Phone and computer screens are the window into the digital world of color, but if you are approving colors via email or text you need to be aware of the limitations.
For starters, each of your devices relies on a different color model to display color. Input devices – your camera and monitor – use the additive color model to display color. They start with darkness and add red, green, and blue light to create a spectrum of colors. Printers, on the other hand, use the subtractive color model. They start with white and using opposing colors – cyan, magenta, and yellow – to subtract color.
Plus, each device in your workflow uses a different color gamut. Even two of the exact same cameras can capture different colors, and the same goes for monitors and printers. In the end, the color you get depends on the devices that are producing it. As you can imagine, this causes much confusion for those colorful pixels.
Here are some resources to help you ensure you make the best possible decisions based on on-screen color.
How to Calibrate your Monitor in 10 Steps
Blog | In order to trust the color you see on-screen, you need to work on a calibrated monitor. This blog explains how to use our wizard-based i1Profiler software and a colorimeter or spectrophotometer to calibrate and profile.
Use Softproofing to End the Print-Rework Cycle
Blog | Softproofing is the ability to simulate how an image will print based on the on-screen preview. With softproofing, designers can create with actual specified colors, project owners can approve layouts without physical proofs, and printers know exactly what’s expected of them when they receive a job.
Display Profiling
eLearning | This free tutorial walks through the steps to calibrate and profile your display so you can view accurate colors on screen.
Interested in Other Remote Color Management Topics?
Return to the Achieve Connected Color in a Remote World blog.
