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Author Topic: Argyll CMS  (Read 19925 times)

Lundberg02

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Argyll CMS
« on: September 12, 2014, 05:22:00 pm »

Does anyone in this forum use it? If so, how does a non geek install it on a Mac with OS 10.9.4.  The instructions for installing in Mac OSX are not at all helpful. It appears that you should also install dispcalgui to allow use from an interface rather than the command line in Terminal. That installation might be easier but I haven't gotten that far, because googling tells me that I should use Zeroinstall to install Argyll. I found Zeroinstall and installed it, now I can't find it anywhere on my Mac. I'm beginning to think that it put something in the System folder that allows me to use Terminal to execute 0install commands that install apps by using their URLs, but I can't find any list of the commands. Perhaps if I execute "0install man", I'll get something useful. I do know there is a command "0install show" that allegedly opens a window displaying URLs that I suppose you drag into it or something.
I have installed packages in Ubuntu, so I'm not completely unfamiliar with the process, but doing it on a Mac is not transparent to say the least. Even if you id it the geeky way, i would appreciate some guidance.
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MarkM

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2014, 08:17:09 pm »

I use it, but I've never used it with dispcalgui — I just use the command line.

ArgyllCMS is actually a little easier than some unix-y packages because you can download Mac binaries here: http://www.argyllcms.com/downloadmac.html

This should be easier that trying to install from source. Once you download the compressed file you should be able to double click it on the mac to get it to decompress into a folder. This folder contains another folder called 'bin' which hold the actual applications. You don't really need to do anything else to use it. If you cd into the folder you can run the individual commands by typing something like:
./extracticc /_D804351.jpg sRGB.icm
(which extracts the embedded icc file from the jpg and saves it).

The instructions about adding a line to your .profile are there for when you don't want to cd into the bin/ directory every time, but would rather simply type a command like extracticc /_D804351.jpg sRGB.icm from anywhere. To allow this OS X needs to know where to look for the commands. To see the current places it looks you can type: echo $PATH into the terminal.  To see your current profile type:

cd
( then hit return—this takes you to your home directory) then type
cat .profile
(hit return and it will show your current .profile file, which is invisible to the finder)

You need to edit that file with something like vi or pico or type:
open .profile
which will probably open it in TextEdit. It's possible if you never do anything like this that .profile doesn't exist, so you'll need to create it. You can do that by typing:
touch .profile
Then running the open command, which will just open the empty file.

Then you need to add a line to this file tell OS X where the Argyll folder lives so it knows to look there when you type commands.

You might add a line like this:
export PATH="$PATH:/Applications/Argyll_V1.6.3/bin"

to the .profile file if you put the Argyll folder in the application directory. The $PATH part tells it to append the new path (/Applications/Argyll_V1.6.3/bin) to the current path so you don't hose the path set up by the OS and other apps.

Not sure if that's clear—I've spent many a late night trying to figure this stuff out so I sympathize with your problem.  
« Last Edit: September 12, 2014, 08:18:58 pm by MarkM »
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Hening Bettermann

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2014, 08:23:45 pm »

While I was writing my reply, MarkM had posted his. Here is mine anyway.
I have downloaded the Argyll .tar file, expanded it with double-click and placed the result in a folder 'bin' on the first level of my User folder. DispcalGUI comes as a .dmg. The ReadMe file says -Installation: Mac OS X
"Mount the disk image and option-drag its icon to your “Applications” folder. Afterwards open the “dispcalGUI” folder in your “Applications” folder and drag dispcalGUI's icon to the dock if you want easy access."
Well actually, if memory serves me,  I double-clicked the .dmg on the Desktop, then moved the resulting 'dispcalGUI-0install' folder into the Applications folder.
Today, when I try to launch dispcalGUI.app, it tells me that it needs version 2.7 of 0install, which was downloaded and installed by the click of a button.
Now when I launch dispcalGUI.app, it opens a window called '0install'. At bottom right, there is a button 'Run'. I clicked that, and it starts downloading some 60 MB something with Python, then opens a window 'dispcalGUI 2.5.0.0' which seems to be just that.
I have not tried it any further at this time, but if you want it for monitor calibration only, this seems to be it. As to use of the Terminal on the Mac in general, I as a Unix novice found good advice here:
http://mrox.net/blog/2008/06/30/learning-the-terminal-on-the-mac-introduction-and-moving-around/
part 1 does not contain a link to part 2 .. 4, but part 4 does contain backward links to 1..3 :
http://mrox.net/blog/2008/08/09/learning-the-terminal-on-the-mac-part-4-bringing-finder-and-terminal-together/

Good light!

Lundberg02

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2014, 11:43:36 pm »

Many thanks, guys. I knew some of the real users here in Lula would have gone through the baffles of the  installation process. I wasn't having any luck in CinC.  There's a lot to digest in what you've said, but I think I have the basic guidance I need now. The Zeroinstall page has a a rudimentary user manual, and I now get the basic premise of the install.
I am curious to know if the end result is worth the keyboard whacking to get it in my repertoire. Argyll seems to have a lot of features  to improve profiles.
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Ligament

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2014, 12:22:43 am »

I can help you. I, too, found the installation and UI of Argyll to be ridiculously complicated. One must be a computer engineer to install and operate it.

For us mortals on mac OS X, the easiest solution is:

Install WINE emulator

Install CoCa to run within WINE
https://www.winehq.org

Use WINE to create a stand alone application for CoCa. This stand alone application is really an applescript which launches WINE which runs CoCa within it.
http://www.muscallidus.com/coca/

You can now place the "application" in your applications folder or your dock and treat it as any other mac os x application. Double click to launch, and enjoy the CoCa GUI interface.

 
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Lundberg02

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2014, 01:00:18 am »

Oh boy.  I'll have to try to digest that.
Thanks for trying to communicate with an alien species.
 Ok the first link gets you Wine, which is just open source Crossover, which I already have the latest ver of. The second link lets you download CoCa which seems to be an overlay on Argyll. Am I right so far?

If CoCa is a Windows app I'll just install it in Win XP in VMWare Fusion 7. I already use Profile Inspector in XP.
There isn't any way to download the binary Wine anyway, and I can't fool around trying to build it from source.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2014, 01:38:34 am by Lundberg02 »
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Alan Goldhammer

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2014, 07:26:41 am »

I've been using it for four years now but run it on a PC and installation & configuration is straight forward.  Sorry that I cannot offer any advice on Mac OS set up but see that others have weighed in.

I run everything from the command line and the only word of advice I have is to create some text templates that you can simple paste in which avoids typo mistakes.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2014, 07:28:23 am by Alan Goldhammer »
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Lundberg02

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2014, 03:10:57 pm »

I'm just going to install it Win XP I think, when I get around to it. I'm dealing with other techno-strangeness at present.
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RHPS

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2014, 04:31:51 am »

If you do decide to run it in Windows you may like to look at a long thread on the Printer Knowledge forum http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/a-basic-guide-see-post-1-to-setting-up-argyll-cms-profiling-on-your-computer.8570/ This thread contains some batch files that make it much simpler to get started.
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Lundberg02

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2014, 04:31:50 pm »

Thank you for the thread.  I can always count on Lula to get the straight skinny on this stuff. The other forum I visit which shall be nameless unless you know what Cambridge is, offered me suggestions that were almost irrelevant.
Now that I've googled the heck out of this and read here, I may even try installing Argyll in /usr/bin on my Mac.
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Lundberg02

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #10 on: September 14, 2014, 11:11:51 pm »

After reading this for the fourth time, I can't understand it.

<Installing the software on Apple OS X


You will need to unpack the downloaded file in the location you have chosen to hold the executable files. Typically this might be in /usr/bin, or perhaps $HOME/bin/, or even $HOME.

You can unpack it by control-click on the downloaded file and “Open With” BOMArchiveHelper or Archive Utility. Drag the resulting folder to where you want it, e.g. into your home folder (/Users/usrnam where usrnam is your username).

Alternatively you can unpack it on the command line using  the command tar -zxf archivename.tgz, which will create a directory Argyll_VX.X.X, where X.X.X is the version number, and the executables will be in Argyll_VX.X.X/bin.

Open a Terminal shell. This will be in Applications->Utilities->Terminal (Dragging it to the dock is a good idea to make it more accessible).

You will have to configure your $PATH environment variable to give access to the executable from your command line environment, by editing your .profile file. You can do this using a graphical editor, by using the open command:

  ~$open .profile

or by using some other editor, such as vi.

And add a line similar to the following line to your .path file

  PATH=$PATH:$HOME/Argyll_VX.X.X/bin

where "$HOME/Argyll_VX.X.X/bin" is the path to the executable directory.>

Why do you need to unpack in /usr/bin and then drag the unpacked file to your username home directory?  You can unpack it anywhere. I unpacked it to the Desktop. /usr/bin contains executables, why shouldn't the Argyll executables stay there if they are unpacked there?
If you install dispcalgui to avoid dealing with the command line, where does it want the Argyll executables and reference files to be, or does it find them no matter where the unpacked folder lives?

 Geekiness is so damn irritating it makes you want to go back to BASIC.
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MarkM

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2014, 01:42:38 am »


Why do you need to unpack in /usr/bin and then drag the unpacked file to your username home directory?  You can unpack it anywhere. I unpacked it to the Desktop. /usr/bin contains executables, why shouldn't the Argyll executables stay there if they are unpacked there?
If you install dispcalgui to avoid dealing with the command line, where does it want the Argyll executables

You are right, that is confusing and I think any normal reading of it is contradictory.

Basically you need OS X to find the commands. This means you can either put the executables in a place where it already looks, such as /usr/bin/ or tell it to look in a new place where you put the binaries via a mechanism like the $PATH variable in your .profile file. I prefer the later because I tend to forget where I put things and it's nice to have executables that I think of like applications in the applications folder — things in /usr/bin I tend to treat like system resources. It's completely up to you, however, and sensible people disagree.

One thing to consider — I don't think you can just move the bin folder from Argyll to /usr/bin/ and expect it work. I might be wrong and it might depend on your system, but I think you will need to take the contents of Argyll's bin folder and put them in /usr/bin. Not a big deal, but can be a nuisance to upgrade.

As I mentioned, I haven't used dispalgui, but the docs suggest that it will ask you where the Argyll executables are if it can't find them. This would be nice because it means you might be able to put the folder anywhere you please and simply tell dispalgui the location when it starts up. This is from: http://dispcalgui.hoech.net

Quote
Launch dispcalGUI. If it cannot determine the path to the Argyll CMS binaries, it will prompt you to select the location manually on first launch.
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GWGill

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2014, 11:19:53 am »

Geekiness is so damn irritating it makes you want to go back to BASIC.
Technical ineptness is so damn irritating, it makes you want to not bother releasing software in the first place...
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GWGill

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2014, 11:29:42 am »

You are right, that is confusing and I think any normal reading of it is contradictory.
Happy to improve the clarity of the documentation, but you'll have to point out what you think is contradictory - I'm not seeing it.

[ For someone not at all familiar with the command line environment, I'm sure it's all a bit bewildering - but they need to either get to grips with it, or not go down that path at all. ]



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howardm

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2014, 12:12:18 pm »

when you open a Terminal, the shell gets a certain set of directories that it search for commands by default.  You can modify that set (that's the edit the .profile directive (.cshrc for you csh fans)).  IMO, it's 'poor form' to add the Argyll commands (or any others) to /usr/bin as that 'pollutes' system space.  You're better off creating /usr/local/bin and adding that.  A lot of this stuff comes from knowing how to navigate and do basic system manipulation of and on the command line.  Some form of 'Unix Basics' , 'Unix for Dummies' book or on-line resource would be most helpful and open up the power that is under the GUI hood of a Mac cause sometimes, you just gotta get under the hood.

MarkM

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2014, 01:29:34 pm »

[ For someone not at all familiar with the command line environment, I'm sure it's all a bit bewildering - but they need to either get to grips with it, or not go down that path at all. ]

Agreed — in fact I sometimes think making the install a little challenging is a good way to let people know what skills they'll need to use the software once it's installed.

Happy to improve the clarity of the documentation, but you'll have to point out what you think is contradictory - I'm not seeing it.

You've been at this a long time and have probably seen every tech support question possible — I have no experience dealing with users, so please take this with a grain of salt.

When I'm trying to install or compile software in an unfamiliar environment, I read directions like a linear recipe of steps to follow. If you try to read the current docs this way, you unpack the the file to a place for executables then a couple steps later you drag it to your home folder. Contradictory is an exaggeration, but it's not particularly clear unless you've installed things like this before, in which case the install is so easy you don't really need to read past the first sentence. If I were trying to explain this to someone with little prior knowledge of command line tools in OS X I would make it more linear such as:

  • 1. Download file
  • 2. Double click file to expand into folder, which will be name Argyll_Vx.x.x (were x.x.x is the version number)
  • 3. Place binaries from the Argyll_Vx.x.x/bin folder in a place where OS X can find them such as /usr/local/bin
  • 4. If you want to put the binaries in an alternate location, you can chose any location you want, but you need to tell OS X how to find them by adding etc...
Maybe that will confuse a different set of users, I don't know, but it would be pretty clear to me.

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Lundberg02

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2014, 04:31:25 pm »

Quoting MarkM<As I mentioned, I haven't used dispalgui, but the docs suggest that it will ask you where the Argyll executables are if it can't find them. This would be nice because it means you might be able to put the folder anywhere you please and simply tell dispalgui the location when it starts up. This is from: http://dispcalgui.hoech.net

Quote
Launch dispcalGUI. If it cannot determine the path to the Argyll CMS binaries, it will prompt you to select the location manually on first launch.>

 Using my amazing reasoning powers, I just unpacked the Argyll tar to the Desktop and moved the resulting folder to Applications. Then I installed the dispcalgui.dmg which just gave me a window of apps and aliases, so I selected them all and moved them to a folder called, wait for it, dispcalgui, and moved that to Applications. Opening that folder in Applications I clicked on the dispcalgui icon and the app asked me where Argyll was, so I told it and it was happy.  I probably could have put the Argyll bin file in /usr/bin, but this works nicely without doing anything.
At least on a Mac, it's no motte difficult than any other app, just an additional two steps.
By the way, you can't unpack the Argyll tar in /usr/bin, the mac won't let you, an error message says so.
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MarkM

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2014, 04:40:10 pm »

Quoting MarkM<As I mentioned, I haven't used dispalgui, but the docs suggest that it will ask you where the Argyll executables are if it can't find them. This would be nice because it means you might be able to put the folder anywhere you please and simply tell dispalgui the location when it starts up. This is from: http://dispcalgui.hoech.net

Quote
Launch dispcalGUI. If it cannot determine the path to the Argyll CMS binaries, it will prompt you to select the location manually on first launch.>

 Using my amazing reasoning powers, I just unpacked the Argyll tar to the Desktop and moved the resulting folder to Applications. Then I installed the dispcalgui.dmg which just gave me a window of apps and aliases, so I selected them all and moved them to a folder called, wait for it, dispcalgui, and moved that to Applications. Opening that folder in Applications I clicked on the dispcalgui icon and the app asked me where Argyll was, so I told it and it was happy.  I probably could have put the Argyll bin file in /usr/bin, but this works nicely without doing anything.
At least on a Mac, it's no motte difficult than any other app, just an additional two steps.
By the way, you can't unpack the Argyll tar in /usr/bin, the mac won't let you, an error message says so.

Great!

/usr/bin/ has permissions set to prevent normal users (or malicious users) from messing things up. For future reference, you can unpack into /usr/bin you just need to use a command like sudo with your administrator password, which overrides the permissions on the folder. I would recommend against using sudo until you're comfortable with the command line, however. The permissions are there to protect you from yourself as much as they are to protect you from others and you can mess things up with a simple typo. Either way, it doesn't sound like you need to mess with any of it — glad you got it working. ArgllyCMS is a really great set of tools and worth the time invested to figure them out.
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Alan Goldhammer

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2014, 06:04:10 pm »

Maybe Windows is easier to work with than MacOS.  I've been running Argyll for some time now and found the install process very easy.  I put everything onto my HDD that is separate from the system SSD with Windows and other programs on it simply because Graeme is updating it fairly often and it's easier to manage this way.  I just have to change on <PATH> command and things are good to go.  Personally I find the all the documentation very straight forward and free from the obtuseness that comes with lots of other software.  It does take time to go through all the different command line options and figure out what you need in particular situations.  As I noted in my previous post, I simply created a serious of Notepad templates that can be pasted into the command line and then <ENTER> and things get cooking.  Biggest issue is mistyping commands! :D
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Czornyj

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Re: Argyll CMS
« Reply #19 on: September 15, 2014, 06:16:12 pm »

Maybe Windows is easier to work with than MacOS.
You must be joking - switching these goddamn' drivers every time you switch from ArgyllCMS to other profiling software is a real PITA ;) ArgyllCMS is a pure fun to use on OSX - it adds some fairy-tale elements to reality, but once you learn the spells it's quite simple to use it :)
« Last Edit: September 15, 2014, 06:24:12 pm by Czornyj »
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