Mac Display Is Unusable After Profiling With ColorMunki Photo
Created a monitor profile using the ColorMunki Photo and now the screen has turned to an unreadable color therefore nothing can be read on the monitor.The most common cause of this corrupt profile issue is when the shutter on the bottom of the zippered pouch is closed or the measurement optics are not properly aligned with the shutter opening. The resulting corrupt profile can cause the display to be completely gray, white, black, or sometimes a number of neon colors. After the rotary dial is pointed down to the measurement position and the shutter is open, ALWAYS make sure that you can see the small glass lens (measurement optics) about ¾ of an inch inside the ColorMunki device before placing it on the screen.The simplest way to remove the corrupt profile is to boot up the computer in Safe Mode and delete the file itself.
Follow these steps to start up into Safe Mode.
- Start or restart your Mac.
- Immediately after you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
- Release the Shift key when you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.
After the Apple logo appears, it might take longer than usual to reach the login screen or your desktop. This is because your Mac performs a directory check of your startup disk as part of safe mode.
To leave safe mode, restart your computer without pressing any keys during startup.
More on Apple’s Safe Mode at: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262
Once the computer is completely booted up in Safe Mode, navigate to this location:
Mac HD/Users/<user name>/Library/ColorSync/Profiles**
Locate the bad profile and delete it to the Trash bin. Reboot the computer and it will load the generic profile that came with the monitor.
**The user library is hidden now by Apple. The easiest way to temporarily access the User Library folder is to open Finder. On the menu bar at the top, select "Go" to reveal the drop-down menu and then hold down the "option" key (also marked "alt") on your keyboard and you will see the “Library” folder appear. You may now select this “Library” folder with your mouse or trackpad. Select "ColorSync" and then "Profiles" to locate the corrupt profile.
Next, profile the screen following these steps:
I would recommend turning off “ADC” and not using the video LUTs to adjust brightness by opening the ColorMunki Photo “Preferences” window with the ColorMunki plugged in. Follow these instructions to turn these functions off:
1. On Mac open the ColorMunki Photo 1.2.2 software with the Munki plugged in and click on “ColorMunki Photo” next to the Apple icon, then click on “Preferences”.
2. Uncheck “Achieve display luminance value using video LUTs” and uncheck “Enable DDC”. Select “CCFL” for your Technology Type unless the software defaults to something else.
3. Choose “Version 2” for the ICC profile version and then click “OK” to save these settings and close the “Preferences” window.
4. Select “Profile My Display”.
5. When profiling, select the “Advanced” method and use D65 for the white point and select the bottom radio button to choose a target luminance of 120cd/m2.
6. At the point of placing the device on the screen, make sure that the instrument is in the zippered pouch correctly by examining the shutter before placing it against the screen. Here you will see the slider that needs to be in an opened position and at that point you should see a small glass lens about 3/4 of an inch inside the device. If you see some writing on a label...that means that it is not properly placed in the pouch.
7. Allow the colors to measure and make the appropriate adjustments for brightness as directed by the software. On laptops this would be done using either the F1/F2 keys or the arrow keys on the keyboard. Once the colors are finished take the instrument off the screen.
8. When saving the profile, use the default unique name (includes a year/date/time stamp before the “.icc”). The profile name MUST end with “.icc”.
The recommended display profiling settings of a D65 white point, 2.2 gamma, and 120cd/m² has been set by the industry experts. The photographers and graphic designers of the world have determined that a monitor profiled to these parameters will most closely match a print that is viewed in a 5000K light booth (Graphic arts standard). We would recommend using the Advanced method and select the bottom option to set luminance to a specific level and then select “120”. If your prints are darker than your display, feel free to try a lower display luminance setting of 100, 90, or even 80. When adjusting brightness on an Apple display (iMac, MacBook, or Apple displays), you may need to open System Preferences > Displays to fine tune the brightness to more closely match the target.
