Do you understand ColorSync?

Almost every Apple computer user (especially design, publishing, and printing professionals) actively uses ColorSync's features, but many people think that ColorSync is the color management system (referred to as the CMS, see the previous issue) and there are many misconceptions about ColorSync. This article discusses the structure of ColorSync and its role in color management so that everyone can understand and use it properly.

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Figure 1: The role of ColorSync in Apple Computer

ColorSync structure The ColorSync architecture is divided into five main parts: (1) ColorSync Manager (API), (2) ColorSync System Profile S console (new version to ColorSync console), (3) ColorSync Preferences profile, ( 4) ColorSync folder (memory screens, input and output profiles, and non-instrument profiles) and (5) Color Management Center (CMM).
(a) ColorSync Manager (API)
The API is "Application Programming Interface", and Chinese is written as programming interface. ColorSync is a programming interface that allows hardware and software developers to use it to write application software and drivers for ColorSync support or color management. Use ColorSync Manager to perform color conversion, color matching, color gamut inspection, profile management, and even create a color management center (CMM) that provides color management services.
(B) ColorSync System Profile Console The ColorSync System Profile Console is in the "Control Panels" folder of the Apple system. It only allows the user to set the system color (Systen Profile). The new ColorSync system (version 2.5 or later) is representative of the ColorSync console. In addition to setting system colors, users can also select preset CMMs, select RGB, and preset colors such as CMYK to provide more complete settings. The new version of ColorSync also has a "Monitors & Sound" console with a "Calibrate" button that lets you calibrate the screen colors and let you save them as a ColorSync screen profile after alignment.

(C) ColorSync Preferences Profile The ColorSync Preferences profile records various settings within the color management system. The image on the right is the configuration file in the MAC:

ColorSync console

(d) ColorSync folder The ColorSync Profiles folder (see Figure 6) stores various screen, input, and output profiles, as well as non-instrument profiles such as color space profiles. The instrument profile records the color characteristics of an instrument at a certain time and under certain circumstances; the time is long or the environment is changed, and the instrument profile needs to be updated. The color space profile is a non-instrument profile that is not affected by time and environment and does not require updating. It records important data and allows the CMM to perform color matching, such as converting from LAB to RGB or from RGB to LAB. Profiles play the most important role in color management and are key to color conversion or pairing accuracy. The ColorSync profile fully supports the international standard ICC specifications on or after the 20th edition and supports open color management.

Figure: Content in the ColorSync profiles folder

Figure: The new version of ColorSync replaces the ColorSync system profile console with the ColorSync console, providing complete color management settings.

(e) Color Management Center (CMM)
ColorSync version 2.0 and later added LinoColor CMM (also known as the current Apple system and Microsoft Windows 98 default CMM), which is the core of the color management system, created by Linotype-Hell (after the company's acquisition of Heidelberg name is now Heidelberg CPS) . The CMM is a computer program that provides various color management services. Depending on the CMM, the average user can use it to perform various color conversions or pairings, edit profiles, and preview the print or output effects on the screen (see Figure 8). The ColorSync architecture also allows users to customize other CMMs, such as Light Source's CMM or Agfa's ColorTune CMM (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Three color management centers (CMMs) are displayed in "extensions", one of which is Apple's Colorsync developed in cooperation with Linotype-Hell.

Figure 8: Example of color matching