The Complete Guide to Digital Color is a highly authoritative and beautifully designed book covering all aspects of using color for digital design. Clearly written by a skilled and experienced professional working today at the forefront of his field, this book offers a comprehensive course in cutting-edge digital color design.
This guide gives students of digital design invaluable information about how color is managed and used by industry, covering vital aspects such as industrystandard color spaces (including RGB, CMYK, CIEL*a*b*, HSB, and indexed color), profile color management, file compression, measuring color gamuts, and the use of color in digital photography. The Complete Guide to Digital Color gives designers practical information for improving their work in real commercial environments, with a distinct focus on the relationship between the art and science of color.
Color is a highly subjective topic and one of the most debated subjects in the world of graphic design. It is also an exciting area of study, since working with color produces immediate results.
Translating the science of color into practical results is not always easy. Clients want the color reproduction featured on or in their products to look as good as possible but are often not aware of the limitations that color has when applied to different media. In addition, designers want their work to be reproduced as accurately as possible to maintain the visual appearance of the work that they have created. It is normally the printer, who comes at the end of the production cycle, that suffers the wrath of both clients and designers when the final product does not appear quite as expected. However, often it is not the printer’s fault; unsatisfactory color specification is one of the main problems in the design industry. Few, up until now, have had the skill and knowledge to manage color usage efficiently to guarantee a satisfactory product.The aim of this book is to arm you with that skill and knowledge, which will put you in a position to understand both the potential and limitations of color, regardless of the situation. With this understanding, you will be able to accurately inform clients of the limitations that they can reasonably expect, and be able to identify where problems might originate.
