Color management system - what does it involve?

A color management system (CMS) gives us the assurance that from the idea, through editing, to its realization, the saturated colors will remain consistent with our design. In order to create this system, several necessary components are needed. In this article, we would like to discuss the necessity of buying a good monitor, its calibration and available calibrators.

In order for the edited colors to be reproduced correctly, we need to buy a good quality graphics monitor.

Why graphic and not "ordinary" office?

Equipping the monitor with a high-end IPS panel will allow accurate reproduction of even saturated colors, their stable display during many hours (many months) of work, good uniformity of backlighting across the matrix. However, this is only the first step. Aside from the fact of what monitor we ultimately choose, EVERY monitor must be calibrated - as soon as it is connected to our color management system.

What does calibration give us?

• During the calibration of the monitor, we correct the following parameters: panel brightness, white color temperature and curve factor, gamma. Depending on what market the edited work is dedicated to, we select the above-mentioned image parameters in accordance with industry standards. This gives us confidence in the correct visualization of the edited project.
• After calibration, the monitor's color profile is created (in an .icm file) and saved to the computer's operating system resources. It does not matter whether it is Microsoft Windows® or macOS. This file is information on how a particular monitor displays colors. It is about a specific unit (we are not talking about what company it is, what series, but about the CONCRETE unit of the monitor that "stands on our desk"!).
  The created color profile is used by the graphics program we are using and downloaded every time we run it. This information allows us to display the colors correctly on the monitor and, possibly, to simulate the color space of prints.

Which calibrator to buy?

A word of introduction: for many years, X-Rite has been a market leader in color management products, for the photo and video industries. It has developed a number of products, including CMYK color standards and calibration devices, among others. Now, the opportunity has come to create a company dedicated exclusively to this market. So X-Rite has handed over the distribution function for these products to Calibrite, leaving the entire production cycle in its hands. Calibrite is thus a well-known and well-respected product on the market.

For advanced users - ColorChecker Display Pro for calibration of monitors, laptops (all types based on LED, plasma, GB backlight combinations with phosphor film, OLED and wide-gamut matrices) and projectors.Selection of any - from an unlimited number of values for white point - contrast and brightness. In addition, calibration of workgroups and multi-monitor workstations is possible. Glare correction, workstation lighting control, profile optimization and many other useful functionalities.

On the other hand, Calibrite ColorChecker Studio, a package for small and medium-sized businesses is:

• Calibration of monitors, laptops and projectors,
• RGB and CMYK color space printer profiling,
• Scanner profiling (Mini ColorChecker Classic color standard (24 fields) included).

Select any of several value options for white point and brightness. Calibration of workgroups and multi-monitor workstations.