Comparing Profiles

Comparing Profiles

Earlier in this chapter, you used ColorThink to verify that your color profiles were installed correctly. But you can also use ColorThink to compare different profiles. In this exercise, you'll compare a generic profile and a profile you obtained by following the preceding profile-creation exercise to see how they differ.

1.	Launch Chromix ColorThink and choose Graph > Open 3D Graph. Figure 3.19. The Grapher component of ColorThink appears.
2.	In the Plot Items window, click the Add drop-down button and navigate to the C:\windows\system32\spool\drivers\color directory, where Windows XP stores ICC color profiles. Select a generic profile for your printer that came with the printer or one downloaded from the Internet. Figure 3.20. The graph for the selected profile appears. For this exercise, I've selected the profile that came with my Epson Stylus Photo 2200 for Premium Luster paper. Figure 3.21. [View full size image]
3.	Drag the 3D color model to view the profile's color space from multiple angles and then release the mouse. Zoom in or out by holding down the Alt key while dragging the mouse up and down. To display details about the profile and a 3D rendering of its color gamut, double-click the profile name.
4.	Click the Add button again and select the profile you received from Chromix (or created using another service or tool). I've selected the profile Chromix created for my Epson Stylus Photo 2200 with Premium Luster paper.
5.	On the Color tab, select the Single Color option. This instructs ColorThink to change the color of the second profile, making it easier to see the differences between the two profiles.