Profiling - A n00b adventure...

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Now, most folk who have taken the time to chat or read some of my more personal posts, blogs, etc... will know that I make no bones about what I know, what I don't know and what I have a theory on but wouldn't like to bet my life on.

Colour Profiling would most definitely belong in the "What the heck is that Boris?" category so after a lot of prodding from a customer who pointed me to a bargain on eBay I have now joined the "What the heck do I do now? and who's Boris?" category.

So, I figure in the best kept traditions of forum membership I'd share this little journey with you as I discover the world of profiling or as @The Hat calls it "You can kiss your free time goodbye now".



To bring you up to speed I'll probably post nuggets as I venture into this domain and doubtless I will repeat information that has been posted elsewhere in the forum. If I do knowingly I'll be sure to reference your posts/quotes so you attract all the righteous converts or criticism you deserve

So, let us begin...

 

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Probably the first place to start is equipment.

When I started considering profiling I must admit I was looking to the ColorMunki as it was within the budget I had available and there was plenty of discussion on PK (this place) that indicated helping hands would be available.

That was the plan... but a keen customer sandbagged me about profiling and was keen to point out (in his words) that ColorMunki "weren't worth the money"* and I'd be better off looking for something higher end... £1,000+ cost to be specific.

*gulp*

.. then I got a heads up that there was an eBay auction with a "bargain" while I was enjoying that infamous fathers day weekend... and about the only good news (tech wise) from that weekend was I won the auction at a whole lot less than the £1K mark.

So, I now have an i1Pro with rather old software i1Match but the whole thing in mint condition and full working order... Result!


..or so I thought.


*Just a to note I didn't, nor do I have any opinion either way on the ColorMunki so those are his comments and those of a company in the UK who I regularly chat with. So, please don't burn me at the ColorMunki alter if you're a fan.

 

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So, equipment wise I'm sorted.. Let's move on to software.

Now, as I mentioned the i1Pro comes with somewhat antique i1Match for generating profiles. I've not looked into compatibility with Windows 8/8.1 but for Windows 7 (64 bit) an update sorted out any problems there and I was able to use the unit successfully without fatal errors... which was nice.

In truth software is relatively simple to use but some of the information I spotted on here niggled at the back of my mind and I realised that the wizards don't remind you to do things like turn off colour controls in your printer settings before printing profile targets. It does remind you to let the print dry before you profile them..


Tip: For the Pro-10 you can switch off colour controls as follows:

1. Get to your printer preferences screen
   
2. Click the "Main" tab
3. Locate "Color/Intensity" and select "Manual"
4. Click the now available "Set..." button to the right
5. Click the "Matching" tab
6. Locate and select "None" under "Color Correction"
7. Click OK, etc... to get out and save to "Commonly Used Settings" if you need to.

In case you hadn't guessed, I'll be sharing tips as I've learned them along the way because they really made life easier...

Tip: i1Pro's draw a lot of juice so if you're using an extension cable you probably want to use a powered USB hub to boost the power at a distance if your nearest work surface is a ways away, or a shorter cable. The number of "calibration errors" you get otherwise can be quite frustrating.


So, software wise we're covered... but then we discover licensing...

 

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Perhaps it's best put like this...

Phone call to a recognised professional company in the UK who do nothing by colour profile software, etc...

Moi: "I hear there might be some limitations on distributing any profiles that I generate with my X-Rite software. Can you confirm?"

Store: "No, not heard anything about that. Sure that if you are registered owner of the product you can redistribute fine"

Cue: Me explaining about resources indicating that X-Rite T&C's have changed in recent years and talking to other software companies (eg: BasICColor) if you want to distribute you're looking at a separate license. In BasICColors case.. €3,000!!

Store: *Stunned silence* and an offer to check out the position with X-Rite


I'm still waiting for some information on that one and while it doesn't affect anyone who's just doing it for themselves it does mean you could have some problems if you're thinking of sharing profiles generated with anything that precludes you from doing so.



Now, beyond that I've been aware of ArgyllCMS and chatted to @pharmacist so I'm hoping to learn a little more about that as/when I can... Doubtless that will be another chapter.

 

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Last post in the first round...

Probably the obvious thing I forgot but probably should share is my first profile result. Even though my first profile is based on a "wet" target, I found that many of the comments about improved photos were very much, on the money!

Comparing two sets of photos based on stock Pro-10 profiles and the custom profile I'd generated I was struck but just how much better the result was in terms of detail, shadow, and just in general. Granted I won't be looking to create profiles that tweak that last 0.001% of improvement but I think it's fair to say I'm a convert...

 

[stratman]

Good stuff, webbie. Keep writing and we'll keep reading!

Speaking of calibration, though off topic a little bit, I just updated my colorimeter software to Calman 5 Enthusiast version for calibrating monitors and tv's. So that The Hat does not faint, I paid substantially less !!! as it was an update from an earlier version.

 

[RogerB]

Perhaps it's best put like this...

Phone call to a recognised professional company in the UK who do nothing by colour profile software, etc...

Moi: "I hear there might be some limitations on distributing any profiles that I generate with my X-Rite software. Can you confirm?"

Store: "No, not heard anything about that. Sure that if you are registered owner of the product you can redistribute fine"

Cue: Me explaining about resources indicating that X-Rite T&C's have changed in recent years and talking to other software companies (eg: BasICColor) if you want to distribute you're looking at a separate license. In BasICColors case.. €3,000!!

Store: *Stunned silence* and an offer to check out the position with X-Rite


I'm still waiting for some information on that one and while it doesn't affect anyone who's just doing it for themselves it does mean you could have some problems if you're thinking of sharing profiles generated with anything that precludes you from doing so.



Now, beyond that I've been aware of ArgyllCMS and chatted to @pharmacist so I'm hoping to learn a little more about that as/when I can... Doubtless that will be another chapter.

The i1Match license allows you to make custom profiles for individuals but not to distribute "generic" profiles - you do need a (very expensive) license for that. I believe that the license for the newer X-rite software, i1Profiler, are even more restrictive. I should say that I will not get involved in any debate about the validity or enforceability of these copyright conditions.

Of course, if you use Argyll there are no copyright restrictions at all. You might like to try the batch (Argprof#2) file that I posted in another thread here http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...p-argyll-cms-profiling-on-your-computer.8570/ The settings used there are specific to the i1Pro and it's almost as simple to use as i1Match.

 

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The i1Match license allows you to make custom profiles for individuals but not to distribute "generic" profiles - you do need a (very expensive) license for that. I believe that the license for the newer X-rite software, i1Profiler, are even more restrictive. I should say that I will not get involved in any debate about the validity or enforceability of these copyright conditions.

Thanks for that clarification. I've been told that the ProfileMaker 5 software allows for "generic" profile distribution but even that is £400+ so there's no "cheap" options.

As for enforceability, I think it's fair to say I'd rather be on the sure and certain side of things rather than skirting the edge. If nought else I can always offer custom profiles per customer which may be wise anyway given the differing papers, etc...

Of course, if you use Argyll there are no copyright restrictions at all. You might like to try the batch (Argprof#2) file that I posted in another thread here http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...p-argyll-cms-profiling-on-your-computer.8570/ The settings used there are specific to the i1Pro and it's almost as simple to use as i1Match.

Thank-you for that... I obviously have a metric ton of reading to do regarding the ArgyllCMS and that's a huge shortcut so perhaps that's my evenings research for tomorrow

 

[The Hat]

I have been reading this post with lots of interest as has most of you profiling Gurus, but I had not intended to participate,dirty the waters so to speak, keep up the good work guys !

But @stratman insistence on giving me fainting spells with his latest outrageous cash outbursts and this has caused me to respond with a few comments ! What is substantially less ?

Obliviously the zip on your wallet must have broken and between this and the new Pro 10 you’ve blown all your hard earned savings in one mad go.

Never mind , if you tell us where to send the paper and ink so you can still profile the new printer without any further substantial fiscal losses on your part ! O’ and Webby should set his alarm for 5 am, (Get to bed quick), so his wife doesn’t know he’s been up all night with his A n00b Mistress ! !

 

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Dear heavenly asides... I feel like that lad out of Far Side... "Please sir, my brain is full!"

@RogerB : I found your posts after a lot of reading through and the Pro1 related stuff seems to really kick in here:
http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...ling-on-your-computer.8570/page-13#post-69572

Just as a tip, if you need to link to specific posts then right clicking on the date above the posters avatar allows you to copy that specific posts url
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The most recent stuff has been added to the original/first thread post but it's always interesting to see how you reached that last point.