If you’ve been using a Macbook Pro for any length of time, chances are you’ve seen those little color profiles in your settings menu. They’re often tucked away in the corner of your screen and they tend to get ignored by most people. But what exactly do these color profiles do?
And why should you care? In this article we’ll explore the benefits of creating—and using—a custom color profile on your Macbook Pro. We’ll also discuss how to create one yourself if you have no idea where to start!
A Beginner’s Guide to Color Profiles
When you’re looking to get a new computer, most people don’t think much about their color profiles. Even if they do, they probably don’t know what kind of profile would best suit their needs.
Color profiles are used by your computer to adjust the way that it shows images on its screen.
When you view an image on your Macbook Pro or iMac, the color profile tells your machine how to display the colors in order for them to look as accurate as possible.
If this sounds like something that only wizards need worry about—you couldn't be more wrong!
Understanding how important color accuracy is will help you when choosing a good monitor setup for editing photos and videos with Final Cut Pro X or Motion 5 (or any other software).
You can also use these tips for getting better prints from printers including Epson SureColor P400 Series Printers and HP Designjet Large Format Printers - both of which are great options if you're looking into upgrading within this niche market segment..
The Basic Components of a Color Profile
A color profile is a set of data that describes your display’s color capabilities. The data includes the pixel values of each and every pixel on your display, so when an image or video is displayed, it will be displayed in a way that takes account of your specific monitor's characteristics.
A color space defines the available range of colors in an image or video—the more saturated and vibrant they are, the better! There are two main types:
RGB (red, green and blue) and CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-black). RGB is used for photos on websites or social media; CMYK is used for printing documents like magazines, flyers or posters.
Color gamuts describe what portion of each primary color can be produced by a given device. So if one has more saturated reds than another one does then that device has more "redness" than its counterpart!
The Differences Between the Different Color Profiles
Color management is the process of ensuring that the colors you see on your screen are the same as the colors you see in print. ColorSync is Apple's technology that helps you get the best color management on your Macbook Pro, and it comes preinstalled with all Macbook Pros.
One of ColorSync's primary functions is to provide a user-friendly interface for managing color profiles (color spaces). A profile contains information about how to translate between different color spaces.
The most common type of profile is an ICC (International Color Consortium) profile, which is a file that stores information about what colors should be displayed and where they should be placed on a monitor or printer.
How to Create a New Color Profile for Your iMac, MacBook Pro and More
To create your own color profile for your iMac, MacBook Pro and other Apple displays:
IMPORTANT NOTE: Always make sure to use the same monitor that you will be calibrating. If you don't have a second display handy (and we don't recommend buying one just for this), then measure it on the same unit that you are calibrating.
Find a color profile that is close to what you want to achieve using DisplayCal or similar software that measures a monitor's color temperature and brightness levels.
Plug in your calibration device (which is usually in the form of a USB attachment) and launch ColorSync Utility from Applications > Utilities > ColorSync Utility 3
The best way to get the right color profile is to create one.
The best way to get the right color profile is to create one. When you take a photo with your Mac, it automatically creates its own internal color profile for that image file.
But if you want to use those photos in other applications, or on other devices that support external color profiles like printers and monitors, then you need to have an external color profile as well.
Conclusion
Now that you know what color profiles are and how they work, it’s time to take action! You can choose from many different options when it comes to creating your own custom profile.
If you want something simple that doesn’t require much effort, there are several good web-based tools available for free.
However if you want more control over every aspect of your profile creation process then you should consider purchasing software like X-Rite i1Display Pro which has all the features needed for creating a high quality custom profile including testing devices before sending them off for calibration