Inèdit Software

The process we are going to describe next is a practical example of how to match color references from color libraries with the printed results, obtained with a particular profile, media, inks, or printer. As seen, when opening neoMatch, an untitled job window opens. Also, any new job can be opened, imported, and saved from the File option on the top menu with New. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Import colors
  • (A) Measure Colors with the Device
  • (B) Import Colors from text format files
  • (C) Import Colors from ACO/ACB and ASE
• Name Colors
  • New from measurement
  • Color Gradient identification 
• Select ICC Profile
• Export Colors
• Measure Colors
• Improve Colors
• Best Colors
• Measure colors out of gamut

Import colors

To load a selection of colors you want to check, you can either load them by measuring (option A) directly from their support or import them (options B and C) from the file.

(A) Measure Colors with the Device

To measure the colors, you will have to connect the spectrophotometer. Go to Measure | Measurement Settings, and make the configuration of the device and parameters, as described above. Select the new job window, place the spectrophotometer over the color reference that you want to match, and then measure the color. You can carry on measuring the color(s) without stopping. Each measured color will be listed in the new job. Afterward, you can name your colors on the list.

(B) Import Colors from text format files

To open a color library from a text file, click on File | Open and choose the color library text file. Or else, click on the Import button or from the File menu, choose the color library file, and confirm with Open. After the importation, the colors are listed orderly in your new job.

Supported are color libraries in LAB format. Supported formats:

• CSV
• CGATS
• CXF
• QTX

(C) Import Colors from ACO/ACB and ASE

Supported are Color Books and Color Swatches in LAB format. To open aco/acb colors, click on File | Open and choose the file with extension .aco or .acb. Default Photoshop Swatches and Books are located (in macOS):  

• /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2018/Presets/Color Books/
• /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2018/Presets/Color Swatches/

Name Colors

Once colors are imported or measured, you can rename them for further color indications in the color library.

New from measurement

By default the automatically created names from measurement using 4 characters with order 0000, 0001, 0002, etc. Just click on the name in column 'Name', then type the name. until the name is Select the new job window, place the spectrophotometer over the color reference that you want to match, and then measure the color. Or else from the 'Reference' field, you can change the name in the related field.

Color Gradient identification 

To work with gradient colors and got gradient identification it is required to rename the gradient colors corresponding to the color percentage. neoMatch allows two ways for the gradient name calculation. By percentage or by RGB index number (number 0-255). Both options will not affect any color change.

By Percentage: 

1. The 100% color name has to remain without percentage. Select the 90% gradient color and add '%90' (303%90) to the name. It will change the name to '90%' in the row.
   
   
2. Keep adding each gradient color until you reach the end of the gradient. The gradient color can not contain the order number (#001, #002, etc.) and must be removed. Only the next new colors have to use the order numbers #001, #002, etc.

By RGB index number: 

1. The 100% color name has to remain without percentage. Select the 90% gradient color and add '@25' (303@25) to the name. It will change the name to '90%' in the row. This is the number of 255 RGB colors that calculate 90% of the color. The comparison to percentage is 90% - 25, 80% - 50, 70% - 76, 60% - 101, 50% - 128, 40% - 152, 30% - 178, 20% - 203, and 10% - 230.
   
   
2. Keep adding each gradient color until you reach the end of the gradient. The gradient color can not contain the order number (#001, #002, etc.) and must be removed. Only the next new colors have to use the order numbers #001, #002, etc.

Select ICC Profile

The ICC profile you can select from the list of installed ICC profiles in your system or insert the ICC profile from the upload icon to match the colors with the RGB color space of the profile. When saving the document then the selected profile will be embedded in the .mtx document. If you want to use one and the same profile in all new documents, then in preferences you can choose the ICC.

Export Colors

In the color-matching process, we're going to show up to 3 trials. This is to reach the best-improved color with the colors we have imported. Sometimes though, some colors may increase their dE instead of getting it reduced, and therefore the color match would become less accurate.

In the case of measured colors, the first step is to export the lab values references to keep the starting point of the color matching. Use the header menu options or the file menu File | Export References and select one of the options:

• References LAB
• References Image
• References ACO
• References ACB
• References CGTAS
• References CXF
• References ASE

In order to export such colors using a specific profile, media, and inks in your printer, which we will read or measure later on, press the References TIFF button or from the File menu. Modify parameters and press 'Export' to save the TIFF image file, to print with your printer. In the TIFF file the statistics and color conception quality are included.

Size:

• Number of Columns or Rows
• Size of the patches
• Resolution of the Print
• Target type: Custom or Barbieri

Style:

• Strip Lines between the patches
  • Black
  • White
  • Double
• Inclusion of Names or Values of the colors.

• Additional exportation file in Lab Format.

• Additional exportation file in CGATS Format (to read measurements from other spectrophotometers which aren't supported by neoMatch).

Export:

• Export with the document profile.
• Export in different profiles (RGB, CMYK) and rendering Intent.

• Additional exportation file in Lab Format.

• Additional exportation file in CGATS Format (to read measurements from other spectrophotometers which aren't supported by neoMatch).

Measure Colors

Make sure to open Measurement Settings to select the required options and calibrate the spectrophotometer. It is important to verify that the number of patches to read matches the Scan Count, as seen in the example 6 columns.

Step-by-Step

1. Once your TIFF file is printed, select the first color in the list and proceed to read the patches with the spectrophotometer. The scan counts configuration in measurement settings will maintain the reading in rows. If the window doesn't open automatically, because neoMatch was closed between the steps exporting and measuring, load the .ref text format file, which is exported together with the TIFF file.

2. Proceed to read the patches in rows, from first to last, in the scan or spot mode. Start and stop to measure from white media. The next patch to scan will be indicated automatically until the reading is finished. Measure in the first row from left to right (A) and in the second row from left to right (B).

3. When the process is finished, another dialog indicates you so.

4. With the next window the first part of the process is over, as we see what are the different values between your Color Library references and those with their actual print.

Result

DeltaE values show the deviation between references. The smaller the DeltaE Value is, the closer is to the colors which have been read. Although this DE value can be set in the program's Preferences, by default, a difference of 3 is understood as acceptable, and further than that is not. This is why we see some of the references with a warning symbol, as they are over 3.

On the right of the window, we can compare the differences in the Lab values of references, print, and measurements of the color.

In case of joining 2 or more measurements in one using 'Average', Median, or other methods, then you can do this from the Edit | Merge Measurements..., which opens a dialog in the document to select an average method or delta range.

Improve Colors

neoMatch will calculate an improved version of the measured colors, taking into account all the values. We will print this new version with improved colors by clicking on the Improved TIFF button.

We recommend you export the improved lab values references to keep the progress point of the color matching. Use the header menu options or the file menu File | Export Improved and select one of the options:

• Improved LAB
• Improved RGB
• Improved Image
• Improved ACO
• Improved ACB
• Improved CGTAS
• Improved CXF
• Improved ASE

The next print layout is shown, with colors over the maximum DeltaE in red, and we will follow the same exportation process that we have described previously.  A document will be generated, which we are asked to save on our computer. It is highly recommended to "order" this document, in case we wish to make a second DeltaE improvement.

After the printing, we will follow the same reading process that we have described previously. Remember to calibrate the spectrophotometer before you start to measure. Just as before, new measurements are generated, shown in the next window.  Repeating the steps two more times, we finally have the results of 3 improved trials.

Moving through the references one by one, we see which ones have improved and which ones have not. The improved color is the color with the lowest dE values. If the resulting measurements had been generally improved, we could do a fourth trial. If the bad references did not improve, therefore it is not worth performing a fourth trial.

In some cases, you might want to select manually the best measurement color. Select your color and click 'Select as Default' to set the new default measurement and it will be used as the new improved color (dE 0.99) marked as Default. If you click once again on 'Select as Default', the color with the lowest dE (dE 0.06) will be used as usual.

Best Colors

The last step in this process is to export the Best Lab references/Best RGB references to keep a record of the final and best values.  Use the header menu options or the file menu File | Export Best and select one of the options:

• Best LAB
• Best RGB
• Best Image
• Best ACO
• Best ACB
• Best CGTAS
• Best CXF
• Best ASE

With the Best TIFF button, you can export the print files with the best colors in RGB and LAB (optional). neoMatch will choose and export the best values of all printed measurements to give the best final result. This new and best color references can be used now for the creation of new colorways.

With the Report button, you can export the print files with the not improved colors.

Measure colors out of gamut

This functionality prints colors out of the color range. It will print only colors that are out of the ICC to improve them. To start using the functionality, make sure the minimum and maximum Delta E are defined in Preferences and the option 'Don't improve anymore' is enabled.

Export and print your references, and measure your printed reference. With the next print with the Improved TIFF button of 'Improved Colors', in the dialog that opens the option to export only dE higher or equal to the minimum dE value defined in the preferences. neoMatch will take only the colors that are out of gamut or equal to be improved in the first iteration. Repeating the steps two more times, we finally have the results of 3 improved iterations.