Now that we know that the Color Management Module or CMM maps gamut colors between devices, we need to explain where all this happens and where to find the all important ICC device color profiles or fingerprints.

CMM, also called simply color engine, is part of your operating system. Mac users call it ColorSync. The PC Microsoft operating systems call it ICM 2, or Image Color Matching. Both systems are similar. Adobe Photoshop actually uses the same proprietary color engine on both the Mac and PC platforms to assure consistency across both platforms. This Photoshop CMM is called Adobe ACE color engine and should be used under most circumstances.

With a basic understanding of the importance and location of the CMM, we now look in more detail at the device profiles.

As discussed earlier, device ICC color profiles come in three basic varieties. The monitor the printer and the input device profiles are all different and not

interchangeable. First lets look at the monitor profile.

A properly calibrated and profiled monitor is crucial to any workflow. It is the cornerstone of color management. We use the monitor to make judgments, which inturn effect the image files. For example, without profiling you may be adding more red to an image when it actually needs less. Without profiling the same image will look totally different on two separate monitors. Want proof? Just look at the TV wall at an electronics store. Same input looks drastically different on each TV. Proper monitor profiling is a two step process. First you calibrate the monitor, or put simply you adjust the physical display by using brightness, contrast and color temperature controls, and then you read specific color patches using special colorimeters which attach (usually with suction caps) to the monitor screen. After the profile is created and saved it is ready for use by a color engine. Next, printer and input profiles.

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