Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

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The Digital Photographer's Software Guide
checks for appropriate viewing conditions at the receiver side, enabling the receiver to
view the images without the full ColorMunki software. The whole product is definitely
a step beyond huey, which X-Rite has now consigned to its Pantone subsidiary.
Version: ColorMunki Photo 1.0 (2008)
OS: Windows XP and Vista; Mac OS X 10.4 and later
RAM: 512MB
Supported file formats: N/A
Price level: Approx. $500
Address: X-Rite Incorporated, 4300 44th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, United States
www.colormunki.com
EZcolor with i1Display 2
Vendor: X-Rite
Purpose: Entry-level color-management kit for making color profiles, with supplied IT8 target
Description
This is a bundle that contains three color-management essentials—a versatile colorimeter
for calibrating displays, scanner-based color-management software to ensure
correct color printing, and a scanner target. The colorimeter is i1Display 2 (formerly
Eye-One Display 2); the software is EZcolor (formerly MonacoEZcolor); the IT8 scanner
target completes the bundle, which is aimed at photographers, creative directors,
publishers, and designers who need “reliable and affordable color.”
The USB-powered i1Display 2 is a compact tool for taking measurements on emissive
LCD, CRT, and laptop displays. It has a detachable ambient light head that doubles as
a dust protector. A built-in counterweight makes it easy to attach to the monitor. Its
push-button method of calibration is easy to use and requires no special expertise.
Creating printer profiles can be time-consuming if you have to scan in thousands of
patches using a spectrophotometer. EZcolor, however, provides a shortcut in allowing
you to use a flatbed scanner into which you input both the test target and the printed
version at the same time. You still need to create a separate profile for each combination
of media (paper), resolution, and printer settings you intend to use.
EZcolor software can be purchased separately, but is normally acquired as part of a bundle
with the colorimeter. Color management then becomes a simple three-step procedure.
The first step is to profile the monitor, calibrating luminance, gamma, and white
point to match standard viewing conditions. Next, you go on to create custom profiles
for your scanners and printers, using the included IT8 scanner target. Then, in the final
step, you apply the results, using the color profiles to generate accurate prints or to display
“soft proofs” on the screen.