Mac OS

In the past, PostScript printers handled color space conversions. Now with Mac OS X Tiger, you can choose to have your Mac handle color conversions rather than using the PostScript printer for processing, which can dramatically accelerate color conversions. In your printer driver, choose ColorSync from the pop-up menu as shown in the figure below. If the driver can use this feature, you’ll see two options in the Color Conversion pop-up menu: Standard and In Printer. If the Standard option is selected, your Mac will process the data, taking advantage of the power of its processor. For example, ColorSync can use the power of a Power Mac G5 to greatly speed up the color space conversions, as compared with In Printer, which uses the printer hardware. Setting In Printer option for PostScript in Mac OS X.

ColorSync Utility can also be used as a tool for color space conversions on images. When you open an image in ColorSync Utility, you see the image along with additional options at the bottom of the screen. For example, to apply a sepia-tone profile to the image, choose Apply Profile from the left pop-up menu, Abstract from the middle pop- up menu, then select Sepia Tone. You can also convert an image for an output device by selecting the Output menu and the appropriate printer profile. When converting to an output color space, you can choose a rendering intent for the color space conversion using the Intent pop-up menu. Click Apply to see a soft proof of how the image will appear after conversion. Choose the rendering intent that produces your preferred color appearance based on the image and the profiles being used. Choose Save As from the File menu to apply the conversion and save the new file to your hard drive, ready for output to that particular output device

PDF documents in Mac OS X Tiger can be further refined using Quartz Filters. These filters let you apply color management, color effects, and other processing options such as compression or creation of files in PDF/X-3 format. To access Quartz Filters, click Filters in the toolbar of ColorSync Utility. Here you see the Quartz Filters that ship with Mac OS X Tiger. You can duplicate and modify these filters or create your own using ColorSync Utility. To create your own Quartz Filter, click the Add (+) button in the bottom left of the window and enter a name for the Quartz Filter. Press the Enter key and ColorSync Utility saves the name of your Quartz Filter. Click the triangle to the right of the name to see the Quartz Filter options. You can assign ICC profiles; convert to a new color space using profiles; apply color effects; change the bit depth, dimensions, and compression; or add comments to a PDF document. Your Quartz Filter can now
be accessed from the Mac OS X Print dialog. Quartz Filters can also be accessed in Automator (see the “Color Workflow: Automation” section). Creating a Quartz Filter with ColorSync Utility.