Understanding Color Management (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Digital imagery and digital color are everywhere, yet operating a color-managed system has remained a mystery…until now! Fresh from pioneering work in color algorithms for FujiFilm, Dr. Abhay Sharma explains the basics of color science and color measurement, and provides an in-depth look at the range of measuring instruments available to the end-user. International Color Consortium (ICC) profiles are discussed in great detail and procedures for profiling scanners, digital cameras, computer monitors, inkjet printers, and printing presses are thoroughly described – making this book the definitive guide to color management.

About the Author

Abhay Sharma received his B.S. in Imaging Sciences from the University of Westminster, London, and a Ph.D. in Physics from King’s College, University of London. He has worked as a Senior Research Engineer with FujiFilm’s Colour & Imaging Technology Research group in the UK. Dr. Sharma is currently an Associate Professor in color imaging at Western Michigan University and a member of the International Color Consortium.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 1 edition (August 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401814476
• ISBN-13: 978-1401814472
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #111,813 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Color Management, October 23, 2003

By	Paul Lindstrom (Malmoe, Sweden) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The title "Understanding Color Management" is a very appropriate. The list of books and papers on colour management is getting quite long by now, but this is in my view the first one to be really thorough, clear and in depth.

Looking at mr Sharmas background you'll understand why. Abhay Sharma is an ex Crosfield man (todayday part of Fujifilm Electronics). The practical "hands on" experience with Fujifilm's colour management R&D team shines through in all chapters of the book.

The layout of the book is quite conventional, going from the fundamentals of colour theory to more in depth discussions. What is different is the clarity in each chapter, and the depth in wich mr Sharma explains the issues.

While getting and reading "Understanding Color Management" by Abhay Sharma is wholehartedly recommended by me, there are some few areas where I still wish for more clarification or help. One is on the matter of how to correctly calibrate and use the monitor. Abhay concludes, like many other, that using a whitepoint of 5000 K (D50) often results in a "dull image". Yes it does, using a faulty calibration tool like the Apple buildt in monitor color calibration, as well as trying some of the commercial software using measuring devices. The trick is to achieve correct luminance at 5000 K, typhically around 100 cd/m2, as recommended in the ISO 12646 standard (refered to in the book). Many software adjust the whitepoint in the last stage of the calibration process by reducing the power of the blue channel, resulting in a too low luminance (brightness) of the monitor. The ambient lighting condition also effect the appearence of the monitor. A too bright illuminated room prevent the monitor from accurately rendering the colours. Unfortunately the recommended very low ambient light of 32 lux is not mentioned by Sharma.

But all in all it's a very, very good book on a quite complex and "difficult" subject.

/Paul Lindstrom, Malmo University and Digital Dots

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A clear exposé of the science and concepts of color management, December 9, 2005

By	Edmund Ronald "Edmund Ronald" (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

Understanding Color Management explains the basics of color, and the methodology of ICC profiles which the ICC (International Color Consortium) has developed to allow colors to be reproduced with fidelity by computing devices.

All the basic procedures of calibrating screen and profiling devices are explained. However, this book is written by somebody who understands both physics and computers, and it goes further than any other basic text in showing how the pieces of ICC color management fit together, and what goes on behind the scenes. The word "Understanding" in the title is indeed appropriate.

If you are a photographer and you need a hands-on tutorial to ICC Color Management, then Andrew Rodney's howto book may be best for you. If you need a reference for daily use in prepress, then you should own a copy of Bruce Fraser's text. But if what you want is to really undersand the how and the why, then Abhay Sharma's clearly written and concise textbook is the one you want.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Color Management - way beyond the basics!!, August 13, 2007

By	Kent Baker "Photoguy" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

What an excellent book! The author defifitely knows his stuff. This book delves deeply into the nuts and bolts of color management and it is definitely not for beginners (who should buy "Color Management for Dummies"). This book not only teaches the principals of color management, but explains why it is necessary. It is not tied to any specific software or hardware, although an occasional reference is made to Photoshop and reference is also made to the various hardware used to calibrate your equipment. It is very heavy on theory and if you are technically enough inclined, you will be well on the way to becoming expert in color management. This appears to be one of the definitive works of color management and it rightly deserves the great reviews it gets.