ICC profile I/O library (icclib), README file
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This version is part of Argyll V 1.50
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Date 22 September 2013, Version 2.15
This distribution contains source code which implements the reading and
writing of color profile files that conform to the International Color
Consortium (ICC) Profile Format Specification, Version 3.4.
For more information about the ICC, and for copies of the specification,
please refer to
(Note that this software is written from the ICC V3.4 standard, but the
software and its author are not affiliated with, or otherwise connected
with the ICC.)
The ICC profile I/O library archive is kept at
Motivation
Color is still very much a black art to many programmers dealing with
computer graphics. The ICC Profile Format is an industry attempt to provide
an interchange format to help solve the problems of specifying color, and
in transferring color graphics from, and between systems and devices.
Although the ICC format has been around a number of years, and has long
been adopted by companies in the business of providing systems for
publishing and printing, and is now widely used as part of commercial
operating system support for device independent color, its uptake in the
general world of computer graphics has been slow.
The writing of this library was prompted by my private and professional
enthusiasm for computer graphics, and color. Inspired by other examples of
freely usable software (notably the Independent JPEG Group's free JPEG
software, and Sam Leffler's TIFF library), I have decided to make this
library available under similar terms. I hope that this library will
provide a starting point for including ICC profile support more widely that
is currently the case, particularly in open source code projects.
Overview
This package contains a C software implementation of the ICC Profile
Format, Version 3.4. The ICC Profile Format attempts to provide a
cross-platform device profile format, that can be used to translate color
data created on one device into another device's native color space. For a
fuller explanation of what the ICC Profile Format is all about, please
refer to http://www.color.org, and the profile specification.
In summary this library provides:
* Full source code, free for commercial and non-commercial use.
* Support for all version 3.4 header elements, Tags and Tag Types.
* Conversion to/from machine native representation of all data
types.
* Support for user defined Tags.
* Support for adding/deleting Tags.
* Support for Tag type sharing within a file (often used for
sharing LUTs amongst intents).
* Support for reading/writing embedded profiles, including from/to
a memory buffer, rather than a file.
* Provides a single function for transforming color values through
a profile, including support for intents, forward and reverse
transforms, gamut lookup or preview lookup.
* Provides support and code examples for creating all profile
types, monochrome, matrix and Lut.
* Attempts to be platform neutral, and flexibility in its use of
system file and memory sub-systems.
* Loads Tag Types on demand to conserve memory space.
Package contents:
icclib.zip ZIP archive of the following files
README.txt This file.
License4.txt Important! - Permissions for use of this package.
icc.c Library source file.
iccstd.c Library source that uses stdio and malloc system calls.
icc.h Library include file. Note machine dependent defines.
Includes iccV42.h.
iccV42.h Standard ICC header file modified up to Version 4.2 spec.
iccdump.c Program that dumps ASCII description of a profile.
icclu.c Program that allows interactive or batch translation of
color values though a profile.
icctest.c Basic library tag Read/Write example and regression test
code.
lutest.c Color lookup regression test code, and example for creating
color profiles.
iccrw.c Source code skeleton for reading and then re-writing a
profile.
Jamfile JAM style "makefile" see
http://www.perforce.com/jam/jam.html
Makefile Generic style makefile. Edit this to select the appropriate
system makefile rules.
Makefile.IBMNTMakefile ruleset for Windows NT using the IBM compiler.
Makefile.OSX Makefile ruleset for Mac OSX environment.
Makefile.UNIX Makefile ruleset for Linux style environment.
Makefile.WNT Makefile ruleset for Windows NT using the Microsoft Visual
C++ compiler.
Style
For handling convenience, I have included all the library source code in
two files. The down side is that they are both hard to read and navigate
through. The code could do with some cleaning up and rearrangement, to make
clear the distinction between public and private elements. (C++ would help
here, but is less portable.) The code attempts to be ANSI C compliant,
written in an object oriented style. A tutorial on how to use the library
would also be a good thing !
The best way to learn how to use the library, is to take a look at
icctest.c, lutest.c and iccrw.c. The first is used to test writing and
reading to every type of element, with every possible variation of usage.
You will need a copy of the ICC spec. handy to understand what it all
means. The second source file specifically creates and then tests various
types of profiles, including monochrome, matrix and Lut style profiles. The
last is a source code skeleton, that reads a profile completely into
memory, and then writes it out again to a different file.
With the release of version 2.00 of icclib, the library is now as useful as
it is likely to be, allowing convenient color conversion between PCS
(profile connection spaces, either XYZ or Lab) and device specific color
spaces. The library does not attempt to be a complete color management
system however, lacking profile creation and linking functionality. Icclib
is part of the Argyll CMS, which does attempt to be a complete color
management system. Argyll can be used as a more realistic example of the
use of icclib. I plan at some stage to upgrade icclib to be compatible with
the recently released ICC V4 spec., but will probably get around to this
sometime after the next major release of Argyll.
I welcome feedback, positive or negative, so please mail me at
Graeme at argyllcms dot com
Graeme Gill