Color Profiles

I am hoping someone has a better knowledge than me of the files in the
color folder.
It is my understanding that windows uses them to correct from a core point
for color accuracy of your monitor, printer, scanner, etc. Just how, I have
no idea, that is I don't know how the system calls them or what part of it
uses them.
They have been around since W95 to the best of my knowledge as I was having
an issue back then and even talked to Kodak, maker of many of them, and they
were of little help. They did offer to make me a custom ICC file, expensive.

Sometime since then PRF files also get added to the folder. One of them
belongs to my printer, but one is Compaq and I have nothing Compaq, so I
wonder if it is default installed. And whether the profiles for the hardware
get installed is an iffy situation. An old Sony monitor would not install
them, even though they were present. They could be manually installed. Then
Sony came out with an update that would install them.

Same issue with printer, although I see the profiles in the folder this
time, they are not associated to the printer if I check the properties,
color management. The color profiles associated with this printer window is
empty. Checking the profiles known for this printer, properties, associate
device is empty.

And as usual, it appears the profiles for my scanner did not get added to
the folder.

What prompted me to pursue this again is that I noticed no profile was
associated with the monitor under the color management of my video card.
Checking, the profile for the monitor was not in the folder. I installed it.

Most of the files in the color folder are ICC or ICM, but one specifically,
mpc5500.prf, name of my printer, seems to have a bad association by file
extention. The ICC and ICM open with unknown application, which I suspect is
correct, and have the proper icon.
The .prf files have been stepped on by something and it might be the IE6
upgrade. Properties show that it opens with "Internet Ratings and Local Us"
and it is a PICS Rules File. If I chose to open the file a "supervisor
password required" pops up. It says that it will install the Rules file into
the Content Advisor feature of Internet Explorer. (Cancel, glad it warned
me).

I'm really confused on these files and hoping someone can enlighten me.

TIA
Norman

Norman,

Few of the colour profiles are associated with your hardware when you
install that hardware and you will have to do this yourself. Some
hardware comes with a whole raft of profiles, other with very few or none.
For example some monitors come with multiple profiles and which you use
depends on the colour temperature and gamma settings you have chosen to
use for the monitor.

On a clean Win Me install here I see 14 ICM colour profiles in the
windows\system\color folder the majority of which are monitor profiles
with the exception being the sRGB colour space which can be used for
printers, scanners, etc in addition to the system's monitor. Incidentally
these 14 do not include a Compaq profile. I have no files with either a
prf or icc extension in my color folder. The IE6 upgrade will have made
no changes to, or rather will not have added to, the contents of the color
folder nor changed the file associations however I seem to recall that it
included an updated sRGB Color Space Profile ICM file.

On my system's I tend to use the sRGB colour space as the profile for my
monitor and also for scanner and printers if they do not come with their
own. Interestingly perhaps I have always had some problems in correctly
colour matching what I see on the screen to what I see on what I print and
I have bought a Pantone Huey to try and help me calibrate my displays
correctly. It's too early to say whether the Huey will improve things as
it only arrived this morning and I have yet to open its box.
--
Mike Maltby



Norman wrote:

I am hoping someone has a better knowledge than me of the files in
the color folder.
It is my understanding that windows uses them to correct from a core
point for color accuracy of your monitor, printer, scanner, etc. Just
how, I have no idea, that is I don't know how the system calls them
or what part of it uses them.
They have been around since W95 to the best of my knowledge as I was
having an issue back then and even talked to Kodak, maker of many of
them, and they were of little help. They did offer to make me a
custom ICC file, expensive.

Sometime since then PRF files also get added to the folder. One of
them belongs to my printer, but one is Compaq and I have nothing
Compaq, so I wonder if it is default installed. And whether the
profiles for the hardware get installed is an iffy situation. An old
Sony monitor would not install them, even though they were present.
They could be manually installed. Then Sony came out with an update
that would install them.

Same issue with printer, although I see the profiles in the folder
this time, they are not associated to the printer if I check the
properties, color management. The color profiles associated with this
printer window is empty. Checking the profiles known for this
printer, properties, associate device is empty.

And as usual, it appears the profiles for my scanner did not get
added to the folder.

What prompted me to pursue this again is that I noticed no profile was
associated with the monitor under the color management of my video
card. Checking, the profile for the monitor was not in the folder. I
installed it.

Most of the files in the color folder are ICC or ICM, but one
specifically, mpc5500.prf, name of my printer, seems to have a bad
association by file extention. The ICC and ICM open with unknown
application, which I suspect is correct, and have the proper icon.
The .prf files have been stepped on by something and it might be the
IE6 upgrade. Properties show that it opens with "Internet Ratings and
Local Us" and it is a PICS Rules File. If I chose to open the file a
"supervisor password required" pops up. It says that it will install
the Rules file into the Content Advisor feature of Internet Explorer.
(Cancel, glad it warned me).

I'm really confused on these files and hoping someone can enlighten
me.

TIA
Norman

I just took a look at that icon with a lower screen resolution. What I
thought was a sheet of paper has a blue title bar and that is not text in
the middle. It is a yellow 5 point star.

Norman

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
Norman,

Few of the colour profiles are associated with your hardware when you
install that hardware and you will have to do this yourself. Some
hardware comes with a whole raft of profiles, other with very few or none.
For example some monitors come with multiple profiles and which you use
depends on the colour temperature and gamma settings you have chosen to
use for the monitor.

On a clean Win Me install here I see 14 ICM colour profiles in the
windows\system\color folder the majority of which are monitor profiles
with the exception being the sRGB colour space which can be used for
printers, scanners, etc in addition to the system's monitor. Incidentally
these 14 do not include a Compaq profile. I have no files with either a
prf or icc extension in my color folder. The IE6 upgrade will have made
no changes to, or rather will not have added to, the contents of the color
folder nor changed the file associations however I seem to recall that it
included an updated sRGB Color Space Profile ICM file.

On my system's I tend to use the sRGB colour space as the profile for my
monitor and also for scanner and printers if they do not come with their
own. Interestingly perhaps I have always had some problems in correctly
colour matching what I see on the screen to what I see on what I print and
I have bought a Pantone Huey to try and help me calibrate my displays
correctly. It's too early to say whether the Huey will improve things as
it only arrived this morning and I have yet to open its box.
--
Mike Maltby



Norman wrote:

I am hoping someone has a better knowledge than me of the files in
the color folder.
It is my understanding that windows uses them to correct from a core
point for color accuracy of your monitor, printer, scanner, etc. Just
how, I have no idea, that is I don't know how the system calls them
or what part of it uses them.
They have been around since W95 to the best of my knowledge as I was
having an issue back then and even talked to Kodak, maker of many of
them, and they were of little help. They did offer to make me a
custom ICC file, expensive.

Sometime since then PRF files also get added to the folder. One of
them belongs to my printer, but one is Compaq and I have nothing
Compaq, so I wonder if it is default installed. And whether the
profiles for the hardware get installed is an iffy situation. An old
Sony monitor would not install them, even though they were present.
They could be manually installed. Then Sony came out with an update
that would install them.

Same issue with printer, although I see the profiles in the folder
this time, they are not associated to the printer if I check the
properties, color management. The color profiles associated with this
printer window is empty. Checking the profiles known for this
printer, properties, associate device is empty.

And as usual, it appears the profiles for my scanner did not get
added to the folder.

What prompted me to pursue this again is that I noticed no profile was
associated with the monitor under the color management of my video
card. Checking, the profile for the monitor was not in the folder. I
installed it.

Most of the files in the color folder are ICC or ICM, but one
specifically, mpc5500.prf, name of my printer, seems to have a bad
association by file extention. The ICC and ICM open with unknown
application, which I suspect is correct, and have the proper icon.
The .prf files have been stepped on by something and it might be the
IE6 upgrade. Properties show that it opens with "Internet Ratings and
Local Us" and it is a PICS Rules File. If I chose to open the file a
"supervisor password required" pops up. It says that it will install
the Rules file into the Content Advisor feature of Internet Explorer.
(Cancel, glad it warned me).

I'm really confused on these files and hoping someone can enlighten
me.

TIA
Norman

I found an MS link that has other interesting links for those who would like
to know more of the technology.
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device...f=true#icmfig2
Vista may have some new tricks when it comes to color matching.
I discovered that my Photoshop Elements has the ability to read the matching
tag on a Jpg one of the sites from the links has as a test tool. So, even if
my entire system is not complying, I at least know an important part is, my
main photo software.
Norman
"Norman" wrote in message
...
I just took a look at that icon with a lower screen resolution. What I
thought was a sheet of paper has a blue title bar and that is not text in
the middle. It is a yellow 5 point star.

Norman

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
Norman,

Few of the colour profiles are associated with your hardware when you
install that hardware and you will have to do this yourself. Some
hardware comes with a whole raft of profiles, other with very few or
none.
For example some monitors come with multiple profiles and which you use
depends on the colour temperature and gamma settings you have chosen to
use for the monitor.

On a clean Win Me install here I see 14 ICM colour profiles in the
windows\system\color folder the majority of which are monitor profiles
with the exception being the sRGB colour space which can be used for
printers, scanners, etc in addition to the system's monitor.
Incidentally
these 14 do not include a Compaq profile. I have no files with either a
prf or icc extension in my color folder. The IE6 upgrade will have made
no changes to, or rather will not have added to, the contents of the
color
folder nor changed the file associations however I seem to recall that
it
included an updated sRGB Color Space Profile ICM file.

On my system's I tend to use the sRGB colour space as the profile for my
monitor and also for scanner and printers if they do not come with their
own. Interestingly perhaps I have always had some problems in correctly
colour matching what I see on the screen to what I see on what I print
and
I have bought a Pantone Huey to try and help me calibrate my displays
correctly. It's too early to say whether the Huey will improve things
as
it only arrived this morning and I have yet to open its box.
--
Mike Maltby



Norman wrote:

I am hoping someone has a better knowledge than me of the files in
the color folder.
It is my understanding that windows uses them to correct from a core
point for color accuracy of your monitor, printer, scanner, etc. Just
how, I have no idea, that is I don't know how the system calls them
or what part of it uses them.
They have been around since W95 to the best of my knowledge as I was
having an issue back then and even talked to Kodak, maker of many of
them, and they were of little help. They did offer to make me a
custom ICC file, expensive.

Sometime since then PRF files also get added to the folder. One of
them belongs to my printer, but one is Compaq and I have nothing
Compaq, so I wonder if it is default installed. And whether the
profiles for the hardware get installed is an iffy situation. An old
Sony monitor would not install them, even though they were present.
They could be manually installed. Then Sony came out with an update
that would install them.

Same issue with printer, although I see the profiles in the folder
this time, they are not associated to the printer if I check the
properties, color management. The color profiles associated with this
printer window is empty. Checking the profiles known for this
printer, properties, associate device is empty.

And as usual, it appears the profiles for my scanner did not get
added to the folder.

What prompted me to pursue this again is that I noticed no profile was
associated with the monitor under the color management of my video
card. Checking, the profile for the monitor was not in the folder. I
installed it.

Most of the files in the color folder are ICC or ICM, but one
specifically, mpc5500.prf, name of my printer, seems to have a bad
association by file extention. The ICC and ICM open with unknown
application, which I suspect is correct, and have the proper icon.
The .prf files have been stepped on by something and it might be the
IE6 upgrade. Properties show that it opens with "Internet Ratings and
Local Us" and it is a PICS Rules File. If I chose to open the file a
"supervisor password required" pops up. It says that it will install
the Rules file into the Content Advisor feature of Internet Explorer.
(Cancel, glad it warned me).

I'm really confused on these files and hoping someone can enlighten
me.

TIA
Norman