ColorAnt | Evaluate

Evaluate - Proof Evaluation

Evaluation of Proof Measurement Data

Evaluate – Proof Evaluation

The Evaluate tool can be used to check whether the proof measurement data from a media wedge fulfills the requirements for a contract proof according to ISO 12647-7 or a validation print according to ISO 12647-8.

In addition, a PSD evaluation can be performed using two different evaluation methods: “Side-by-Side” or “Media Relative”.

Moreover, the Evaluation Method G7 gray balance allows the measurement data to be checked for G7® conformity.

Finally, a fully detailed report can be created with a pass/fail indicator.

Notes

  • The Proof Evaluate tool supports all color spaces including Multicolor and spot colors. It is a powerful addition to ZePrA’s proofing feature, as it allows you to use the reference files of the dynamic media wedges created by ZePrA for proof evaluation.
  • For redundant measurement values, the median is determined and all duplicates (i.e., all patches with identical DCS values) are removed before evaluation.
    This procedure prevents duplicates as well as outliers from unjustifiably influencing the proof evaluations.
  • The Evaluate tool supports all color spaces as either reference data or reference ICC profile. In addition, it checks whether the selected wedge is actually suitable for evaluation and displays a corresponding message.
  • The Evaluate tool is available from ColorAnt L.

The Evaluation tab immediately shows the categories related to the chosen standard, the deltas to the reference, and a score with either a ✓ (passed) or an ✕(failed).

An overall score indicates if the proof has passed or failed.

There are two ways of selecting your reference:  

  • Choose reference data: This drop-down menu contains all data loaded under Data Sets that fit the selected proof measurement data as a reference, which means the number of patches and the color space must match. Select the reference that you want to compare with the selected media wedge measurement data. If dynamic media wedges were used in ZePrA, the corresponding reference data can be used for the proof evaluation in ColorAnt.

    Using reference data from ZePrA:
    1. Open the reference file of the ZePrA configuration in ColorAnt. It is located in ZePrA’s Report folder of the corresponding queue.
    2. Select Measure to measure the media wedge in the proof printout
    3. Open the resulting measurement file and click the Evaluate button.
    4. Select the original reference file from ZePrA under Choose reference data in the Proof Evaluation window.
  • Choose reference ICC profile: This drop-down menu contains all ICC profiles that fit the selected proof measurement data as reference in terms of the same color space. Choose the reference ICC profile that you want to compare with the selected media wedge measurement data.
    Note: The ICC profile is used to create virtual reference values (absolute colorimetric). Depending on the accuracy of the ICC profile, the quality of the reference data can vary from very exact (e.g., CMYK profiles created by CoPrA) to less exact (e.g., small Multicolor profiles).  

Evaluation method: Select a method to either evaluate a Contract Proof according to the ISO 12647-7 standard, a Validation Print according to the ISO 12647-8 standard, to evaluate your data according to Fogra’s PSD standard (ProcessStandard Digital), or to check the measurement data for G7® conformity. The PSD standard is based on the tolerances defined by Fogra and provides guidelines to increase process stability in digital printing. Further information can be found on the Fogra website.

ISO 12647-7 (Contract Proof 2016): For the evaluation of a binding contract proof use this method. 

ISO 12647-8 (Validation Print 2021): Checks the conformance of printing systems that produce a hard-copy validation print, directly from digital data, which is intended to simulate the expected appearance of material printed per a characterized printing condition. The method considers the latest tolerances published in 2021.

G7 gray balance: This method checks the measurement data for G7® conformity to ensure accurate and consistent color reproduction. G7® is an internationally recognized method for calibrating printing presses and proofing systems.

Notes

  • Recently, other visualizations of the final printed product have found a place in the printing/proofing workflow because designers and print buyers prefer not to go to the expense of using an ISO 12647-7 compliant contract proof any earlier in the process than necessary. In many situations, participants in the workflow require a hardcopy visual reference of lesser quality than a contract proof. In the past, those prints varied widely in quality and were often referred to as design proofs, concept proofs, layout prints, etc. That quality level is here being referred to as a validation print.
  • The All Patches ratings do not include Boundary Patches for wedge evaluations.
  • Wedge evaluation: For small charts with less than 150 patches, such as Media Wedges, all Boundary Patches are omitted.
  • Chart evaluation: For larger charts with more than 150 patches, such as the IT-8, the Boundary Patches are taken into account.

PSD Evaluation

The PSD reflects the different customer requirements for the degree of color match with three different quality levels, the quality types A, B and C. Here, A represents a better approximation than B, which in turn is better than C. The overall rating depends on the lowest rated Category. If a value exceeds the tolerance limit, a red X indicates that the evaluation has failed. Quality types A to C thus indicate that all values are within the respective tolerances and that the evaluation has passed (shown in shades of green).

This gradual evaluation of the quality with regard to color reproduction can be achieved with two different evaluation methods: Side-by-Side or Media Relative.

PSD Evaluation (FOGRA PSD 2022 Side-by-Side): Side-by-side is a long-established method based on simultaneous and immediately adjacent color matching. The deviation tolerances apply to the comparison of the target values, defined by the color reference, and the measured values of the OK sheet.

From the Fogra PSD Handbook: Deviation tolerances for Side-by-Side reproductions. Version: PSD 2022

From the Fogra PSD Handbook: CIEDE2000 tolerances for spot colors. Version: PSD 2022

PSD Evaluation (FOGRA PSD 2022 Media Relative): The media-relative evaluation consists of two steps. First, the similarity between the reference and the current output color gamut is checked using the white and black points. A similarity is mandatory to perform the colorimetric evaluation in the second step.

From the Fogra PSD Handbook: CIELAB tolerances for gamut differences to check if media-relative is applicable. The color differences for the white color are very similar when using ΔE ab or CIEDE2000. The CIEDE2000 tolerances shall take precedence. CIELAB 1976 color differences are given in brackets. Version: PSD 2022

The calculation of the media-relative CIELAB color values only takes place if the criteria specified for the first step are met. They are the starting point for the final color evaluation based on all control patches in the second step.

From the Fogra PSD Handbook: Deviation tolerances for media-relative reproductions. Version: PSD 2022

Note: Reliable results can only be achieved with absolute colorimetric measurement data, so please do not use relative or scaled (e.g., converted with perceptual rendering intent) measurement data.

Specify spot colors: When evaluating Multicolor measurement data, the additional colors can be evaluated as process colors or as spot colors. In most cases, with typical Multicolor media wedges, all colors are process colors, but with ZePrA-created dynamic media wedges, additional spot colors may also be included in the file.
Specify spot colors opens a dialog where you can define whether a color is included in the selected Evaluation Method calculation as a Process color or as a Spot color.

By default, all channels of Multicolor data are defined as process colors and included in the evaluation All Patches.

However, if spot colors are present and should not be treated as process colors, e.g., in the case of dynamic media wedges in ZePrA, they can be defined as spot colors. In this case, they are not included in the All Patches evaluation, but are evaluated separately and displayed in a separate Spot color evaluation line.

Note: The button for the Specify spot colors dialog is shown for Multicolor data only.

Report

The available input fields depend on the selected Evaluation method. Enter the required information according to the selected ISO standard.

Save Report: Saves the report in the location and format (PDF, HTML, XML) specified in Settings.

The report contains all the information that you have entered, the summary from the evaluation dialog, a list of all patches with their names or IDs, the device color space, the Lab reference values, the Lab measurement value and the delta.

Label

Allows you to print a label with the evaluation results directly from within ColorAnt. The tab shows a preview of the label to be printed. The label contains the data entered in the Report tab and a table with the data from the Evaluation tab. It also indicates if the print is Accepted or if the evaluation has failed (X) and provides space for a signature.

Note: The label layout is optimized for DYMO 99012 labels (format 89mm x 36mm). For other formats, adjustments may be necessary to achieve optimum results.

Video Tutorial

How to Use the Proof Evaluation Tool in ColorAnt in combination with ZePrA

Learn step-by-step how to use the Proof Evaluation tool in ColorAnt for the evaluation of a proofing media wedge created with ZePrA. In this example, we will be demonstrating the special feature of ZePrA to create a dynamic media wedge using process and spot colors and how to use the supplied reference data from ZePrA for evaluation of a Contract Proof.

ZePrA | Push 2 ZePrA

Push-2-ZePrA

Process PSD files directly from Photoshop

What is Push-2-ZePrA ?

Push-2-ZePrA is an Adobe Photoshop extension that allows color converting an image file selected in Photoshop with ColorLogic’s color server ZePrA from Photoshop. Depending on the color server settings high quality color conversions with DeviceLink profiles will be performed leading to better color rendering of images than typical color conversion with Photoshop. Even spot colors can be converted if the selected ZePrA configuration is set up accordingly. The converted file will be opened up in Photoshop so that you do not need to leave Photoshop in order to get the best possible color converted images.

Push-2-ZePrA System Requirements

System Requirements for Push-2-ZePrA version 3

  • macOS 10.15 and higher
  • Windows 10 and higher
  • Adobe Photoshop CC 2021 and higher.
  • ZePrA 11
  • Supported file formats: TIFF, JPEG, PSD and PSB
  • Unsupported file formats: PNG, PDF and EPS
  • On macOS systems with M1/M2 Apple Silicon processors make sure that you start Photoshop via Rosetta. The Push-2-ZePrA extension does not run natively on M1/M2 chips.

System Requirements for Push-2-ZePrA version 1 and 2

  • macOS 10.13 and higher
  • Windows 8 and higher
  • Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 and higher.
  • Supported file formats: TIFF, JPEG, PSD and PSB
  • Unsupported file formats: PNG, PDF and EPS
  • On macOS systems with M1/M2 Apple Silicon processors make sure that you start Photoshop via Rosetta. The Push-2-ZePrA extension does not run natively on M1/M2 chips.
  • ZePrA 9 and higher/Push-2-ZePrA v2 and higher: The 2nd edition of Push-2-ZePrA has network capability. This eliminates the need for ZePrA to be installed on the same computer as Photoshop.

Note: Push-2-ZePrA is integrated with a 1-client license in ZePrA XL and XXL. Additional 5-client or 10-client multi-user licenses can also be purchased. For ZePrA Entry, Basic and L, the Push-2-ZePrA Photoshop extension single and multi-user licenses can be purchased as add-ons.

Installation
  1. Use the installer for macOS or Windows for your respective operating system.
  2. Close Photoshop before installation and follow the easy-to-use installer.
  3. Once installed, start Photoshop, go to Window/Extensions and select Push-2-ZePrA to open the extension.

Note: The installer on macOS systems will take an additional step to prepare Photoshop. Hence Photoshop must be closed before installation. The warning message is displayed twice. Just click the Allow button twice to install.

Using Push-2-ZePrA locally

Using Push-2-ZePrA locally

Configuring the Push-2-ZePrA clients in Photoshop:

  1. Once the Push-2-ZePrA extension is installed, start Photoshop, go to Windows/Extensions and select Push-2-ZePrA to open the extension.
  2. Click the Gear icon. There are two ways to connect to the ZePrA server: locally or remotely. If your Photoshop/Push-2-ZePA installation is on the same computer as the installed ZePrA color server you should always prefer the ZePrA Local option as this is much faster than communicating via the network. Click ZePrA Local.

  3. Under ZePrA Path navigate to the ZePrA.app on macOS or zcmd.exe on Windows and select it.
  4. Define your Local Output Path (where converted files are to be saved) and click the Home button. You can then immediately use the extension.

Using Push-2-ZePrA locally

When ZePrA is installed on the same computer as Photoshop:

  1. In Photoshop, open the image to be color converted.
  2. Click on the Push-2-ZePrA extension.
  3. On the Home tab select a ZePrA Configuration from the drop-down menu. The drop-down list will show all the configurations set up in ZePrA.
    Note: A search option is available here, where any number and letter can be entered and only the configurations containing these numbers and letters are listed in the drop-down menu below. This makes it easier to search for specific configurations, especially if the list of configurations in ZePrA is very long.
  4. Choose a configuration that fits your requirements in terms of Target Color Space and retaining of Photoshop Layers. This information is shown below the drop-down menu and picked from the selected configuration.
  5. Click Convert.
  6. After a few seconds, the progress will be displayed, and the converted file will be opened up in Photoshop.
  7. Output folder for local use: Converted files are always saved in the same location as the original file and the configuration name will be appended to the original file name.
    Notes: If the original file has been edited or copied in Photoshop without saving, a temporary file needs to be created by Push-2-ZePrA. The edited and the converted temporary files are saved in the output folder defined under Local Output Path.
    If the original file is located in a read-only folder, the user will be asked if the converted file is to be saved in the output folder defined under Local Output Path.

Note: ZePrA’s Command Line Interface (CLI) is used for the conversion but not the ZePrA application itself. Therefore, you won’t find any of the images that have been converted via the Push-2-ZePrA extension in ZePrA’s Overview or hot folders.

    Using Push-2-ZePrA over the network

    Connecting Push-2-ZePrA with ZePrA over the network

    Note: Requires ZePrA 9 or higher and Push-2-ZePrA v2 or higher.

    Push-2-ZePrA is network capable from version 2. This eliminates the need for ZePrA to be installed on the same computer as Photoshop.

    ZePrA 9 and higher have an integrated Push-2-ZePrA remote server, while the Push-2-ZePrA extension acts as a client application that can access ZePrA from a remote Photoshop installation over the network.

    Therefore, several users who have the extension installed in their Photoshop application can remotely access the same ZePrA server. The Photoshop clients can thus be used on different computers, but also under different operating systems than the ZePrA server.

    Establishing a connection

    Configuring the ZePrA server:

    1. Open the Server Settings from the Tools menu in ZePrA.
    2. Specify the IP address of the computer ZePrA is running on and set a Port. See your system administrator for IP and port information. You will need to enter both the IP address and the port number in the Push-2-ZePrA extension on all client computers.

    3. Click Start to activate the server. The Status changes to Server is running and the License Status indicates the number of licenses in use as well as the number of available licenses.
    4. Stop closes the server and the extensions will no longer work. Closing ZePrA does not stop the server service but shutting down the computer will. So when restarting the computer make sure to restart the ZePrA server in the Server Settings dialog so that the extensions can access it.

    Note: Under macOS the IP address of the computer can be found in the System Preferences/Network settings. Under Windows the IP address can be found under Settings > Network & Internet > Status > View hardware and connection properties.

    After a ZePrA update, stop the server and restart both ZePrA and the server. This way the newest version of the server will be used.

    Configuring the Push-2-ZePrA clients in Photoshop
    1. Install Push-2-ZePrA and open it in Photoshop.
      Note: On Macs with Apple Silicon M1 chip make sure to start Photoshop with Rosetta – see System Requirements.
    2. Click the Gear icon.
    3. There are two ways to connect to the ZePrA server: locally or remotely. If your Photoshop/Push-2-ZePA installation is on the same computer as the installed ZePrA color server you should always prefer the ZePrA Local option as this is much faster than communicating via the network. If your Photoshop/Push-2-ZePA installation is on a different computer, use the ZePrA Remote option.

    4. To use the ZePrA Remote option, enter the previously defined ZePrA server settings (Server IP Address and Server Port Number) under ZePrA Remote and click the Connect button under Test Connection. The connection status is displayed.
    5. When the connection is successfully established, define your Local Output Path (where converted files are to be saved) and click the Home button. You can then immediately use the extension.

    Note: If all available licenses are linked with the ZePrA server, additional Photoshop extension users will not be able to connect to the ZePrA server. The licenses are linked to the ZePrA server on a first come first served basis.

    Note: In order to use the Photoshop extension, the ZePrA remote server must be running. Once the server has been started in ZePrA, it will run even if the ZePrA application is closed later on. Only when the computer is shut down, the server is also shut down and must be restarted in ZePrA after the computer is restarted.

    Use the Question mark icon to access the Push-2-ZePrA online help page, and the Exclamation mark icon to get the version numbers of the extension and the ZePrA Remote server.

    Using Push-2-ZePrA remotely

    When ZePrA is accessed over the network:

    1. Open up an image in Photoshop to be color converted.
    2. Click on the Push-2-ZePrA extension.
    3. Select a ZePrA Configuration from the drop-down menu. The drop down list will show all the configurations set up in ZePrA.
      Note: A search option is available here, where any number and letter can be entered and only the configurations containing these numbers and letters are listed in the drop-down menu below. This makes it easier to search for specific configurations, especially if the list of configurations in ZePrA is very long.
    4. Choose a configuration that fits your requirements in terms of Target Color Space and Photoshop Layers retaining. This information is shown below the drop-down menu and picked from the selected configuration.
    5. Click Convert.
    6. After a few seconds, the progress will be displayed, and the converted file will be opened up in Photoshop.
    7. Output folder for network use: Converted files and temporary files are always placed in the output folder defined under Local Output Path and the configuration name will be appended to the original file name.
      Note: If the original file is located in a read-only folder, the user will be asked if the converted file is to be saved in the output folder defined under Local Output Path.

    Note: ZePrA’s Command Line Interface (CLI) is used for the conversion but not the ZePrA application itself. Therefore, you won’t find any of the images that have been converted via the Push-2-ZePrA extension in ZePrA’s Overview or hot folders.

    Recommendations and Troubleshooting

    Best Practices

    For image conversions, we recommend setting up Direct Color Conversion configurations in ZePrA with the help of the Auto Setup Wizard. With a direct conversion from the image color space to the Target Color Space, double conversions are avoided. It is not recommended to use a Normalize and Convert queue as this can lead to converting the image two times (a double conversion – from the image color space to the Document Color Space and then to the Target Color Space), which typically is not wanted for image conversions.

    For any changes in terms of PSD or TIFF file layers handling, color conversion or spot color conversion, please adjust the appropriate ZePrA configuration in the ZePrA color server. The Push-2-ZePrA Photoshop extension uses the configurations, but editing configurations is not supported.

    Error Handling

    When working with the Push-2-ZePrA extension potential issues might happen:

    1. When updating Photoshop to a newer version, the Push-2-ZePrA extension may no longer be loaded. In this case, it is recommended to re-install the Push-2-ZePrA extension.
    2. The Push-2-ZePrA Photoshop extension version 3 is only executable with ZePrA 11.
    3. The maximum file size that can be processed via the remote connection using the zcmdServer of ZePrA 10 is 512 MB. Larger files can be processed directly via ZePrA Queues.
    4. The zcmdServer included in ZePrA 11 allows the processing of image files up to a size of 2 GB.
    5. Please do not use the zcmdServers of ZePrA 10 and 11 at the same time. Make sure the server in ZePrA 10 is stopped (click the Stop button in the Server Settings dialog). After that open the Server Settings dialog in ZePrA 11 and click on Start to activate the zcmdServer of ZePrA 11.
    6. Select the proper file for conversion: When several images are open in Photoshop keep in mind that only the selected, active document will be converted with Push-2-ZePrA.
    7. Incomplete conversions: When clicking the Convert button it may take a few seconds until the image is converted. During processing (the progress will be displayed), do not close the Push-2-ZePrA extension nor minimize Photoshop. This will immediately stop the conversion.
    8. Restricted folders and locations: A warning message appears when trying to save a file in a restricted location. If the selected location (folder) is read-only (for example, the application folder of an operating system), a warning message is displayed prompting you to cancel the conversion or save the converted file to the Local Output Path.
    9. Troubleshooting job warnings: An error message with the selected configuration appears. In such a situation, check the corresponding configuration in the ZePrA application and check for the cause of the error. It may be that the image file and the setting in the configuration do not match. In such a case, it is suggested to convert the image file in the ZePrA application with the same configuration used in the Push-2-ZePrA extension. The same job warning message may show in ZePrA. Troubleshoot the issue and change the settings in the ZePrA application, until the file conversion works as desired. Once the configuration has been saved in ZePrA go back to the Push-2-ZePrA extension, close it and reopen the extension to update the list of configurations and settings and convert the file in Photoshop again.
      Note: Push-2-ZePrA supports the same image file formats as ZePrA, e.g. TIFF, JPEG, PSD and PSB. Unsupported file formats, such as PNG, PDF or EPS, will generate file format errors.
    10. Changes and updates to configurations: When changes or updates to ZePrA configurations have not been applied in the Push-2-ZePrA extension, make sure that the edits have been saved in ZePrA before heading to the Photoshop extension. Then close the extension and start it again so that it refreshes the list of configurations and their settings.
    11. Support for prior ZePrA versions: ZePrA versions prior to v9 are not supported. The extension may show the settings of configurations from older ZePrA versions, but will not convert files. We do not recommend selecting prior ZePrA versions with the extension and will not be supporting prior versions in future releases.
    12. Avoid special characters in configuration names: characters such as | < > * ? / \\ : in configurations names with ZePrA. While ZePrA will handle such characters the Push-2-ZePrA extension does not.

    ColorAnt | Color Editor

    Color Editor

    Manual editing of patches and best possible spot color conversion

    Color Editor

    The Color Editor tool covers several applications:

    1. Best possible conversion of colors (usually spot colors) using ICC profiles.
    2. Saving spot colors converted with Color Editor in various color formats for use in other applications.
    3. Manually changing color names.
    4. Manually changing Lab values and device values assigned to a color patch.
    5. Adding or removing color patches.

    Overview of the Color Editor

    On the left side is a table with the colors of the loaded measurement file. It contains the following information:

    • Color: Name of the color
    • Measurement: Measured color values in Lab (spectral values are retained but shown as Lab)
    • Current (DCS): Specifies the current device values. Displays the device values after applying the settings and functions on the right side.
    • Profile (DCS): Displays the device values resulting from a conversion using the selected profile on the right-hand side.
    • dE00 (Current): Displays the absolute colorimetric DeltaE 2000 values, which result from the measured Lab values and the current device values.

    Single, multiple or all color values can be selected in the table and then edited with the tools on the right. The color table can be sorted by Color or dE00 (Current) by clicking on the column headings.

    Below the table are two buttons to Add or Delete patches as well as the Invert Selection button.

    Invert Selection: Provides a quick and easy way to reduce a large number of displayed colors of a large data set to only a few colors. Simply select the desired color patches, click Invert Selection followed by the Delete button. Now you are working on your individual color selection.

    Search: Helps to find and edit specific colors of large data sets. Type in the name of the desired color and the list will show only colors with those name components.

    Tip: Combine the Search with Invert Selection

    If, for example, you would like to edit all colors with the name component ‘Red’ of a Pantone library as a small list, enter ‘Red’ in the Search.

    Select the colors found, then delete the search term and click on Invert Selection.

    By pressing the Delete button, only the colors with the name component ‘Red’ remain in the list. All others are removed.

    Spot Color Report: Generates a PDF report that can be used to check the conversion of spot colors before actually printing.

    The spot color report shows the results achieved by a spot color conversion in relation to deltaE00, deltaE76, and the separation into process colors. This allows the accuracy of spot color conversions to be checked before processing or printing, and to determine in advance how spot colors (e.g., Pantone® or HKS and other colors) of specific PDF and image files are converted.

    A spot color library with multiple spot colors such as Pantone, HKS or other colors can be color converted with a target ICC profile to check for the resulting process color breakdowns (DCS). The report provides the color name for each spot color, the process color breakdowns, the expected deltaE2000 and deltaE76 values, and an overall evaluation in terms of average and maximum deltaEs.  It also includes the median and how many colors are reproduced within a tolerance of 1 and 2.5 dE00 as well as within the user-defined dE00 limit.

    The report also contains an information column that shows, among other things, whether a color is out of gamut.

    Measurement Information

    Shows the Name, the measured Lab value (CIE) and the current device value (DCS) including the color space for the selected color field.


    Color Conversion Settings

    After selecting an ICC Profile, first the DCS values are calculated using the Absolute Colorimetric rendering intent.

    However, these are not always the best possible color values, neither with regard to the smallest DeltaE nor to printability.

    Therefore, various optimization modes are available in the Color Conversion Settings, which can be applied to the colors selected on the left side of the table.

    It is also possible to apply different modes and colors to individual colors.

    Define the Profile and the Mode for the conversion of the measured values. Six modes are available for the color conversion:

    1. Precise Match – Proofing
      Spot colors are reproduced as accurately as possible on a proof printer. This method is not suitable for production as it may use all process colors for spot color simulation to achieve the best result (based on DeltaE 2000). The full tone is calculated with the aim of achieving the smallest possible DeltaE 2000 value. No channel reduction or print optimization is applied.
    2. Visual Match – Utilize More Channels
      Produces visually the best possible conversion with high color accuracy and with excellent printing properties. Full tones of spot colors are converted with as few channels as possible and still remain colorimetrically accurate. This method is suitable for digital printing, large format inkjet printing or offset printing with a fine screen ruling and good register accuracy.
    3. Use the least Amount of Channels possible
      A good method to convert full tones of spot colors with a minimum number of channels and still get colorimetric accurate results. Choose this method for packaging printing where pure colors are desired. One or two-color combinations are also included in the search for the best possible color combination.
    4. Use one Output Channel only
      Useful for print packaging production. The spot colors used for text and bar codes will be converted using a maximum of one process color.
    5. Use a Maximum of two Channels
      Uses one or two output channels. Best for one or two process colors providing the best colorimetric match selected for each spot color automatically. The results are very clean separations that are easily printed, but not necessarily very exact in colorimetric terms. It is recommended to only use this function for individual, manually created spot colors.
    6. Use a Maximum of three Channels
      Uses one to three output channels. Similar to the calculation method Use the least Amount of Channels possible. No more than a maximum of three channels should be used. Choose this method for packaging printing, where the purest possible colors are to be produced and not more than three process colors for spot color conversion must be used. Single-color and two-color combinations are also included in the search for the best color combination.

    dE00 Limit: Colors exceeding the set threshold are marked with a warning symbol.


    Optimize Output Values

    Displays the current device values for the selected ICC profile.

    By clicking on dE76 or dE00 the deltaE can be minimized for each color.

    Automatic: Uses the selected ColorLogic calculation mode, typically reducing the number of channels for better printability.
    Note: By deactivating the checkboxes for the color channels, the values displayed in the number fields are fixed (for example 0% or 100%) so that they are not changed when applying dE76 or dE00. However, this does not apply to Automatic, here, all channels are always taken into account.

    Revert: Undoes all changes and reverts back to the original DCS values initially calculated using the selected ICC Profile.

    Color Information

    Displays various information about the selected color:

    Reference: Measured Lab value of the color
    Profile: Shows the color value calculated with the process colors of the target profile
    Current: Optimized color value of the process colors
    dE76: Expected color difference in DeltaE 76
    dE00: Expected color difference in DeltaE 2000
    Paper white simulation: Considers the coloration of the substrate for the target color space
    Note: It is recommended to activate the Paper white simulation.
    Divided color preview: The divided color preview shows how the original color (upper bar), the non-optimized color by means of the profile (left lower square), and the optimized color (right lower square) would look like when printing. The color preview is displayed in true colors on a calibrated and profiled monitor.

    Comparison of original color (Reference), non-edited color (Profile) and edited color (Current)

    Note: A warning message is displayed below the color preview when one of the three colors is out of the monitor’s gamut.

    After editing the measured values, a file with the optimized device and/or measured values is created by clicking on Start.

    Note: The Color Editor tool is grayed out if the file loaded under Data Sets does not contain any measured values. Once a single measurement file has been selected, it can be opened in the Color Editor (multiple files cannot be opened simultaneously).

    Color Editor Use Cases

    Example: Best possible conversion of (spot) colors

    Measurement data from spot colors loaded into ColorAnt can be converted into any color space using the Color Editor and ICC profiles. All color spaces including RGB, CMYK and Multicolor are supported.

    Note: The Conversion of Multicolor profiles requires an L license.

    To convert a spot color to RGB, CMYK or Multicolor, follow these steps:

    1. Load the measurement data file including individual full tone spot colors (for example a spot color library as CxF file) under Data Sets in ColorAnt, select the file and then click Color Editor.
    2. Under Color Conversion Settings, select the desired ICC Profile from the drop-down menu.
    3. The table on the left side fills with the device values. Initially, the device values are identical for Current (DCS) and Profile (DCS), since no optimizations have yet been made.
    4. Select the color you would like to optimize from the table and a Mode under Color Conversion Settings.
      The calculation mode specifies how ZePrA should convert one or more spot colors to the target color space.
    5. Choose one of the three modes described above. Under dE00 Limit, enter the threshold value in DeltaE 2000 from which colors in the table are to be marked with a warning symbol.

    6. The control panel Optimize Output Values shows the device values (Current DCS) calculated with the selected ICC profile. The calculation is always absolute colorimetric.

    7. Now click on Automatic to convert the colors using the selected calculation mode. Alternatively, perform the calculation according to DeltaE76 (dE76) or DeltaE 2000 (dE00). However, these two methods do not include ColorLogics high-quality calculation modes. The device values are displayed immediately after application of the calculation.

      By clicking on Revert the changes can be undone.
    8. The Color Information panel shows the measured Lab value of the color under Reference, the color value calculated with the process colors of the target profile under Profile and the optimized color value under Current. Additionally, the expected color difference is displayed in dE76 (DeltaE 76) and dE00 (DeltaE 2000). Activating the checkbox Paper white simulation takes the coloration of the substrate for the target color space into account. The calculation of the Lab values for Current and the color distance (DeltaE) are performed accordingly.
      Note: It is recommended to activate the Paper white simulation.
      Divided color preview: The divided color preview shows how the original color (upper bar), the non-optimized color by means of the profile (left lower square) and the optimized color (right lower square) would look like when printing. The color preview is displayed in true colors on a calibrated and profiled monitor.

      Comparison of original color (Reference), non-edited color (Profile) and edited color (Current)

    9. If you want to make fine adjustments, manually optimize the percentages in the Optimize Output Values control panel and see the effects directly under Color Information.
    10.  If you are satisfied with the optimization, continue optimizing more colors. Optimized colors are updated directly in the table. With a click on Start the editing is completed using the device values shown under Current (DCS) and the dialog will close. Please note that colors that have not been optimized will only be converted using the normal profile conversion and may therefore not achieve the best possible result.

    Specifics

    • If you would like to optimize several or all colors in the table at once, select the desired colors and click on the desired calculation (Automatic, dE76 or dE00).
    • If two or more colors are selected, device and color values are grayed out in the panels Optimize Output Values and Color Information.
    • If a file previously optimized with an ICC profile in the Color Editor is re-opened in Color Editor, the previously used ICC profile is preselected automatically.
    • If you change the ICC profile, typically, the device values have to be recalculated. To do so, activate the checkbox Recalculate DCS values and confirm with OK.

    Confirm recalculation of the DCS values

    Example: Saving color-converted spot colors to other formats
    Spot colors converted with Color Editor can be saved in various color formats supported by ColorAnt and used in other applications.

    •    CxF or CxF/X-4 for use in many modern applications
    •    Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) for use in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign
    •    ACO for use in Adobe Photoshop
    •    ICC Named Color Profiles for use in programs that support this special ICC format.

    The complete list of supported formats can be found here.

    Note: Spot colors converted with Color Editor contain the original color values (Lab or spectral values) and the optimized device values for the selected ICC profile.

    Example: Manual Editing

    The Color Editor also allows to manually change color patch names or color names, to manually change the measurements and device values associated with a color patch, and add or remove individual color patches. Make the appropriate changes in the topmost control panel Measurement Information.

    Under Name change the name of (spot) colors or color patches of test charts.

    Under
    CIE edit the measured values of the color, under DCS edit device values (if present). Typically, DCS values are not available in a pure spot color measurement file.

    Using the buttons below the table (Add, Delete), selected colors can be removed or one or more colors can be added. Added colors are placed at the end of the table. A default name and a medium gray are preselected, which can be changed under Measurement Information as required.

    Specifics

    • Measurements of profiling test charts often have no name designations. For such measurements, the Color Editor automatically adds an identifier, for example #1 for the first patch.

    • Spectral measurement data can also be edited in the Color Editor. They are then displayed as Lab values with D50/2 degree standard observers. In the final file, however, the spectral values are preserved.
    • If the CIE values of spectral measurements are edited as Lab values, the spectral properties of the color are retained.
    • We recommend not to change or optimize DCS values in test charts if the data is used for profiling purposes.
    • When selecting an ICC profile, typically, the device values don’t have to be recalculated. Deactivate the checkbox Recalculate DCS values and confirm with OK.

    Recalculating colors without changing the DCS values

    CoPrA | User Interface

    Main Window

    Access CoPrA’s functions from one central location

    Special Features

    Profile search in drop-down menus
    All profile drop-down menus function like search fields. Simply type in some letters of the desired profile and only those profiles containing these letters will be shown in the list. To select a profile simply click on it.

    Alternatively you may open the drop-down menu with the arrow on the right and select a profile from the full list as usual. Right-clicking on the arrow displays the most recently created ICC profiles available for selection from the list.

    Loading data files
    Load opens and displays existing measurement data files.
    A right click on Load opens a list with recently used files. Selecting an entry in the recently used files list while pressing the CMD key takes you to the folder containing the file.
    Alternatively, drag and drop the data into the window to extract and view the data.

    Context menus
    A right-click on an entry in a list or table opens a context menu with useful tools specific to the respective table or list content. This is especially true for the Profile Manager, where the context menu contains many interesting features.

    Next and Back buttons
    The two buttons Next and Back at the bottom of most windows allow navigating within tools.

    Notifications
    CoPrA contains a notification message service (similar to ZePrA’s Troubleshooting) that allows multiple messages to be displayed at the bottom of the window. If more than one notification or warning is available, this is shown in the icons with the number of warnings. When clicking on the icon or the warning text, all warnings are shown.

    Sidebar

    Sidebar

    The controls to configure and use CoPrA can be found in the Sidebar. Clicking on the Home icon at the left of the window opens the Sidebar which allows a quick selection of the desired tools.

    To launch a specific module, click on the corresponding button of the Sidebar. The colored bar of the upper left corner under Color Profiling Application indicates the active module.

    Printer Profiling

    New Printer Profile

    Create printer profiles 

    Update Profile

    Update profiles using optimized measurement data

    DeviceLink Profiling

    DeviceLink

    Create DeviceLink profiles from standard ICC profiles

    Editing

    Create DeviceLinks using individually modified test charts

    SaveInk

    Create ink saving DeviceLink profiles

    Iterate

    Improve DeviceLink profiles

    Linearization

    Optimize primary color gradations

    Recalculate

    Recalculate DeviceLink profiles with a different profile

    Tools

    Image Conversion

    Convert image files for profile evaluations

    Profile Manager

    Manage profiles in one convenient place

    Batch Overview

    Monitor and manage profiling jobs or reports

    Menu Bar

    CoPrA

    CoPrA (macOS only): Allows access to the dialogue About (see below), Preferences and Services and quits CoPrA.

    Preferences: Define CoPrAs settings, such as the preferred starting page, overwriting of preview profiles or report settings.

    Detailed Information can be found here.

    Navigation

    Navigation (Windows only): In this menu, change the Preferences and select CoPrA’s various modules (the modules can also be accessed via the sidebar). The menu also shows the shortcuts for the individual modules.

    Navigation (macOS only): Select CoPrA’s various modules (the modules can also be accessed via the sidebar). The menu also shows the shortcuts for the individual modules.

    Tools

    Import Settings: Import CoPrA settings to the preset menu

    Export Settings: Export CoPrA’s settings for backup or to load in another system

    Cleanup Settings: All settings found under the entry [EDITED] will be deleted automatically when using the command Cleanup settings from the Tools menu.

    Open EditTargets folder: Opens the EditTargets folder:

    Windows: C:\Program Files(x86)\CoPrAX\EditTargets

    macOS: Applications\CoPrAX\EditTargets

    Open Testcharts folder: Opens the Testcharts folder:

    Windows: C:\Program Files(x86)\CoPrAX\Testcharts

    macOS: Applications\CoPrAX\Testcharts

    Help

    Online Help: Opens CoPrA’s Online Help (internet connection required).

    Quick Start Guide: Opens the online help page for the Quick Start Guide (internet connection required).

    What’s New: Links to the online help page with the new features and bug fixes in CoPrA (internet connection required).

    readme.txt: Contains the release notes with short information about the latest changes.

    Registration: Load and activate licenses, request a demo license or get more information about the licenses.

    Check for update: Checks whether a new program version is available (internet connection required).

    Save Support Data: Creates a compressed and encrypted text file that contains important support information.

    About: Opens the registration dialog. Contains information about the version and build number.

    CoPrA | DeviceLink Editing

    Editing

    Edit DeviceLinks using a reference chart

    DeviceLink Editing

    Overview

    One of the most powerful features of CoPrA is the ability to create customized DeviceLink profiles based on individually adapted test charts (EditTargets). This smart way to create DeviceLink profiles opens up a multitude of possibilities.

    Use this tool for recurring retouching work on similar image data, convert RGB data to CMYK or Multicolor data in a controlled way, factor in required gradation changes automatically into your data – the possibilities are almost unlimited.

    These profiles can be used to automate color processing with software such as ZePrA.

    Each EditTarget contains color patches for the color spaces RGB, CMYK, Gray or Lab in the upper left corner and includes the gray axis, primaries and secondary colors. These color patches are mandatory for the calculation of the DeviceLink profile and included in the calculation.

    Open one of the provided EditTargets (for CMYK, RGB, Grayscale or Lab) in an image editing program (like Adobe Photoshop) and perform all desired color corrections. Additionally, other images may be added to the chart to fully adapt it to your requirements. Corrections, filters, masks and effects must include the test patch in the upper left corner to create a DeviceLink from the EditTarget.
    Notes: All DeviceLink corrections are not image-specific corrections, but global corrections applied to all image data undergoing the conversion process.
    When editing Lab EditTargets an abstract profile will be generated.

    Edit Targets included with CoPrA

    About Edit Targets

    The motifs of a test image play a central role in the creation, control and optimization of DeviceLink profiles. They should cover all areas that are significant for the application of the DeviceLink profile. Each color space which is used in conversions requires its own relevant test image, i.e. the color spaces Gray, RGB, CMYK and possibly Lab. Test images for these color spaces are provided by CoPrA (shown below).

    Compilation of Photographic Motifs
    The chosen photographic motifs should cover various areas such as skin tones, neutral tones, shadows, highlights and saturated colors. It is advisable to use test images which are applied industry-wide, such as the Roman16 test images of the ECI or the BVDM or images of the ISO (if available). Some of these images are included in the EditTargets provided by CoPrA (for example CLEditCMYK_Large_v31_144dpi.tif). Additional images from your production enhance the significance of the test images.

    Gradients
    Gradients are generally a critical factor in color conversions, both when using traditional ICC device profiles for source and target or when using DeviceLink profiles. The Homann Smoothness Inspection gradient test form is intended for the assessment of possible breaks or artifacts. It is included in the test file CLEditCMYK_Large_v31_144dpi.tif.

    Pure CMY Colors
    The test image should also have pure colors in various shades, particularly for CMYK-to-CMYK conversions. They should be positioned at the edge of the test image and should be large enough to allow direct comparison and measurement before and after conversion. This is important on proofs, for the use of colorimeters or the eyedropper tool in Photoshop.

    How to create DeviceLink profiles with edited charts

    Select your editing workflow
    The DeviceLink Editing process begins with the selection of one of the three available editing workflows. These workflows are used to create new DeviceLinks, modify existing DeviceLinks or to create DeviceLinks from edited images.

    For the first two workflows it is not necessary to select the required EditTarget manually. Simply Select the editing software of your choice and click Edit. This will automatically open the appropriate EditTarget (EditTargets are provided with CoPrA for CMYK, RGB, Grayscale or Lab) in your editing software (e.g., Photoshop).

    Now any desired color corrections can be applied and the edited EditTarget can be saved. CoPrA automatically recognizes the saved EditTarget.

    To start the DeviceLink Editing process, choose one of the following editing workflows:

    • Create new DeviceLink
    • Modify existing DeviceLink
    • Create DeviceLink from edited image

    Create new DeviceLink

    Use this workflow to build a new DeviceLink from scratch.

    1. Choose the appropriate color space (the source color space from which the color conversion will be performed).
    2. Select an image editing application (e.g. Adobe Photoshop) to modify the image.
    3. Click on the Edit button and apply your edits. Make sure that you save the edited image without renaming or changing the file format. If this is necessary, please continue with the workflow option Create DeviceLink from edited image and open the edited image there.
    4. Click on Next.

    Modify existing DeviceLink

    Here you can select an existing DeviceLink profile which you would like to optimize.

    1. Select the DeviceLink you would like to modify.
    2. Select an image editing application (e.g. Adobe Photoshop) to modify the image.
    3. Click on the Edit button and apply your edits. Make sure that you save the edited image without renaming or changing the file format. If this is necessary, please continue with the workflow option Create DeviceLink from edited image and open the edited image there.
      Note: The EditTarget will automatically be converted with the selected DeviceLink from step 1.
    4. Click on Next.

    Create DeviceLink from edited image

    1. Select and open the already edited image, e.g. one of the ColorLogic EditTargets supplied with CoPrA .
    2. Click on Next.

    This is the area where you determine the settings of the DeviceLink Profile.

    If a profile is embedded in the opened EditTarget, it is automatically selected as the target color space. If this is not the case, the Source Profile and the Target Profile are also selected automatically if they are found on the system or if the profiles are embedded in the DeviceLink profile.

    If the profiles cannot be found automatically, the source and the target profile can be assigned manually. Assigning profiles is useful as color patches will then be displayed with true colors in CoPrA as well. A further advantage of edited DeviceLinks with assigned source and target profiles is that these profile information are stored in the PSID tag of the created DeviceLink profile, so it can be used by intelligent workflow solutions like ColorLogic’s smart color server ZePrA to automatically create configurations.
    Note: For the created DeviceLink profile the source and target profiles are of no importance. 

    Patch Information

    The modifications for each patch can be evaluated by moving the mouse over the patches on the right side.

    In the Source Color Space section, the original unedited EditTarget is used as a reference.

    Two information are displayed in the Target Color Space area:

    • Before Editing shows the pure conversion to the target profile, without considering the edits.
    • After Editing shows the impact of the edits. The difference between the two can be assessed from the TAC, the DCS values and the DeltaE2000 value.

    The reference value of each color patch is located in the upper left half of the diagonally split color patch, the edited value is in the right lower half. When the mouse pointer is moved over the chart, the color patches are displayed along with other color information including a difference display (color space, TAC value and DeltaE2000 differences).

    Example: Converting the edited image from the source profile ISOcoated_V2_eci.icc to the target profile ISOnewspaper26v4.icc had an impact on the yellow channel, which was reduced from 20% to 6.4% (Before Editing).

    The edits to the image also had an effect on yellow – it was reduced to 3.5%. The difference after conversion and editing has a dE2000 of 1.1 (After Editing).

    Information
    Shows the color space values of the White and the Black point and information/warnings about the selected exceptions.

    Expert options to purify unwanted color contaminations
    In contrast to the exceptions when creating DeviceLink profiles from ICC profiles, the exceptions under Expert options to purify unwanted color contaminations in the Editing tool ensure that any contamination caused by manual editing of the EditTargets is removed. Among other things, these exception rules define how pure colors, secondaries, gray, duplex and triplex colors are structured in the DeviceLink. The selection of these rules considerably determines the quality of your DeviceLink profile.

    All color patches that are handled by the selected exception are highlighted in the graphical representation by an orange border. Color patches that are affected by the selected exception are highlighted in red.

    In addition, under Patch Information/Target Color Space/After Editing + Expert Options the color space and TAC value are updated and the DeltaE2000 value with exception (in the middle) or without exception (on the left) is shown.

    The calculated DeltaE2000 distance between these two values (After Editing and After Editing + Expert Options) is the value in brackets. This corresponds to the DeltaE2000 value from CoPrA 8 and 9 and defines the impact of the Expert Options on the edits.

    Typically, exceptions are not applied as this would change the edit, but sometimes unwanted changes occur during manual edits, which can then be removed using the exceptions.

    Example: When the Secondaries expert option is applied to the sample workflow, it affects the Yellow channel again. The exception increases the value for yellow from 3.5% to 5% and the dE2000 distance to before editing is now 0.5 (After Editing + Expert Options).

    The calculated dE2000 distance between these two values (3.5% After Editing and 5% After Editing + Expert Options) is the value in brackets (0.6).

    When moving the mouse pointer over a color patch, it is highlighted by a black or white frame and the source and target color space values are displayed. By pressing the ‘Alt’ key on the keyboard the color patch is captured allowing to quickly and easily check whether and to what extent it is affected by an exception. Exceptions which are not available are grayed out. This may be the case when a dependency between exceptions exists, or when exceptions are not relevant for a specific color space.

    100% Black: Protects 100% black, so 100% K remains 100% K and will not be supplemented with or replaced by CMY. Additional color portions will be deleted. For a conversion of an RGB source profile into a CMYK target color space 100% Black ensures that an RGB value of 0, 0, 0 is converted to 100% black. For example, it prevents pure black RGB text from being composed of four colors in the CMYK profile after the conversion.

    100% C,M,Y: Protects cyan, magenta and yellow. The 100% values of C, M and Y are retained after the color conversion at 100%. Additional color portions will be deleted. The slider Range specifies how far adjacent color patches are included.

    100% R,G,B: Protects pure red, green and blue. The 100% key values of red, green and blue are retained after the color conversion at 100%. The slider Range specifies how far adjacent color patches are included.

    Gray: Protects the single color structure of black from 0 to 100%. Additional color portions will be deleted.

    White: Protects the paper white. This is especially useful when you would like to achieve an absolute colorimetric simulation for proofs without a simulation of the paper color (e.g., for aesthetic reasons). 

    Primaries: Protects the single color structure of primary colors.

    Secondaries: Protects the two color structures of secondaries.

    Duplex (a primary color plus black): Prevents color contaminations of duplex colors. If editing of the test chart causes contaminations of duplex colors by adding primary colors, these impurities will be removed.

    Triplex (two primary colors plus black): Prevents color contaminations of triplex colors. If editing of the test chart causes contaminations of triplex colors by adding primary colors, these impurities will be removed.

    Range: The slider Range allows to specify how far adjacent color patches will be included. All color patches that are affected by the selected exception are highlighted in the graphical representation by a red border showing the color areas which are affected immediately after moving the slider. Move the slider to a high value to avoid hard edges, move it to a low value to increase color accuracy.

    Finally, click Next to proceed to the profile creation dialog to complete the process and create the custom DeviceLink.

    Profile Processing

    Format, Size and Further Processing

    Name: Type in a Name for the profile.

    Templates: Allows to select and combine name components from a list of options and save them as custom templates. The last selected template is used when creating new profiles, so the naming of profiles is automated. 

    Available naming options depend on the current profile type and include Date, Date/Time, Measurement data file name, Source and Target profiles, Name of the current preset and others. Each name component can be added at a user-defined position under Template (the position is selected with the mouse pointer). The Example section below shows the resulting name. Additionally, user defined text can be added at any position within the Template field.

    Format: Define the Format of your profile. An ICC format in accordance with specification v2 is recommended as basic setting however, the newer format ICC v4 can also be chosen. In this case, please ensure that your programs support this format correctly.
    Note: ColorLogic products handle and use ICC v4 profiles consistently and correctly.

    Size: The setting Large is recommended. The size specifies the number of grid points in the profile and determines the amount of disk space required for the generated profile. Small profiles should only be used for test purposes. Very Large profiles can slow down further processing in subsequent programs. Additionally, some programs are not able to handle very large profiles.

    Further processing

    Create Profile Report: Recommended to activate. The PDF report provides an overview of the quality of the profile based on statistics, diagrams of gray balances, gradients and gamut representations as well as color separations of converted test files.
    Under Preferences, the Default save path for the reports and the Default report format can be selected. If XML is selected as the format, the corresponding XSD files will be created automatically as well.

    Save Preview Profile: Is only available in Multicolor printer profiling. By activating this checkbox an ICC preview profile will be created in addition to the printer profile. It can be used as soft proof profile in Adobe Photoshop.
    Notes: Preview profiles are only suitable for proofing purposes. Either a preview profile or a CMYK profile can be created in one profiling step, but not both.

    Embed profiles: Physically incorporates the used source and target profiles into the DeviceLink. This function is tricky and only recommended if the DeviceLink has to be transferred to a computer which does not have the required source and target profiles. It was implemented mainly for use with certain RIPs which only accept DeviceLinks with embedded source and target profiles.

    Save: Creates the printer profile and saves it in the folder Profiles (macOS) or Color (Windows), (macOS: /Users/Username/Library/ColorSync/Profiles, Windows: C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color). Demo and encrypted profiles will be saved in a different location only relevant for ColorLogic applications.

    Note: CoPrA-SP profiles are stored in the ColorLogic subfolder Licensed-Profiles.

    Preview Profiles

    Introduction: Using Preview Profiles for Soft Proofs

    Preview profiles allow soft proofing of image files in DeviceLink profiling and Multicolor printer profiling, without converting a file. Multicolor preview profiles provide a true color representation of images to be converted into the Multicolor color space in order to review the achievable result prior to the actual Multicolor conversion (More information can be found further down in the text). The same applies to DeviceLink conversions. Here, too, the DeviceLink preview profile can be used in Photoshop with the original data to visually review how the result of such a conversion would look like.

    Preview profiles can be created together with DeviceLink or Multicolor printer profiles by activating the checkbox Save Preview Profile (see screenshots). Preview profiles have the suffix ‘preview‘ and are saved in the folder Profiles (macOS) or color (Windows), (macOS: /Users/Username/Library/ColorSync/Profiles, Windows: C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color). Right clicking on the preview profile and selecting the menu entry Show file in the context menu will take you directly to the location of the selected profile.

    Creating preview profiles in Multicolor printer profiling.

    Creating preview profiles in DeviceLink profiling.

    A preview profile is a printer profile with the same color space as the source profile of the DeviceLink. It can be used as soft proof profile, for example in Adobe Photoshop. Preview profiles can be created for the following DeviceLink combinations:
    RGB-to-CMYK, CMYK-to-CMYK, RGB-to-Multicolor and CMYK-to-Multicolor

    Note: The creation of preview profiles is not available for DeviceLink profiles using more than four channels in the source color space since only preview profiles of the color spaces Gray, RGB or CMYK can be used in Photoshop. Multicolor printer profiles are not affected as their preview profiles are always RGB profiles which can be used in Photoshop.

    Example: To adapt your RGB image data in RGB mode to the desired CMYK printing condition, use the preview profile of your RGB-to-CMYK DeviceLink as soft proof profile in Adobe Photoshop to check how the image would look like after the conversion. This allows specific RGB adjustments without the need to convert the RGB file early on. A preview profile is a very useful feature, particularly in view of storing RGB image data in media-neutral workflows.

    Preview profiles can also be created for Multicolor printer profiles which allows a true color simulation of the color representation prior to application of the Multicolor profile. Although Adobe Photoshop CS4 or higher is able to convert image data using Multicolor profiles, the display of multichannel files is not a true color representation in Photoshop. So far, a true color representation of multichannel files is only possible using additional plug-ins and causes an increased workload. The preview profile function generates an RGB printer profile which features the same color visualization as the original Multicolor profile. Use this preview profile on an original image data for soft proofing.

    Note: Preview profiles are only intended for soft proofs and should never be used for the actual conversion. A preview profile provides an excellent visual preview of the expected result of a DeviceLink conversion. However, the special features of the DeviceLink, such as preserving color purity, cannot be 100% emulated.

    Using Preview Profiles for DeviceLinks in Adobe Photoshop

    1. Open the original image data to be converted using a DeviceLink profile in Adobe Photoshop.
    2. Either assign the Preview profile from CoPrA to this image file, or select the Preview profile in the dialog Customize Proof Condition as Device to Simulate (see screenshot).
      Note: The color space of the preview profile is based on the color space of the DeviceLink’s source profile. It is an RGB preview profile for RGB-to-CMYK DeviceLinks and a CMYK preview profile for CMYK-to-CMYK DeviceLinks.
    3. Click Preserve CMYK Numbers to get a virtually exact preview of the expected color representation for the DeviceLink conversion.
      Note: Pipette values do not correspond to the final DeviceLink conversion. Only the color representation in the soft proof does.

    Using Multicolor Preview Profiles in Photoshop

    1. Open the original image data to be converted using a Multicolor printer profile in Adobe Photoshop (for example an RGB image).
    2. Select the Preview profile from CoPrA in the dialog Customize Proof Condition as Device to Simulate. Find the profile in the list of RGB profiles. The naming is based on the Multicolor profile name: Profile name_preview.icc
    3. Select the desired Rendering Intent and disable the checkbox Preserve RGB/CMYK Numbers.
      Note: Eyedropper values do not correspond to the final DeviceLink conversion. This is only for a soft proof.
    Profile Reports

    Profile reports can be created for Printer or DeviceLink profiles. To do so, activate the checkbox Create Profile Report in the last step of the profiling or, when updating profiles, the checkbox Create Profile Comparison Report.

    Depending on the type of profile the report contains various statistical data, such as statistics about profile precision (Integrity, Precision, Black Point, White Point etc.), graphic representations of curves and gamuts (Gray Balance, Gradients etc.), conversions of test images, separations and color patches to evaluate the smoothness or the purity of colors. All this facilitates the detection of artifacts that may be present.

    Profile reports can be created at any time in Batch Overview or in Profile Manager which, by the way, is not restricted to ColorLogic profiles.

    Under Preferences you can define some basic settings for the creation of the profile report, such as the file location, the report format (PDF or XML) or the DeltaE method (dE76 or dE2000).

    Note: If a profile comparison report is created when updating a profile, the measurement data obtained from the update test chart will be compared to the data of the original profile (reference profile).

    If the checkboxes Brightener Compensation or Measurement Correction have been activated, the data of the original profile will not be compared to the measurement data from the update test chart but to the data modified by these options.