4. Color Settings

Color management is one of those subjects that can quickly make anyone feel stupid. If you’re under the delusion that you can use Adobe Photoshop without using color management, this chapter is a must-read. Without understanding how Photoshop handles color behind the scenes, there’s no way to get great color (or black-and-white) images out of this program.

Although the color management system in Photoshop uses mathematics that approach rocket science, using the tools that control the system is fairly simple. You just need to understand a few key concepts, learn where the buttons are, and use common sense in deciding when to push them.

The last chapter described the unfortunate truth that RGB and CMYK are very ambiguous ways of specifying color, since the actual color you get will vary from device to device. This chapter looks at the features Photoshop offers to make what you see on the screen at least resemble, if not actually match, what you get in your printed output.

Writing just a chapter about color management doesn’t do justice to the subject. If you read this chapter and find that you need more detailed information, pick up the book Real World Color Management, 2^nd Edition (Peachpit Press), by color management guru Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy, and Fred Bunting.