Seeing colour accurately.
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS
Every screen displays colour differently, so what you see is not what others see.
WHY IT MATTERS
Work corrected on an inaccurate screen is wrong everywhere else.
WHAT CALIBRATION DOES
Measures a screen and corrects its output to a known standard.
WHAT IT REQUIRES
A calibration device.
WHAT TO DO WITHOUT ONE
Use a screen at its default factory settings rather than an adjusted one Compare work across several devices Avoid extreme adjustments
WHAT AMBIENT LIGHT DOES
Changes how a screen appears.
WHAT THAT MEANS
Edit in consistent lighting, avoiding direct sun and strongly coloured walls.
WHAT COLOUR PROFILES DO
Describe how a device reproduces colour.
WHAT HAPPENS WITHOUT THEM
Colours shift between applications and devices.
WHAT TO EMBED
A profile in exported files.
WHAT TO USE FOR THE WEB
The standard profile, unless there is reason otherwise.
WHY
Anything else displays wrongly in software that ignores profiles.
WHAT TO CHECK WORK ON
Your calibrated screen An ordinary phone A cheap screen
WHY THE LAST TWO
That is what your audience actually uses.
WHAT TO ACCEPT
That perfect consistency is unachievable, and reasonable consistency is the goal.
