Notes on the Macintosh ColorPerfect Photoshop Plug-In, Version 1.05C 6/25/11<br><br>

ColorPerfect is an Adobe Photoshop plug-in that is designed to produce and preserve the natural look of good color images.  We strongly recommend that new users read through all of this short ReadMe file.  Those of you who really hate to read instructions, skip to "Installation" below and use the Help system in ColorPerfect as you need it.<br><br> 

ColorPerfect 1.05 converts scanned color negative film images to digital positive images, and deals with scanned positives and digital camera images as well, applying a selected calibration to produce natural color and providing very powerful image adjustments which preserve the natural appearance of the color.  ColorPerfect is distributed as a fully functional demo version on our web site <br>
(http://www.c-f-systems.com/Plug-ins.html).  For color negatives, ColorPerfect Version 1.05 has built-in calibration data for over 230 types of color negative film from Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, AgfaColor, Konica, China Lucky, Rollei, and Ferrania.  Problem negatives and positives as well as negatives of unknown type usually can be satisfactorily calibrated using our unique FilmType control.  Version 1.05 also has the new and unique ColorPerfect Alpha Channel Feature <br>
(http://www.c-f-systems.com/ColorPerfectAlpha.html) with the ability to apply the accurate colors of an image to a grayscale version of the same image that has been prepared outside of ColorPerfect.<br><br>

The Macintosh version of ColorPerfect requires OS X to work and has been tested with Photoshop 7, Photoshop CS through CS4 on the PowerPC platform and with Photoshop CS3 through CS5 running native on the Intel platform.  There currently is not a 64-bit Mac version available.  Once you have ColorPerfect working, you may want to use larger dialogs with larger preview images to better accommodate larger displays.  See<br>
http://www.c-f-systems.com/Plug-ins.html#DialogSize<br><br>

Installation<br><br>

Download the zip archive ColorPerfectMac105.zip file.  Expand the zip file into a folder on your desktop.  Locate the proper plug-in file archive for your Mac/Photoshop combination:<br><br>

Photoshop 7,CS, or CS2: ColorPerfect.plugin CW.zip<br>
Photoshop CS2, CS3 or CS4 PowerPC: ColorPerfect.plugin XC PPC.zip<br>
Photoshop CS3  CS4, PowerPC or Intel: ColorPerfect.plugin XC UNI.zip<br>
Photoshop CS5  Intel: ColorPerfect.plugin XC UNI.zip<br>

Note that with some versions there is a choice.   Double-click the plugin archive you have selected and a file ColorPerfect.plugin will appear.  Open another finder window and locate the Photoshop filters folder.  This typically can be found by clicking Applications, double-clicking Adobe Photoshop x (where "Photoshop x" specifies the version of Photoshop), then double-clicking Plug-Ins and finally double-clicking Filters.   Drag the ColorPerfect.plugin file you just created over to the Filters folder and drop it.  Photoshop will automatically configure for ColorPerfect the next time it is started. <br><br> 

Auxiliary File Locations<br><br>

Of necessity ColorPerfect for Mac uses an odd convention for the folder location of the other files found in ColorPerfectMac104.zip: ColorPerfect.negpos, ColorPerfect.colorint and ColorNegKey.txt.  The location varies with the version of Photoshop.  We would have preferred a better way of doing this, but at least this oddity does not come up often in normal useage once it has been resolved.  Note: These three Auxiliary files are not needed for testing ColorPerfect.  ColorPerfect.negpos and ColorPerfect.colorint are sample User files which are used by advanced users of ColorPerfect.  ColorNegKey.txt is used only after you have purchased ColorPerfect.  The package also contains ColorPerfectPath.txt, which is used only in conjunction with the other three files.<br><br>

Photoshop 7 and Photoshop CS<br><br>

The location of auxiliary files for Photoshop 7 and Photoshop CS is very odd and very nearly the same.  To get there, double-click Applications in Finder, then double-click Adobe Photoshop x, where x is either 7 or CS.  Now locate the Adobe Photoshop x icon you might normally double-click to start Photoshop, but do not double-click.  This icon may or may not have .App after the Adobe Photoshop x.  Although it does not appear so, this icon is really a folder.  Single click with the right mouse button (or control-click on a single button mouse) to bring up a menu of options.  Click on the option Show Package Contents.  This will open a new Finder window with a folder Contents (and possibly other items).  Double-click Contents.  That will disclose several other folders.  For Photoshop 7 The folder you want is MacOS, while for Photoshop CS, the folder you want is MacOsClassic.  That is the folder where the auxiliary files go, so double-click it and transfer in ColorPerfect.negpos, ColorPerfect.colorint, and ColorNegKey.txt. ColorPerfectPath.txt is not used for these versions of Photoshop. ColorPerfect will always read and write its files to and from this folder, so this is where you will always find them.  You can create aliases and place them in other folders for easier access if you often work with these files.<br><br>

Photoshop CS2 through CS5<br><br>

These versions of Photoshop do not write to a peculiar folder, but neither do they make it easy to control where files go.  They pick the root folder instead of the hidden folders described for Photoshop 7 and CS.  You can just let ColorPerfect put its files in the root folder if you wish, but as the root folder is not really a good place to put files, we provide a clumsy workaround.  The root folder is the one with a path that is a single slash, "/" often shown in Finder as Macintosh HD.  Put the file ColorPerfectPath.txt in the root folder, then edit that file to contain the path to where you really want the files.  As delivered, the ColorPerfectPath.txt file contains the path /Users/MyUserName/Documents, so if you substitute your actual user name for MyUserName , ColorPerfect will put its files in your Documents folder.  The path must be a valid path - that means that if you want to use a new folder, you must first create the new folder yourself (probably using Finder) before it will work.  Now go the target folder in your chosen path and transfer in ColorPerfect.negpos, ColorPerfect.colorint and ColorNegKey.txt. ColorPerfect will always read and write its files to and from this folder.  It is possible to change this path from within ColorPerfect whenever you load or save a file.<br><br>

Getting Started with ColorPerfect<br><br>

ColorPerfect requires that images be in RGB mode or Monochrome (B&W) mode.  ColorPerfect produces its best results when you scan or bring in RAW files as 16-bits/channel but will work with standard 8-bits/channel images and scans.  Then from the Photoshop Filter menu: Filter->C F Systems->ColorPerfect.  The C F Systems entry should be near the bottom of the Filter menu.  ColorPerfect has three modes that can be selected from a Pop-Up: ColorNeg for treating scans of color negatives, ColorPos for treating positive images from scanners or digital cameras, and Touch Up for dealing with positive images that have already been calibrated.<br><br>  

Note: ColorNeg Mode will produce the best results you are likely to get from a "standard" scan of a color negative if you scan it in the same way you scan a slide (color positive) - so the result looks like the color negative.  However, the results from ColorNeg mode will be best, with very noticeable improvements in detail and color, when using a linear 16-bit/channel scan, and for 16-bit/channel images ColorNeg Mode is set up to expect linear images by default.  If you are producing 16-bits/channel images but cannot do a linear scan or do not know what that means, try pressing the "L" button next to ColorNeg to see if the results are better.  Also, ColorNeg needs you to use the pop-ups at the bottom of the dialog to select a film manufacturer and a film type that most nearly matches that of the scanned negative.  Monochrome (B&W) negatives cannot be calibrated according to manufacturer and film type, so the manufacturer pop-up is not available for monochrome.<br><br>

Learn more about the "L/G" linear/gamma button or any other topic by pressing the Help button and then activating the button or control which you want to learn about.<br><br>

ColorPerfect works differently than other color systems.  Select the Black number box, located near the top of the scrollbar, and use the scrollbar to control the lightness/darkness of the image.  This control adds and removes black and so has its greatest effect on the brighter areas of the image.  (Just as when you add black paint to white paint the change will be greater than when adding black paint to black paint).  White, just below Black, also controls image lightness/darkness but does so by adding or removing white and so is shows greatest in the darker areas of the image.  These two adjustments give an amazing amount of control over the image without damaging its color.  It should be noted that the white adjustment so important and so easily done here ranges from difficult to impossible to do in Photoshop proper or with most color adjustment systems.  Located at the top of the dialog, the Highlights control works in conjunction with Black to control highlight brightness and detail and the Shadows control works in conjunction with White to control shadow depth and detail.  The way Black and White work in ColorPerfect might be more obvious to artists and is explained in <br>http://www.c-f-systems.com/Complete/CompleteColorIntegrity.html.  Ignore the next control, Bpoint, until you are more familiar with the system, but Saturation can be used to control the depth of color while maintaining an amazingly natural appearance.  The Gamma control is similar to the "middle gray" slider in Photoshop's Levels control, but this Gamma adjustment affects only the tonal scale - photographic contrast - while leaving the colors unchanged.  When working with Monochrome images (B&W) this Gamma control is also used to adjust the tonal range of the image.<br><br>

Color balance can be set by clicking areas in the image that should be gray or by using the Ring Around or by using the AutoColor control.  Use Help to understand how to use these features.  Color balance is expressed in terms of the CC (Color Compensation) filters that are familiar to many experienced photographers.  For a start, find a patch in the preview image that should be gray (colorless) and click on it.  "Gray" can be anywhere from quite dark to white.  If possible, click several gray patches and see what happens to the image, choosing the best result.  ColorPerfect provides great control over color relationships in an image while still retaining a natural appearance.<br><br>  

ColorPerfect will also deal with problem or mishandled negatives or positives using the unique FilmType system, but save this until you have gained some familiarity with ColorPerfect.  Use the Help system to get an idea of how FilmType works. <br><br> 

Demo Version and the Registration Key Code<br><br>

ColorPerfect is distributed as a demo version on our web site: <br>(http://www.c-f-systems.com/Plug-ins.html).  The demo version of ColorPerfect embeds a gridwork in the images it produces.  In general, this gridwork is not obtrusive enough to prevent evaluating the results and in fact we expect that some less critical users may find the results usable as is.  To unlock the demo version and eliminate the gridwork, a key code may be purchased via our web site:<br> 
http://www.c-f-systems.com/Plug-ins.html<br>
where you will find a paragraph starting in larger type:<br>
"Purchase ColorPerfect for Mac." <br>
or<br>
"Purchase ColorNeg for Mac." <br>
Clicking either of these will take you to a secure site where you can purchase a "ColorNeg for Mac Family" key code. The SAME key code can be used on up to three computers owned by the same person or company and will unlock the Mac versions not only of ColorPerfect, but the older separate ColorNeg, ColorPos and Gamsat plug-ins as well.  In fact, if you find ColorPerfect to be too complicated, you may want to try the original ColorNeg or ColorPos to start with.<br><br> 

The Help button will explain the registration sequence.  You can avoid typing in the registration code by doing a copy and paste from your e-mail containing the key code to the ColorNegKey.txt file that comes in the ColorPerfectMac105 download.  The instructions in "Auxiliary File Locations" above explain where to put this file.  If you are also using any of the ColorPos, ColorNeg, or GamSat plugins and have not already registered them, put the key code in the ColorNegKey.txt file used by those plug-ins as well.<br><br> 

This version of Mac ColorPerfect also allows copy and paste of the user Key directly from your registration e-mail.  Copy the Key text from the e-mail in the normal manner, press the Register button in the ColorPerfect dialog to pull up the registration dialog box, then click to highlight the registration Key edit box.  Then tab will enter the copied key in the box.   OK out of the registration dialog and then OK or Cancel out of ColorPerfect.  The Key will be active the NEXT time you call up ColorPerfect.  Please remember to keep a copy of your Key in case you need it in the future.<br><br>

ColorPerfect, ColorPos, ColorNeg, and GamSat are also available in versions for the PC.