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For some time now, the ICC has released version 4 of its ICC color profile format specifications. Version 4 color profiles introduce a number of changes when compared to the version 2 specification.
These changes provide a number of benefits. The most significant are the removal of ambiguities from the specification and a more precise definition of the Profile Conversion Space (PCS). These lead to an improved predictability of performance of a profile in use which in term lead to a reduction of major differences of interpretation. With v4 profiles, when pairs of profiles are used they should always produce the same result — regardless of which CMM is used.
There is some bad news as well: version 4 color profiles are not yet supported by all operating systems and applications. The good news is that Apple ColorSync is fully version 4 compatible, and so are all of Adobe’s products and indeed, QuarkXpress 7. The improvements of version 4 profiles are numerous and important.
The definition of rendering intents has been made more precise to reduce ambiguities. The relative colorimetric rendering intent is now defined as measurement-based and the media white point specification has been improved. In v2, profile builders were allowed to modify measurement data prior to building the relative colorimetric tables for a profile. In version 4, that’s no longer the case.
The reason is that it sometimes led to differences in the way in which colorimetric data could be interpreted when a colorimetric match is required. By specifying that the data for colorimetric rendering is measurement-based the colorimetric rendering intents are more clearly defined. The improved media white point specification ensures less ambiguity when calculating the absolute colorimetric rendering tables.
For perceptual rendering the dynamic range of the PCS, and the assumed level of illumination for viewing has been specified. These attributes were not identified in previous versions of the specification and this led to ambiguities when specifying gamut mapping that resulted in white and black being misinterpreted and tone reproduction “errors”.
Chromatic adaptation information is now required and the Bradford transform has been recommended as the default. When data is derived from, or intended for, viewing in illumination conditions other than those specified by ISO 3664 (i.e. D50) the transformation required for correction of the data must be specified.
CMYK improvements
A procedure that specifies how the chromatic adaptation transformation should be included in the overall colour transformation (depending on the chromatic adaptation condition assumed for the various profiles being processed) is now specified. This change is particularly important for colour monitor profiles, which often do not assume a D50 chromatic adaptation state, but can have applications elsewhere (e.g. where prints or transparencies are expected to be viewed in non-standard conditions).
An important consequence of this clarification is that version 4 profiles for RGB displays and working spaces should only contain D50 tristimulus values in the media white point tag indicating the transformation to the PCS white point.
Where profiles involve more than the usual 4 (CMYK) colorants it is now required that the colour of the additional colorants be specified by their XYZ or L*a*b* coordinates. The sequence of printing may also be specified. This helps to avoid ambiguities when building profiles for such processes.
New look up table (LUT) specifications have been provided that overcome some issues of invertibility of the previous LUTs – as well as offering some other benefits of profile management by having a similar structure for all types of profiles. Another specification enables a simpler specification of 1-d LUTs for typical display devices.
Various clarifications have been introduced into the document covering such issues as the definition of the tags for 3-component devices, the content and structure of monochrome profiles, the relationship between PCS XYZ and PCS L*a*b* and how to handle colours that can be represented in one and not the other.
New procedures have been specified to avoid confusion when using profiles such as improved naming and dating procedures, and to permit profiles containing multiple rendering intents to be specified for input and display devices as they currently are for output profiles.
The conclusion is that version 4 is a big improvement over the previous versions, but not all colour management experts out there seem to agree.
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