eye for these things, this is best left to a professional.

Now, you should turn to your ICC, or International Color Consortium, profiles. These settings make sure the color you see on your screen is the same as the color you see on your printer. The ICC setting should match your printer color settings. This is something that is very specific to individual equipment. You will need to consult your owner’s manual for both Photoshop and your printer, and make adjustments accordingly.

The last step involves working with your printer. When your monitor is calibrated and the ICC profiles are correct, and you are working with the right-tagged color files for your project, you need to set your printer to print colors correctly on a job by job basis. When you’re ready to print, select “print” and then “print preview.” In the dialogue box that opens, set “color handling” to let Photoshop choose and the printer profile to the ICC code you used when designing the image. The “rendering” setting should be on “relative colorimetric” and the “black point compression” box should be checked. Now, click “print” to open another dialogue box, and click “no color adjustment.” This will save all the settings you have made, and make sure that the color does not change from what you saw on your monitor while designing or editing.

These tips will help you keep your color under your control. If you are unsure of any steps, it is best to consult a professional so you do not compromise your system.