Hi tlooknbill
> OK, the Synthetic 24CC appearance in the Preview app being different from CS4 preview is the real problem. Don't know if this Synthetic 24CC reference target is embedded with a profile. If not, then this could point toward why you are seeing two different previews of only this image.
On Bruce Lindblooms site (brucelindbloom.com), where I downloaded the synthetic CC24, the chart image is produced by a calculator. One can choose the ref. illuminant, the RGB model and the observer. My choices were D50, ProPhoto and 2°. This may look like there is ProPhoto assigned or embedded.
> Do you get preview mismatches in other normal (meaning non-24CC target images) between these two color managed apps? This needs to be sorted out first. I know when Preview displays an image without an embedded profile, it will assign the system display profile selected in OS X's Display Preference panel.
Yes native images show the same difference as the chart. The difference is subtle, and without the chart as a reference, I might as well be inclined to call Preview for over-saturated and PS for the truth as the other way round. And in fact (in the display of the synthetic CC24), the reds and orange are slightly over-saturated in Preview, but (visually) not as much as the orange (2/1) in particular is under-saturated in PS, where also the green and cyan are pale. So over all, Preview is closer to the truth.
> When you open an image in CS4, your Color Settings should be set so you get a dialog box saying whether the image has an embedded profile or ISN'T the same as the Working Space chosen in Color Settings.
When I open an image in CS3 (not 4), there is no dialog popping up by itself. If I go to the Assign Profile pane, my working space, ProPhoto, is chosen.
> As for creating a linear version of the Raw shot of the 24CC for Argyllcms to build a profile from read this section of RD's Help which I've slightly edited for emphasis:
[...]
What I read out of these 2 quoted paragraphs is this:
1- When I make exposure adjustments prior to profiling, I have to make the same ones later for the actual images. The same for camera profile. In most cases, I will need linear output for stacking, so it seems advisable to disable the default camera curve for profiling.
2- Creating my own camera curve based on a multistep gray ramp would require a spectrophotometer. I had hoped that Stouffer wedges would come with reference data, but a closer look at the web site seems to show that they don't. - Raw Developers instruction for camera profiling mentions that many profiling packages perform poorly with linear images. But I hope Argyll does all right with the just released -am option. My dE values look quite good, and also the rendering of the CC24 is quite close. It is just PS which is a little pale.
[...]
> You don't have to do this. Just clicking the "Turn off all processing" check box is often all that is needed. When I do this with my own properly exposed Raw shot of the 24CC, the image is way too dark where some color almost look black like the brown and the purple patch.
Just choosing "Disable Color Management Processing" will preserve the default camera curve, which I try to avoid.
Is there still something I have overlooked or not understood?
So far, my conclusion is that I want to check if/hope that Aperture has inherited the color rendition of Preview.
> You might want to email Brian Griffith, the creator of Raw Developer. From my emails with him he is quite helpful and does get back to you with any questions you may have.
Yes I have asked Brian on several occasions, and he has in fact been very helpful with detailed answers.
I thank you for your help! - Hening.
