Apple Aperture Digital Photography Fundamentals - Manual (Page 35)

Chapter 2 How Digital Images Are Displayed 35
The Importance of Color Calibrating Your Display
It’s incredibly important to color calibrate your display or displays to ensure that the
color on your screen matches the color you intend to output to print or to the web.
Your digital workflow depends on successful color calibration, from capturing to
displaying to printing. The adjustments you make to your digital image won’t
reproduce faithfully in print if your display isn’t calibrated. They’ll also look different
when viewed on other displays. Calibrating your display allows ColorSync to adjust
your image for consistent viewing results. Calibrating involves attaching an optical
device to your screen that evaluates your screen for luminance and color temperature.
There are several companies that manufacture color-calibration tools. The tools can be
expensive and can vary greatly in quality, so make sure you do an adequate amount of
research before you make your purchase. For a list of available color-calibration tools
and devices, see the Mac Products Guide at
http://guide.apple.com .
Apple Cinema Displays Are Proof Perfect
Apple Cinema Displays are so good at displaying color that you can use them in a
SWOP-certified soft-proofing workflow. Display-based proofing systems Remote
Director 2.0 from Integrated Color Solutions, Inc. and Matchprint Virtual Proofing
System-LCD from Kodak Polychrome Graphics both have Specifications for Web Offset
Publications (SWOP) certification. The prestigious SWOP certification means you can use
Remote Director 2.0 to approve jobs for press production onscreen without the need
for paper proofs, providing significant time and cost savings for print professionals.
Certified systems are capable of producing proofs visually identical to the
SWOP Certified Press Proof as defined in ANSI CGATS TR 001, Graphic Technology.
Integrated Color Solutions, Inc. and Kodak Polychrome Graphics chose Apple flat-
panel displays because they are capable of providing the luminance and color gamut
necessary to create an onscreen proof that has the same brightness and feel as paper.
Note: Your Apple Cinema Displays must be color-calibrated to achieve accurate
results when soft-proofing your images.