Introduction & Overview
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Settings for multiple ColorThink tools and overall functions are set in the “Preferences” dialog. Some of these references are also set in individual tool windows. If set in either location, they are saved to disk and used for future sessions. | Settings for multiple ColorThink tools and overall functions are set in the “Preferences” dialog. Some of these references are also set in individual tool windows. If set in either location, they are saved to disk and used for future sessions. | ||
- | === | + | ===System Menu (Mac)=== |
====Quick Openers==== | ====Quick Openers==== |
Revision as of 20:07, 9 June 2006
Contents |
Purpose of this documentation
This documentation is intended as a description of the CHROMiX ColorThink tool set and not as a manual concerning color management, the building of ICC color profiles, or the use of profiles in a production workflow.
Tutorials have been supplied in the “Tutorial” section to aid in the use of ColorThink and to help communicate some of the intended uses of the application. They should not be considered the only uses of this tool set and it is sincerely hoped that any novel uses of these tools will be communicated back to the CHROMiX / the author so they may be included in future tutorials.
It is assumed that the user is far enough along the color management path that they understand what a profile is and have used profiles at least in a basic way in their workflow. Basic use of the computer operating system in use and user interface (pointing, clicking, dragging, dropping and so forth) is also assumed. Please refer to the documentation that came with your computer and your color management tools for more information.
System Requirements
Macintosh
- A Macintosh computer with a PowerPC processor
- Mac OS 8.5.1 or later or Max OS X 10.1 or later
- ColorSync 2.6.1 or newer, version 3.0.1 is required for full use of the Image Inspector
- 10MB of available RAM, 15-20 MB is suggested if large images or color lists are in use
ColorThink 2.0 is available in “Classic” and “Carbon” forms. While the Carbon version will run under Mac OS 9 and X, we suggest you use the Classic version under Mac OS 9 for better performance and reliability. The Carbon version allows ColorThink to be run in native form under Mac OS X.
Windows
- Intel or compatible CPU 2.0GHz recommended
- 1024x768 display, True Color
- 1GB RAM suggested
- ColorThink is physically composed of a single application with several supporting files and folders. All files are gathered in two locations
- Mac OS 9
- System Folder: Preferences: CHROMiX ColorThink: - this folder contains the main ColorThink preferences file as well as the “Profile Manager Sets” folder.
- The “Profile Manager Sets” folder contains, as you may be able to guess, the sets the user may create when enabling and disabling profiles.
- Mac OS X
- ~/Library/Preferences/CHROMiX ColorThink: - this folder contains the main ColorThink preferences file as well as the “Profile Manager Sets” folder. The “Profile Manager Sets” folder contains, as you may be able to guess, the sets the user may create when enabling and disabling profiles. The ~ refers to the active user’s folder on OS X.
- Mac OS 9 & X
- Application Folder – this folder contains the ColorThink application as well as its subfolders. It is suggested that you always keep the ColorThink application and it’s subfolders together in the same folder on your hard disk. ColorThink will search inside these folders for required and optional files it needs as it runs. The ColorThink subfolders contain:
- Profiles – place any favorite profiles in this folder and they will appear in all Add: menus (see below for more information regarding the Add: menu)
- Stunt Files – these are data and image files supplied with ColorThink for use as examples, in evaluating profiles, or in the Tutorial section of this manual
- Demo Files – contains the demo profiles and image file used when ColorThink runs in demonstration mode (without a serial number).
- Windows
Overview
ColorThink is a complete tool set for managing, repairing, evaluating and graphing ICC profiles.
There are many software tools available for building and editing ICC-compliant color profiles. There are, however, very few tools available for handling profiles once they have been built.
- ColorThink allows the user to
- Organize profiles and simplify one’s system
- Open any ICC-compliant profile and explore its color contents as well as its header fields and tag database
- Perform comprehensive 16-point checks on all installed profiles and repair problems if possible
- Modify both the internal and external profile names to clarify profile contents and purposes and how they appear in application menus
- Graph profile gamuts and other color information in two and three dimensions
- Open images and inspect, remove, and embed profiles
- Create device link profiles
ColorThink Tool Set
- The ColorThink tool set is composed of eight distinct tools that are designed to work together whenever possible
Profiles, colors, and images are objects that can be inspected, listed, and graphed as appropriate. The interface has been designed to present as consistent as possible a view of each object and interface elements such as icons are used throughout to represent each object type.
The icons and interface elements used for the objects are listed below:
Each of the major tools in ColorThink is described in its own chapter. The overall user interface design strategy and additional menu and tool choices are supplied in this chapter:
Drag and Drop
The Macintosh user interface feature “Drag and Drop” has been used extensively throughout the ColorThink tool set. Adding profiles to graphs or other tools and moving colors around is often just a matter of dragging them from one window into another. If a tool window has an icon in the upper left corner, the icon can be dragged “by proxy” to other locations. More detail is supplied with each tool on how and where to drag these icons.
Dragging in the Finder – Drag color files such as profiles, images and color lists onto the ColorThink application icon to open them using ColorThink.
Dragging from the Finder into the application – When in either the Finder or ColorThink, profiles, images and color lists can be dragged onto:
- the menu bar area to open them
- any open graph to add them to the graph
- any menu bar button to perform that tool’s action on the file in question
- other locations described in each tool’s chapter.
Dragging within ColorThink – As mentioned above, dragging items from lists or by proxy is an effective method of adding items to lists, graphing them, or performing other actions. Please refer to each tool’s description for full details.
Color Tabs
Whenever a specific color is displayed in ColorThink it is shown as a color tab. Color tabs share the same behaviors wherever they are shown:
- The color is displayed accurately on your monitor using the monitor profile specified in the ColorSync Control panel.
- If the color is outside the gamut of your monitor, a small black or white triangle “tick” appears in the upper right corner of the tab. It’s color will be rendered as closely as possible but will not be precisely accurate due to the limitations of your monitor.
- Clicking on the bottom white area of the tab will open it and display more information. In most cases the Lab value for the tab will be displayed but in some cases device colors (for example CMYK values) are displayed.
- Dragging the tab by clicking on the top colored-portion allows you to move the tab:
- From profiles to graphs or color lists
- Between color lists
Add: Menu
The Add: menu is a popup menu that appears in several tools including the 2D and 3D Graphers and the Profile Linker. The Add: menu contains:
- All open color items such as profiles, images and color lists
- All color items listed in the “Profiles” folder in the ColorThink application folder. This folder is supplied as a method of listing often-used profiles such as popular Photoshop working spaces, the user’s monitor or printer profiles, and so forth.
Use this menu to quickly add color items to the tool in which it appears.
Additional Menu Functions
– those not covered by individual tools
About Box
- – opened from “ColorThink 2.2 > About CHROMiX ColorThink...”
This window contains:
-
The current free memory available to ColorThink. - The current ColorThink application version
- Credits
- Links for updates, feedback, and CHROMiX and other web sites. These links use the settings in your Internet Config or Internet control panels to find the appropriate Web browser or email application. If they do not function correctly, consult the Internet control panel and configure it to use your Web browser and email applications.
ColorThink 2.2 > Preferences...
Settings for multiple ColorThink tools and overall functions are set in the “Preferences” dialog. Some of these references are also set in individual tool windows. If set in either location, they are saved to disk and used for future sessions.
System Menu (Mac)
Quick Openers
- “Open Monitors & Sounds > Open ColorSync Folder > Open ColorSync Control Panel
This provides easy access to the respective control panels or folders
- Delete ColorSync Cache File
The ColorSync Cache file is created by ColorSync to speed menu drawing and refreshing when accessing profile lists from within the ColorSync control panel or third-party applications. If this file becomes corrupted, profile lists may appear incomplete, corrupted, or completely empty. Deleting this file will cause ColorSync to recreate it the next time it is required, slowing the computer slightly that first time. No unrecoverable profile information is lost and this quick fix can solve multiple unexplained profile issues.
- Disable ColorSync Default Calibrator
If third-party calibration software is installed, it may be wise to disable ColorSync’s default calibration software to avoid user confusion and undesired recalibration of the monitor. Enable and disable the Default Calibrator from this menu.
- Restructure Profile
A profile is restructured by reading it into memory and writing it back out to the hard disk. This process forces the rebuilding of the profile and can solve profile problems not discovered by the Profile Medic or Profile Inspector.
- Edit Profile with...
To edit a profile’s color information using a third-party tool, choose this menu option when it is enabled. To set the preferred editing tool, select “Edit:Preferences...” and click the “Helper Applications” tab.
Next Section: The Tools