This document explains all options available to amend a color profile variant:
To start, please create a custom VISU variant by selecting +
This will show up all amendments possible to the profile:
Amend the Name to a unique name to reflect the changes to the profile. e.g. Visual Match with 5% saturation boost.
1. Rendering intents
1.1 EcoSave
1.2 Absolute Colorimetric
1.3 Saturation
1.4 Keep Separation
This is not an intent as such, but is used as a recalibration tool in e.g. ceramics industry to move from one production line to another, while retaining the K as is and only changing CMY to match. An extra profile is made that leaves the separations and K generation untouched and recalibrates CMY. Other industrial applications whose production process would benefit from Keep Separation are decor paper, glass…
2. Black generation
This setting defines how much K is used.
2.1 Curve options
The dropdown option under the curve setting, range from a lighter K replacement at the top going to a more and more aggressive K setting at the bottom of the drop down option list.Note that the most aggressive K replacement is obtained when selecting the EcoSave rendering intent in combination with a Max or Much K black replacement.
- UCG: Under Color Removal will replace CMY in areas that would make a dark neutral K, with single K
- GCR: Grey Component Replacement – replacement by K of CMY that would make grey all along the tonal curve.
- GCR2: stronger K replacement than GCR
- GCR Max: strongest K replacement
- Min K: opposite of GCR Max. Very limited amount of K used.
- Max K: puts in as much K as it can.
- Much K: similar to Max K, but with smoother transitions. A minimal amount of K is sacrificed to allow for smoother color transitions.
2.2 K start
2.3 Max K
e.g. this is set at 80%. Then from 80% to 100% no additional K is added, only CMY to make the color darker. This allows for some room in the dark area to add CMY allowing for a greenish or reddish hue in the dark colors.
In normal print conditions, Max K can be left at 100% default setting. The color engine will by default allow for K to be replaced by CMY allowing for slight color variations in the dark colors.
2.4 K width
e.g. set at 90% and making a dark Red. This will ensure that after 90% there is no K in the color and the increase in Chroma to make the dark red is done by CMY only. In the curve building up to 90%, the K will increase and then decrease so by 90% there is no more K.
This is mainly used in certain specific conditions where no contamination of K is allowed in fully saturated colors.
For normal print conditions a K width of the default 100% setting is advised.
Depending on the requirements and colors, an alternative to this setting might be the purify options.
Note, all transitions in K generation are gradual.
3. Profile size, color boosting and viewing conditions
3.1 Profile size
- Small: only for quick calculations and not suitable for production
- Medium: used in case measurements are not completely stable. This method will use less intermediate steps and eliminate all measurement impurities generating smooth curves
- Large: will use every measurement, including any impurities in print or media. Advisable to use Large in highly accurate and detailed instances only.Default setting is Medium.
3.2 Boost function in Chroma and saturation
- Chroma boosts color while retaining the lightness
e.g. red at 50%, with chroma set at 20%, then red at 50% will output 60% - Saturation will also reduce the lightness slightly, outputting even more powerful colors.
3.3 Viewing conditions
- D50: standard daylight viewing condition
- D65: used in textile industry to verify colors
- A: standardised light bulb
- Kelvin: allows you to fill in the color temperature up to 8000 Kelvin. e.g. for predefined store lights.
Ref.: D50 = 5000 Kelvin
D65 = 6500 Kelvin - Emissions: allows you to select spectral measurements (cxf) of measured light e.g. with a spectrophotometer. Used for very bespoke light spectra.
The measurements are done under D50, but this allows for all colors and greys to appear accurate under these light conditions.
4. Optical brightener compensation
This compensates for too much optical brightener in the media and the effect of the brightener on the measurements. This is the SW equivalent if you have no measuring device with a build in UV cut filter.
Note: if not too much brightener is used, then selecting this option might have an averse effect on the results. Only to be used if e.g. everything turns out to be too yellow or too blue.
5. Purify colors
Selecting the C, M, Y and K as single colors then the purify option will only purify the axis of the selected color. E.g. cyan, then only the cyan from 0 to 100%. If the cyan is restricted to 90%, ( as 100% will get the same intensity as the 90%) then it will only purify to 90%. To move the purify to 100%, you will need to select the Max purify primaries as well.
If only the Max purify option is selected, then the primaries C, M and Y at their maximum setting (e.g. 90%) will be purified and moved to 100%, while the rest of the axis will be left untouched. This is again a gradual change.
The above methodology applies to Purify Secondaries for red, green and blue instead of CMYK.