Re: Color Profiling (more info for my question)

[Job <joho@xs4all.nl>]

Bob,

Read your message just before I tried to calibrate my monitor...  (My 
dealer was kind enough to let my tryout an Xrite monitor optimizer with
colorshop software for one day).  Note: I use a PC with Win 98.

My attempt has not been successfull though, since I do not understand
what is really happening.  I will put my questions after your quoted
message:

> There seem to be at least three ways in which a monitor profile can be
> applied in Windows. Firstly, by associating the profile with the monitor
> (Desktop Properties/Settings/Advanced/Color Management).
> 
> Secondly by using a profile loader such as Adobe Gamma or Photocal in the
> Startup folder (you can usually see the profile 'kick in' towards the end of
> the startup routine).
> 
> And, thirdly, in the Registry under
> Hkey_Local_Machine/Software/Adobe/Color/Monitor/Monitor0/Monitor Profile,
> you will find Adobe Monitor Settings.icm or Photocal Profile.icm depending
> which is being used. This is presumably the one used by Photoshop.
> 
> The important thing to note is that merely removing Adobe Gamma loader from
> the Startup folder does not change this Registry entry; nor does merely
> associating another profile with the monitor. I found it was possible to
> have one profile associated with the monitor, another loaded by Adobe or
> Photocal loader, and another in the Registry under
> Software/Adobe......./Monitor profile. I didn't waste time working out what
> this might be doing to my monitor - I merely changed them all to read the
> same.

I found the documentation of the product to be less than complete, to say
it nicely.  The problems started with making the distinction between 
calibrating and profiling the monitor...  

- I understood that the sofware calibrates the monitor by putting it into a
  known state.  The profile describes that state to any software that wants
  to know.  My question: HOW is this known state set?  Does the same profile
  serve a dual purpose?  There is nothing in the docs about this, and the
  results are not consistent.

  Even if there is *nothing* in my Startup folder, and even if there is NO
  profile set in Desktop Properties/Settings/Advanced/Color Management I
  still see a color change around the time I log in (just after I log in,
  if I remember well (I'm on Linux now)).  Where does this change come
  from?

- I guessed that when calibrating & profiling, the sofware needs to know the
  state where it started from, i.e., if a profile is already 'active' when
  the profiling process starts.  If not, the new profile does not describe
  the 'raw' state of the monitor, isn't it?  The readme stated something
  about removing any existing profiles not created by colorshop, but that
  raises 2 new questions:

  - Do all existing profiles have to be removed, or only those not created
    by colorshop?  If colorshop profiles do not have to be removed first,
    then why the difference?  I.e., if the calibration software uses the
    existing colorshop profile to determine the starting state, then why
    doesn't it use any other profile to do the same?

  - What about the calibration "change" that is NOT induced by one of the
    three known profile locations?  I mean, the software "thinks" it is
    the "raw" monitor that is profiled, while in reality it is not!

  I guess the profiles I have built are useless, since calibration didn't
  start in a proper/known state.

- I had a problem with setting a default profile.  I could add several
  profiles to the Desktop Properties/Settings/Advanced/Color Management
  list, but set-as-default didn't work: as soon as I pressed Apply or OK
  the default profile returned to the old state.  What could be the reason
  for this weird behaviour?

- Did you find out more about the use of the various profile locations?

Thanks for any suggestions/remarks/etc...

Job H.
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