International Color Consortium
Encyclopedia
The International Color Consortium was formed in 1993 by eight industry vendors in order to create a universal color management
system that would function transparently across all operating system
s and software packages.
The ICC specification, currently on version 4.2, allows for matching of color
when moved between applications and operating system
s, from the point of creation to the final print.
The main emphasis of the ICC is to define a format for ICC profile
s, which describe the color attributes of a particular device or viewing requirement by defining a mapping between the source or target color space
and a profile connection space (PCS).
The ICC defines the format precisely but does not define algorithms or processing details. This means there is room for variation between different applications and systems that work with ICC profiles.
, Agfa, Apple, Kodak, Microsoft
, Silicon Graphics
, Sun Microsystems
, and Taligent
.
Since then several of the founding members have left, including Microsoft and Sun, and many other firms have become ICC members, including, , Canon, Fujitsu
, Hewlett–Packard, and Lexmark
.
Color management
In digital imaging systems, color management is the controlled conversion between the color representations of various devices, such as image scanners, digital cameras, monitors, TV screens, film printers, computer printers, offset presses, and corresponding media.The primary goal of color...
system that would function transparently across all operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s and software packages.
The ICC specification, currently on version 4.2, allows for matching of color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
when moved between applications and operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s, from the point of creation to the final print.
The main emphasis of the ICC is to define a format for ICC profile
ICC profile
In color management, an ICC profile is a set of data that characterizes a color input or output device, or a color space, according to standards promulgated by the International Color Consortium...
s, which describe the color attributes of a particular device or viewing requirement by defining a mapping between the source or target color space
Color space
A color model is an abstract mathematical model describing the way colors can be represented as tuples of numbers, typically as three or four values or color components...
and a profile connection space (PCS).
The ICC defines the format precisely but does not define algorithms or processing details. This means there is room for variation between different applications and systems that work with ICC profiles.
Membership
The eight founding members of the ICC were AdobeAdobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
, Agfa, Apple, Kodak, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
, Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, and Taligent
Taligent
Taligent was the name of an object-oriented operating system and the company dedicated to producing it...
.
Since then several of the founding members have left, including Microsoft and Sun, and many other firms have become ICC members, including, , Canon, Fujitsu
Fujitsu
is a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is the world's third-largest IT services provider measured by revenues....
, Hewlett–Packard, and Lexmark
Lexmark
Lexmark International, Inc. is an American corporation which develops and manufactures printing and imaging products, including laser and inkjet printers, multifunction products, printing supplies, and services for business and individual consumers...
.