METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COLOR PROFILE EDITING

• US 20080062442A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiery LLC
• Original Assignee: Electronics For Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Olson, Thor A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6011 with simulation on a subsidiary picture reproducer H04N1/622 takes precedence; matching two or more picture reproducers H04N1/6052

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided for editing color profiles. In particular, input data (such as reference image data) are received, and then are converted to first output data using a first color profile and to second output data using a second color profile, wherein the second color profile is an edited version of the first color profile. Soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data are calculated and then displayed on a display device. The soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data may be simultaneously or selectively displayed on the display device.

Claims

1. A method for processing input data, the method comprising:

using a first color profile to convert the input data to first output data;

using a second color profile to convert the input data to second output data, wherein the second color profile comprises an edited version of the first color profile;

calculating soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data; and

displaying the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data comprises red, green and blue (“

RGB”

) data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data comprises cyan, magenta, yellow and black (“

CMYK”

) data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data comprises data in a device-independent color space.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the device-independent color space comprises an L*a*b* color space.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data comprise reference data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data comprise digital camera data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data comprise digital scanner data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data comprise device-independent color data for commonly perceived colors, such as skin tones, sky, vegetation and earth tones.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying comprises simultaneously displaying the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data on the display device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying comprises selectively displaying the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data on the display device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data, first output data and second output data comprise color data values, and displaying further comprises displaying the color data values of the input data, first output data and second output data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying the color data values comprises selectively displaying the color data values as L*a*b*, XYZ, RGB or CMYK color data values.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data, first output data and second output data comprise color data values, and displaying comprises displaying a soft proof of color patches having color values that substantially match the color values of the input data, first output data and second output data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the input data, first output data and second output data comprise color data values, and displaying comprises displaying the color data values of the input data, first output data and second output data and displaying a soft proof of color patches having color values that substantially match the color values of the input data, first output data and second output data.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying comprises displaying substantially all of the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data input data on the display device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying comprises selectively displaying a soft proof of a sample of the input image data, first output image data and second output image data on the display device.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a sample of the input data;

calculating corresponding samples of the first output data and second output data; and

displaying a soft proof of the sample of the input data and the corresponding samples of the first output data and second output data on the display device.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying indicia uniquely associated with the input data, first output data and second output data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicia comprise any of symbols, letters and numbers.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second color profiles comprise printer profiles.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device has an associated display profile that characterizes a color space of the display device, and wherein displaying a soft proof further comprises converting the input data, first output data and second output data to the color space of the display device.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a first color difference between the input data and the first output data, and a second color difference between the first output data and the second output data.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising displaying the first color difference and the second color difference on the display device.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a difference between the first output data and the second output data; and

modifying the second output data to indicate the difference in the soft proof of the second output data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first output data and the second output data each comprise a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a plurality of color values, and wherein:

identifying comprises identifying second output data pixels having color values that differ from color values of corresponding first output data pixels; and

modifying comprises changing the color values of the identified pixels to emphasize the difference in the soft proof of the second output image data.

27. Apparatus for processing input image data, the apparatus comprising:

means for converting the input data to first output data using a first color profile;

means for converting the input data to second output data using a second color profile, wherein the second color profile comprises an edited version of the first color profile;

means for calculating soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data; and

means for displaying the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data on a display device.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data comprises red, green and blue (“

RGB”

) data.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data comprises cyan, magenta, yellow and black (“

CMYK”

) data.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data comprises data in a device-independent color space.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the device-independent color space comprises an L*a*b* color space.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data comprise reference data.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data comprise digital camera data.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data comprise digital scanner data.

35. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data comprise device-independent color data for commonly perceived colors, such as skin tones, sky, vegetation and earth tones.

36. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein means for displaying comprises means for simultaneously displaying the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data on the display device.

37. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein means for displaying comprises means for selectively displaying the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data on the display device.

38. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data, first output data and second output data comprise color data values, and means for displaying further comprises means for displaying the color data values of the input data, first output data and second output data.

39. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein means for displaying the color data values comprises means for selectively displaying the color data values as L*a*b*, XYZ, RGB or CMYK color data values.

40. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data, first output data and second output data comprise color data values, and means for displaying comprises means for displaying a soft proof of color patches having color values that substantially match the color values of the input data, first output data and second output data.

41. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the input data, first output data and second output data comprise color data values, and means for displaying comprises means for displaying the color data values of the input data, first output data and second output data and means for displaying a soft proof of color patches having color values that substantially match the color values of the input data, first output data and second output data.

42. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein means for displaying comprises means for displaying substantially all of the soft proof data corresponding to the input data, first output data and second output data input data on the display device.

43. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein means for displaying comprises means for selectively displaying a soft proof of a sample of the input image data, first output image data and second output image data on the display device.

44. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for receiving a user selection of a sample of the input data;

means for calculating corresponding samples of the first output data and second output data; and

means for displaying a soft proof of the sample of the input data and the corresponding samples of the first output data and second output data on the display device.

45. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for displaying indicia uniquely associated with the input data, first output data and second output data.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the indicia comprise any of symbols, letters and numbers.

47. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first and second color profiles comprise printer profiles.

48. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the display device has an associated display profile that characterizes a color space of the display device, and wherein means for displaying a soft proof further comprises means for converting the input data, first output data and second output data to the color space of the display device.

49. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for calculating a first color difference between the input data and the first output data, and a second color difference between the first output data and the second output data.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, further comprising means for displaying the first color difference and the second color difference on the display device.

51. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for identifying a difference between the first output data and the second output data; and

means for modifying the second output data to indicate the difference in the soft proof of the second output data.

52. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the first output data and the second output data each comprise a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a plurality of color values, and wherein:

means for identifying comprises means for identifying second output data pixels having color values that differ from color values of corresponding first output data pixels; and

means for modifying comprises means for changing the color values of the identified pixels to emphasize the difference in the soft proof of the second output image data.