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Author Topic: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile  (Read 7545 times)

bill t.

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Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« on: May 02, 2012, 12:56:21 am »

Just killin' some time here while the printer grinds.

I noticed that every few days Google Chrome turns off its use of the monitor profile.

In Vista you can turn on color management for Chrome by right clicking the desktop icon, and appending "--enable-monitor-profile" to the "Target" line.  Chrome doesn't seem to use embedded image profiles, but at least the monitor profile is applied with puts most images within tolerable range on calibrated, wide gamut monitors.

Trouble is, it doesn't stick!  Maybe it's being reset when Chrome updates itself.  But at least you get a few days of browsing bliss until something zaps your Target line edit.

Self driving cars, but lousy color management!  These are strange times.
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Justan

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2012, 11:41:52 am »

Until your post I didn’t know that any browser supported monitor profiles. That’s pretty cool.

According to the article at the other end of the following link, the trick appears to be to specify “-enable-monitor-profile” in the shortcut used to start the Chrome: http://www.marcelpatek.com/blog/2011/11/19/enabling-color-management-in-google-chrome/

bill t.

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2012, 01:08:37 pm »

Problem is, every couple days Chrome itself (or something, maybe Norton?) seems to edit the shortcut command line to REMOVE "--enable-monitor-profile" and there you are back in ruddy image land!  It becomes a slow-motion, seesaw power struggle between you and Invisible Forces.  I know I need to be protected from myself, but please don't mess with my screen.

Firefox also uses the monitor profile, and is apparently has superior color management in other ways as well.  And it sticks.  But you have to specifically add the color management extension, Firefox is not color managed out of the download box.

Maybe Safari is also color managed.

Internet Explorer is not color managed atoll.  Doh!
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aduke

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2012, 02:25:15 pm »

Bill, have you tried making a copy of the shortcut with the extended parameters. Maybe only the shortcut created at install is affected.

Alan
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hjulenissen

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2012, 02:36:19 pm »

With all of the displays and laptops being offered today with "wide-gamut", wont application and OS developers (and QA people) be pressured into better color management?

-h
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mouse

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2012, 04:36:07 pm »

Some of the remarks here have confused me.  ???   Perhaps someone can enlighten me:

Quote
I noticed that every few days Google Chrome turns off its use of the monitor profile.

Until your post I didn’t know that any browser supported monitor profiles. That’s pretty cool.

Maybe Safari is also color managed.

Internet Explorer is not color managed atoll.  Doh!

My understanding is that, once calibrated and profiled (using commercial hardware and software), a program automatically engages the monitor profile at boot time (usually by means of a profile loader installed as part of the profiling operation).  Thus the monitor profile is active for whatever software is currently used to display an image.  Certainly none of the image viewing or image editing software that I have encountered require a separate and specific instruction to "use the monitor profile".
I have read that some operating systems (MS Vista??) have a bug or anomaly that, under certain conditions, will "deactivate" the monitor profile. 

As for browser software, I understand (I think) that some progams are color managed in the sense that they respect the color space tag embedded in an image, while others do not (and simply assume a sRGB color space; e.g. Internet Explorer).
« Last Edit: May 02, 2012, 04:40:08 pm by mouse »
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Justan

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2012, 05:47:37 pm »

Problem is, every couple days Chrome itself (or something, maybe Norton?) seems to edit the shortcut command line to REMOVE "--enable-monitor-profile" and there you are back in ruddy image land! 

Someone else suggested making a duplicate of the shortcut, and you can also disable the updates. The updates are typically found under Administrative tools and then Scheduled Tasks.

JeffKohn

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2012, 10:12:34 pm »

It's really stupid that Chrome uses a command-line parameter for this instead of an in-app setting. The problem is you have to start Chrome from your shortcut. If it's not currently running and you click a link in an email or some other program starts the browser to open a link, you end up with no color management. I mean come on, how hard is it to store the setting in the registry or a configuration file and check it at startup.

AFAIK Firefox is still the only browser that gets color management right for wide-gamut monitors.
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Jeff Kohn
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D Fosse

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2012, 06:46:38 am »

Quote
My understanding is that, once calibrated and profiled (using commercial hardware and software), a program automatically engages the monitor profile at boot time (usually by means of a profile loader installed as part of the profiling operation).  Thus the monitor profile is active for whatever software is currently used to display an image.

Calibration and profiling are two different processes that shouldn't be confused.

Calibration standardizes the monitor response to a certain set of basic parameters - temperature, gamma and luminance, neutral color balance. It's just a linear 1D correction, very basic. It affects everything, system-wide, because it modifies the monitor itself.

Profiling builds a monitor profile. This is a full and complete description of the monitor's behavior, in its now calibrated state, in three-dimensional color space. The profile description includes the position of the three primaries in color space, so it accounts for the monitor's gamut (wide or standard), as well as any other peculiarities and quirks in the monitor's behavior.

In short, the profile has a much higher precision level. But it is not system-wide, it is used only by some applications.

Color managed applications like Photoshop or Firefox convert the document profile to the monitor profile and sends it off to the display. A non-color-managed application, like Internet Explorer, just sends the numbers straight through without any correction for the monitor. 

This works the same way as any color management operation: source profile > destination profile. That conversion is the color management part. The calibration LUT that is loaded into the video card/monitor is not a part of the color management chain.
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Justan

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Re: Google Chrome unilaterally stops using monitor profile
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2012, 12:23:07 pm »

Looks like at least some command line variables can be stuffed into the registry.

See the following link, which addresses using registry entries for some command line variables, but does not address monitor profiles directly.

http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/DdCRVseIfWI

Give it a try.

Be sure to back up the registry first.

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