RealWorldColorManagement,SecondEditionThispagelefiblank...IsColor?ReflectionsonLife"It'snoteasybeinggreen,"sangthevelvetvoiceofKermittheFrog,per-hapsgivingussomeindicationofhowthefrogfelttobeafeltfrog.Whilenoneofusmayeverknowtheexperienceof"beinggreen,"it'sworthreflecting(asweareallreflectiveobjects)ontheexperienceof"seeinggreen."Youdon'thavetobeacolorexperttousecolormanagement.Butifyou'retotallyunfamiiiarwiththeconceptsbehindthetechnology,colormanagementmayseemliemagic.Wedon'texpectyoutobecomeasobsessedwithcolorasweare-indeed,ifyouwantanyhopeofleadinganormallie,weadviseagainstit-butwedorecommendthatyoufamiliar-izeyourselfwiththefundamentalswelayoutinthischapter.bThey'llhelpyouunderstandtheproblemthatcolormanagementad-dresses.Thewholebusinessofprintingordisplayingimagesthatlooklikerealisticdepictionsofthethingstheyportraydependsonexploit-ingspecificpropertiesofthewayhumansseecolor.Colormanage-mentisjustanextensionofthateffort.bThey'llexplainsomeoftheterminologyyou'llencounterwhenusingcolormanagementsoftware--termslikecolorimetric,perceptual,andsaturation,forexample.Alittlecolortheoryhelpsexplainthesetermsandwhyweneedthem.34RealWorldColorManagement,ScrondEditionbThestrengthsandweaknessesofcolormanagementarerootedinourability(orinability)toquantifyhumancolorVisionaccurately.Ifyouunderstandthis,yourexpectationswillbemorerealistic.bColortheoryexplainswhyacolorviewedinacomplexscenesuchasaphotographlooks"different"fromthesamecolorviewedinisolation.Understandingthishelpsyouevaluateyourresults.bYouneedtounderstandtheinsmmentsyoumayusewithcolorman-agement.Thischapterexplainsjustwhattheymeasure.Butwehaveto'Fessuptoanotherreasonforwritingthischapter:colorisjustreallydarnedinteresting.Whilethischaptersetsthestageandlaysthefoundationforotherchaptersinthisbook,wehopeitwillalsosparkyourcuriosityaboutsomethingyouprobablytakeforgranted-yourabilitytoseecolors.Ifyou'reintimidatedbyscientificconcepts,don'tworry-wewon'tbombardyouwithobscureequations,orinsistthatyoupassagraduatecourse...