DigitalColor Meter show other colors as created in application.

Question

Level 2

175 points

DigitalColor Meter show other colors as created in application.

Hi community.

I'm not an expert in color and maybe I make a mistake or don't understand the workflow.

I create different colored boxes in TextEdit and other application. Both use the same OS X color tool to define the color.

I define the color RGB. R in one box, G in second box and B in third box.

See attachement with example for red, it means R=255 / G=0 / B=0.

Green box is R=0 / G=255 / B=0

Blue box is R=0 / G=0 / B=255

When I use DigitalColor Meter from OS X 10.6 it show other color when I move over the different boxes.

Result of DigitalColor Meter is:

Red R = 255, G = 19, B = 20

Green R = 0, G = 251, B = 52

Blue R = 45, G = 44, B = 250

What is wrong ?

What is my mistake ?

Do I don't make the right workflow ?

Regards

Jochen

MacBook Pro

Posted on Jul 24, 2013 7:50 AM

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Answer 1

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Jul 24, 2013 1:47 PM in response to hassi

DigitalColor Meter->Help->DigitalColor Meter help, for starters.

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Answer 2

Kurt Lang

Level 9

58,152 points

Jul 24, 2013 1:50 PM in response to hassi

It's showing you the RGB values according to each file's assigned color space.

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Answer 3

hassi Author

Level 2

175 points

Jul 24, 2013 10:25 PM in response to baltwo

Thanks for feedback.

@baltwo

I haven't found the chapter > for starters. I use Mac OS X 10.6.8.

@Kurt

I dont't understand Your answer, sorry ;-(

Regards

Jochen

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Answer 4

Jul 24, 2013 11:55 PM in response to hassi

Open DigitalColor Meter and from the 'Help' menu choose 'DigitalColor Meter Help'.

Colour rendering is a complex matter, and there are various ways of handling it - for example how many colours to show. Photo applications will show a large number of colours to avoid 'banding'; other programs where the actual colour is no so critical may use fewer colours to save space.

Consequently a particular colour may look similar in different programs but when measured turn out to be slightly different. DigitalColour Meter is showing the colour as created by the program in question.

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Answer 5

hassi Author

Level 2

175 points

Jul 25, 2013 3:26 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

@Roger

Thanks for feedback. First, I'm not so familiar with color workflow. So maybe my questions simple.

I have open the help of DigitalColor Meter bur I don't find the chapter "for starters". That was my question ;-)

You wrote:

Colour rendering is a complex matter, and there are various ways of handling it.

Yes.

You wrote:

Photo applications will show a large number of colours

Normally I use Aperture for photo editing.

But my example in first post was from TextEdit.

Now I found that the OS X color tool inside TextEdit allowed different color areas, see new screenshots.

In my example in first post I used the preset = Adobe RGB R=255 / G=0 / B=0.

I found when I change to Geräte RGB the values are now R=255 / G=0 / B=27.

So its more clear for me what the reason is between defining color in application and measuring color with DigitalColor Meter.

Last question.

In help of DigitalColor Meter is written

Anpassen der Farben an professionelle Farbsysteme

"Changing color to professionally color systems"

I don't find in which way I can do this.

Jochen

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Answer 6

Jul 25, 2013 3:45 AM in response to hassi

hassi wrote:

I have open the help of DigitalColor Meter bur I don't find the chapter "for starters". That was my question ;-)

Semantic confusion here: what he meant was go to 'DigitalColor Meter->Help->DigitalColor Meter help' as a place to start from.

In help of DigitalColor Meter is written

Anpassen der Farben an professionelle Farbsysteme

"Changing color to professionally color systems"

I don't find in which way I can do this.

I think they probably mean this:

which gives you a read-out in different formats used by different programs.

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Answer 7

hassi Author

Level 2

175 points

Jul 25, 2013 4:24 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

@Roger

Thanks. Now clear Help of DigitalColor Meter.

which gives you a read-out in different formats used by different programs.

In Help is following workflow.

Gehen Sie wie folgt vor, um Farben mit dem Programm "DigitalColor-Farbmesser" anzupassen:

Öffnen Sie das Programm "DigitalColor-Farbmesser". Sie finden dieses Programm unter "Programme" > "Dienstprogramme". Programm "DigitalColor-Farbmesser"

2. Wählen Sie aus dem Einblendmenü einen Farbraum aus.

3. Bewegen Sie den Zeiger über die Pixel, die Sie anpassen möchten.Beim Bewegen des Zeigers werden die entsprechenden Farbwerte angezeigt.

My simple translation is:

Do you do following to adapt colors with DigitalColor Meter

1. Open application DigitalColor Meter ... and so on. OK

2. Select from menü the color system. OK

3. Move the mouse about pixel which do you will change. By moving the mouse the color of pixels will show.

I cannot see in which way I can change the color in original. I can only make a copy of actual values of color in different color systems.

Jochen

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Answer 8

Jul 25, 2013 4:32 AM in response to hassi

Section 3 says:

Move the pointer over the pixels you want to match.

As you move the pointer, the color values are displayed.

The program displays the reading of the colour you move the pointer over. There is no suggestion that it can change the colour itself. You have to do that in the program concerned. DCM allows you to get a reading from a colour in one program so that you can produce a match in another program by entering those settings.

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Answer 9

Kurt Lang

Level 9

58,152 points

Jul 25, 2013 6:20 AM in response to hassi

I don't understand Your answer, sorry ;-(

No problem. I know that was a very sparse answer, but you noted you weren't a color expert and explaining what's going on would require both pictures and a very lengthy post.

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