Steve Swen

ColorSync: synchronizing the color behavior of your devices

In this paper we probe into some of the difficulties involved in obtaining consistent color reproduction, and review the concept of device-independent color matching. We then discuss how ColorSync 2.0 provides an operating-system level solution with its open architecture and cross-platform device profile description, as well as presenting some performance data.

ColorSync 2.5: building a color platform

Since ColorSync 1.0 was introduced in 1993, color management systems (CMS) are becoming a standard building block of modern operating systems. However, because CMS is an enabling technology, without other components in the system taking advantage of its capability, the end users may not experience the best results from this technology. This paper examines the approach that ColorSync takes to build a complete color platform which includes the following components: color management system with open framework, color savvy imaging model, easy ways to navigate and select color, device setup and calibration, scriptable interfaces, tightly integrated system. The paper points out the improvements over the previously released version.

Apple color management system (ColorSyncTM)

Before ColorSync, the QuickDraw graphics model had no specific means to define device independent color. That is, colors in QuickDraw were defined in terms of RGB values without reference to a specific, objective definition of RGB. This means that devices have no way of knowing how to interpret the incoming RGB values. When QuickDraw asks for a red value of 300, say, it asks the device to output 300 / 65536 of full red. The problem is that the full red has not been defined, so the color is relative to the full red of the destination device. The end result is that the same color triplet imaged on different output devices looks different. Without the capability of device independent color definition, achieving consistent color across varying devices is impossible.