Let's dispel the myths about color management and ICC profiles.

Ink stained Fingers

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Let's figure out why this is so. What is the compromise. Review the article and see how the author is recommending shifting colors, adding layers. This is Hat's way of color management. See a parallel? This is kind of counter to ICC profiles right?
That's a kind of private profiling method via the PS layers, as long as you have complete control of the process from picture taking to printing, and everything in between, adjusting, tuning, developing etc and you know what you are doing it is a viable process. But it is not an approach for somebody who just needs a standardized tool for this purpose. I think the discussion should be more general to ask why colors should be 'managed' at all, modified, tuned, changed, improved , based on wide variations on equipment properties catching the image, the color, and the own vision system perceiving the same scene quite differently - for some reason, and abilities which the profiling process cannot mirror easily - like context related functions - depth recognition of a scenery, edge detection and a lot more
 
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mikling

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That's a kind of private profiling method via the PS layers, as long as you have complete control of the process from picture taking to printing, and everything in between, adjusting, tuning, developing etc and you know what you are doing it is a viable process. But it is not an approach for somebody who just needs a standardized tool for this purpose. I think the discussion should be more general to ask why colors should be 'managed' at all, modified, tuned, changed, improved , based on wide variations on equipment properties catching the image, the color, and the own vision system perceiving the same scene quite differently - for some reason, and abilities which the profiling process cannot mirror easily - like context related functions - depth recognition of a scenery, edge detection and a lot more
This is not a private method at all.

It is really the way that the ICC profile is supposed to be used correctly. Out of the box ICC profiles puts you on base spot from which to work from. I've performed and done hundreds if not thousands of profiles and I started to see a trend. Thus my investigation and this further backs up my findings. Then I came across another article in luminous landscape and saw the same thing.
It appears that many totally miss the aspect that the base position you land on with a profile is a compromise for each and every image. It is optimized for none and thus is NOT the best that the printer can do for any given image. Many think, it brings out the best,....I fell into that before but it does NOT. None of the Color Management companies that sell this stuff really points that out. Printer mfrs also do not point this out as well...for a reason.

Some of the key variables that are never discussed is the print engine in combination with the ink colors and what it does. I think Roy mentioned this about the spectral content. This explains the variances though slight amongst the Epson printers listed before. I am able to do this because I have a full arsenal/army of printers in my office ready for any printing and direct one to one comparison. Since each printer engine is different, despite them using the same ink, their printing characteristics are different producing different shapes. As a result, each profile created by the same software and paper etc. are different and the compromises are different for each printer. Thus the same image printed on the different printers look different.

The aspect of getting them to look the same takes some skill and experience. Getting a superior color in an inkset does not always produce a more pleasing look or base ICC. In fact depending on the print engine, it could be detrimental to the base ICC BUT when used in conjunction with the method described can yield benefits in certain images.

Again read the article and get the gist of what the author is doing. Softproofing has not changed in photoshop in 10 years nor will it likely in the future. The late Bruce Fraser was a master at these topics.
 
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