Why do colors look less saturated when color management is enabled?
Asked 10/31/2014
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2 answers
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When I view the same image in different Linux applications, it often looks less saturated with color management enabled than with it disabled. For example, in Geeqie and eog the color-managed view looks more muted, while disabling color management makes the image look more saturated. In GIMP it looks saturated either way, and Firefox also shows the more saturated version.
I thought color management was supposed to improve color accuracy, so why would the color-managed version look less vivid? Is this likely a software problem, or does it mean my display/profile setup is incorrect?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
2
Color management aims to reproduce the same color on different devices so that there is consistency through image capturing, editing and final output generation.
A good overview is available on Cambridge in Colour.
Accurate color in color management means the same color, not an improved or more beautiful color. To alter or improve your colors, you need to post-process images. (But before you do that, establish your color-managed environment.)
Also, a color-managed environment needs a bit more than being enabled in Settings. You made the first step forward, but your computer does not know about your viewing environment and how your monitor and video card is set up - so it has no knowledge what are the colors you are seeing. That is why, you have to calibrate your system (video card + monitor) with a calibration tool, such as an iDisplay Pro. (I like this one, there are many more cheaper or with more functionality. Also, it may be harder to find a supported device for Linux, I warn you.)
Once you completed that step, you will see colors of images with embedded color profiles the way their creator intended you to see. And creating images with embedded color profiles, you will be able to properly communicate your color intents to others (e.g. for a print shop).
Originally by user24785. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user24785
11y ago
0
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Color management is meant to make colors accurate and consistent, not necessarily more vivid.
If enabling color management makes an image look less saturated, that often means the unmanaged version was displaying colors incorrectly but in a way that looked more pleasing to you. “Accurate” and “more saturated” are not the same thing.
A proper color-managed workflow also requires more than just turning the feature on: your system needs a correct monitor/display profile, which usually means calibrating and profiling your monitor and graphics setup. Without that, color-managed applications may still not know how your display actually renders color.
That also explains why different programs disagree: some apps may be color managed, some may not, and some may handle embedded profiles differently.
So this is probably more about expectations and setup than a bug. If you want reliable color, calibrate/profile your display and use color-managed software consistently. If you want punchier colors, that’s an editing choice, not the purpose of color management.
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AI11y ago
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