Provides: Accurate color profiling and color management for all input and output devices on your computer Developer:Monaco Systems Requirements: Mac OS 9.1 + or OS X.1.4 + and up. Can only be used with graphic programs that can use color management such as Photoshop. This system cannot be used (directly) with (for example) Photoshop Elements. Retail Price: MonacoEZcolor 2.5 $299.00. MonacoOPTIX Colorimeter $299.00. Bundle of the two is $548 Availability: Out now
Remember the excitement when you first got Photoshop and had just finished fixing up an image so the colors were just right and when you printed it out everything was perfect? You don't? Well join the crowd. Fact is, coordinating colors between your monitor, scanner, printer and any other device is one of the more challenging aspects digital imagery. This is where Monaco Systems comes in as a color "administrator" for your image systems. Although it does add a few steps on your way to print your images, it works. Set it up, print, and admire. No wasted print paper, ink, time, or angst.
The heart of the problem is simple: if you go to a department store and look at twenty of the same television model, you will see the same image with 20 different hues, contrasts, and/or brightnesses. The fact is, computer monitors are no different. Likewise, neither are scanners, printers, or cameras any different. Each and every computer peripheral has its own subtle aspects that make it an "unknown."
Taking it one step further, let's say you and a friend were doing a paint by the numbers over the phone. Let's add to this that you and your friend were using paint setups created by different companies. So, when the image wants blue #45, the best you can do is say "use a dark blue." Although not quite that crude, if your scanner, monitor, and printer have not agreed upon what any given color or shade is, they cannot really be expected to prevail in creating a beautiful print from your image.
As can be seen below, to create profiles, one simply selects which of the 3 types one wishes to do and then follow the "wizard" approach until the profile is completed.
The Monitor Profile lets you calibrate your monitor either subjectively in the same way that the Display Calibrator Assistant can create a ColorSync Profile. (The display Calibrator Assistant is in the Utilities Folder inside your Applications folder in OS X.)
If you use the subjective approach, one simply goes from screen to screen adjusting the Brightness until images can/can't be seen, and setting colors by adjusting sliders (one each for red, green, and blue) until an image appears/disappears. It is a fairly easy process. However, if one wishes to get a more accurate (and less subjective) than one needs to bite the bullet as it were and purchase the MonacoOPTIX calibrator.
The MonacoOPTIX is a separate product ($299, or $50 off if you also purchase MonacoEZcolor) that can either stick onto your CRT monitor by dozens and dozens of little suction cups or hang against your LCD monitor with an accompanying scratchless-bottom base to switch with the suction cup base. (They also provide a lead weight to counterbalance the sensor as it hangs over the monitor.)
Using the "Create Input Profile," one can create a profile for a scanner, camera, or other "inputting" device. Regardless of what you will be creating a profile of, you will need an IT8 color card. For a scanner, they provide a reflective IT8 card.
If your scanner is set for use with the Photoshop Plugin, MonacoEZcolor cannot control your scanner (no Twain) and you need to separately scan your IT8 card and save it as a TIFF. Then, using MonacoEZcolor, you load the image, select the reference file (this is a dated file with specific information on the specific print run of your IT8 card--it is supplied), and you are done.
For creating a printing profile, you print a special page built into MonacoEZcolor, take this page and lay the same IT8 card you used to calibrate your scanner, and scan this page. Then you select your reference file as above, and you are done.
Lastly, MonacoEZcolor also provides the ability to edit (fine tune) your printer profile. This is done if
Monitor image doesn't match your print.
The monitor image does match the print, but you want to "sweeten" the image.
Monitor image doesn't match the print AND you would like to fine tune the profile's color.
Like all the other profile approaches, there is a wizard to guide you through the steps one by one.
Lastly, once you have created your profiles, Monaco provides "Workflow Solutions." These are step-by-step guides for leading you how to use the profiles you just created in Photoshop 6 or 7. These three-page PDF documents are straightforward and not hard to follow.
[At the very top of this review I mention that you cannot use MonacoEZcolor with software that doesn't include color management input. It turns out that both Photoshop Elements and Photoshop LE both can work with images that already have had profiles added to them. So Monaco Systems provides "MonacoColorWorks" which is a simple program that, amongst a few other things, lets you assign color profiles to images so they can be used by Photoshop Elements/LE. Also included are "Workflow Solutions" for these two operations.]
The amazing thing about all this is that it works. Since installing this system, I've had the closest similarities between my printing and what I've seen on my screen I've ever had. Apple's ColorSync is good--this is much much better.
On a side note, Apple provides a small program for working with profiles called "ColorSync Utility" (located in your Utilities folder within your Applications folder) that performs First Aid to insure that any profiles on your computer comply with ICC specifications. Each profile created by Monaco Systems did require some level of repair, but this utility does not provide any information on what was repaired. It may be something important or simply insuring that the profile can properly appear in different languages. I do not know.
The other nifty thing about ColorSync Utility is that it can create visual representations of your profiles. The following images are from the ColorSync Utility.
The image below is the standard Adobe RGB color profile. What this shows is the range of hues that can be represented within this working space.
Next is a pair of images--these are my monitor profiles. The one on the left is what I created using the MonacoOPTIX and on the right is what I did using subjective analysis. On one hand, I'd say I did pretty good. On the other hand, if I was charging people, I'd be pretty happy that I didn't have to depend on my subjective analysis (especially in the magenta-blue region).
Next is my scanner profile. This is an Epson 3200.
Lastly, my printer profile. This is from an Epson C80 on Jet-PRINTPHOTO-gloss finish image paper. (It is very important to note the paper used when creating printer profiles*.)
Regrettably, I do not have any other color printers with which to compare it. Although the printer's profile seems pretty ugly to me, I am now getting more out of the printer than I ever have in the past.
Some things to keep in mind if you choose to use this system:
You must keep notes on what you profiled and under what conditions. Monaco Systems recommends that for full professional results, you make a new profile every time you change inks, paper types*, daylight in room, no daylight in room, change scanner bulb, etc. etc. The reasons for this is obvious: if you change anything, the profile for that part of your system is no longer valid. Fortunately the whole process is so quick and simple that to not have a collection of profiles is silly.
Have a good and logical naming system for your profiles. The default is "My Profile" which is obviously not too specific. Include a code number and/or date for you to reference.
The whole purpose of this system is so that you do not have to print, analyze, reprint, refix, reprint, adjust, and reprint. While the initial cost of the software/hardware is not cheap, for the amateur it probably will pay off in time for lost ink, paper, and time. If you are a professional, printing $100 - $200 a page paper and ink (and time), you probably know all about this already.
One side note: as far as Monaco Systems is concerned, a camera is also an "Input Device" and one can create a profile for it just as one does for a scanner. However, unless you have an IT8 card viable for photography, and have a studio where ALL your images will be taken, and VERY consistent lighting, it isn't viable to create profiles for your camera.
One last issue. If you have read my reviews in the past, you probably have seen me rant about the documentation, or rather my dislike of being dependant upon PDF documentation. Joy Oh Joy. Not only does the manual (a very good manual by the way) comes as a paper manual, it is spiral bound so one may lay it flat on the table while pondering over issues on the screen with no fear that the book will snap shut.
In short, if you are a professional photographer, the value and advantages of a color profiling system such as this is self evident. This is a good, easy to use (albeit somewhat tedious) system. On the other hand, if you are an amateur and value your images and want to control the quality of how they are represented when printed, scanned, or viewed on the screen, it probably is a good idea for you to consider a color profiling system such as Monaco Systems. The whole system is not inexpensive, but very satisfying.
* If you want to perform an interesting experiment, print a photograph on photocopying paper, inkjet paper, and semi-gloss photographic paper. Compare the images. What you will find is the colorcasts (even very subtle colorcasts) created by the paper can do amazing damage to any color proofing created on your monitor.
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Remember the excitement when you first got Photoshop and had just finished fixing up an image so the colors were just right and when you printed it out everything was perfect? You don't? Well join the crowd. Fact is, coordinating colors between your monitor, scanner, printer and any other device is one of the more challenging aspects digital imagery. This is where Monaco Systems comes in as a color "administrator" for your image systems. Although it does add a few steps on your way to print your images, it works. Set it up, print, and admire. No wasted print paper, ink, time, or angst.
[At the very top of this review I mention that you cannot use MonacoEZcolor with software that doesn't include color management input. It turns out that both Photoshop Elements and Photoshop LE both can work with images that already have had profiles added to them. So Monaco Systems provides "MonacoColorWorks" which is a simple program that, amongst a few other things, lets you assign color profiles to images so they can be used by Photoshop Elements/LE. Also included are "Workflow Solutions" for these two operations.]
