Windows Color System Overview

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Windows Color System Overview

• Lavanya Vasudevan
• Program ManagerDigital Documents Platform and
  Solutions LavanyaV _at_ microsoft.com
• Microsoft Corporation

Michael Stokes Color ArchitectDigital Documents
Platform and Solutions MiStokes _at_
microsoft.com Microsoft Corporation
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Session Outline

• Windows Color System (WCS) Motivation
• Color scenarios in Windows codenamed Longhorn
• Formalized framework
• User goals System behavior System design
• Windows Color System in Longhorn
• Color Infrastructure and Translation Engine
  (CITE)
• Infrastructure
• Baseline Models
• Plug-In Infrastructure
• ICM2 Improvements
• User Experience Enhancements
• Color in the Print Pipeline

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Session Goals

• Attendees should leave this session with an
  understanding of
• Design principles of Windows Color System
• Design details of the Windows Color System
• How to take best advantage of enhanced
  capabilities and opportunities for innovation
• Where to find more information
• How best to provide feedback

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Longhorn Color Scenarios
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WCS Use Case End to End Workflow

• Goal Accomplish End-to-End Color Workflow in
  Longhorn
• Primary Actor PC-user
• Main Success Scenario
• PC-user connects all color-devices to the
  Longhorn-PC.
• PC-user acquires color-document from
  color-input-device.
• PC-user opens the color-document within a
  color-managed-application.
• PC-user views the color-document within the
  color-managed-application in full screen mode on
  the display-device.
• PC-user validates color-quality of displayed
  color-document.
• PC-user prints the color-document from the
  color-managed-application to a local
  Metro-print-device.
• PC-user validates color-quality of printed
  color-document.

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WCS Use Case WYSIWYG

• Goal Validate Color Quality
• Primary Actor PC-user
• Preconditions
• PC-user is viewing the color-document within a
  color-managed-application in full screen mode on
  a display-device connected to a Longhorn-PC.
• PC-user has printed the color-document from the
  color-managed-application to a local
  Metro-print-device.
• Main Success Scenario
• PC-user compares the color-appearance of the
  color-document on the display-device, and the
  printed version of the color-document from the
  local Metro-print-device.
• PC-user validates that the color-appearances
  match.

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WCS Pipeline
Device Color Space
Device Model Profiles A, B
Device Model
Device Model
Device-Independent Color Space CIEXYZ
Color Appearance Model
Color Appearance Model
Gamut Map Model
Color Appearance Space
CIEJch
Gamut Map Model Profile
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Baseline Device Models

• Objective intra-device measurements
• Baseline set for common devices built in
• Plug-in device models
• Enhanced models for baseline devices
• Specialized models for new or high-end devices

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Color Appearance Model

• State-of-the-art Color Appearance Model built
  into platform
• Enables better handling of different viewing
  conditions

Pixel Values in CIEXYZ
Color Appearance Model Profile (CAMP) Viewing
Condition Parameters
CIECAM02 Algorithms
Pixel Values in CIEJch
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Gamut Mapping Model
Rendering Intent or GMM from Gamut Map Model
Profile (GMMP)

• Subjective inter-device transforms
• Perceptually uniform
• Baseline set ( ICC rendering intents) built in
• Plug-in gamut mapping models
• Proprietary algorithms
• Improvements on baseline models

Source Gamut Boundary
Destination Gamut Boundary
Source Color Pixel Value in CIEJCh
Gamut Map Model Algorithms
Destination Color Pixel Value in CIEJch
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Support Functions

• Gamut Boundary Descriptors and Gamut Shells

Pixel Formatter
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Color Infrastructure and Translation Engine
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New WCS APIs

• Work with new profile formats
• Enhanced functionality

ICM2 Improvements

• Key bugs fixed
• Subset of current ICM2 APIs extended
• Work with new profiles
• Access CITE

Continued ICC Support

• Improved v2 support
• Added v4 support

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Color Control Panel Prototype
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New Print Infrastructure

• Metro is the conduit for color
• Planned support for scRGB, named color, CMYK,
  n-channel
• Metro Print Path
• PrintTicket/PrintCapabilities

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Windows Color System Roadmap

• A Staged Approach
• New color management infrastructure and developer
  platform
• Vehicle for vendor innovation
• Foundation for long-term investment

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Call to Action

• Understand the Windows Color System
• Read WCS use cases  
• Submit your own scenarios
• Send us feedback at mscolor_at_ microsoft.com
• Review the Metro v.7 specification and provide
  feedback to prninfo_at_microsoft.com
• http//www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/print/metro.m
  spx
• Start implementation with Beta 1!
• Visit the WinHEC Hardware Showcase and vendor
  booths in the exhibition!

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Additional Resources

• Community Sites
• http//www.microsoft.com/communities/default.mspx
  
• List of Newsgroups
• http//communities2.microsoft.com/communities/news
  groups/en-us/default.aspx
• Attend a free chat or webcast
• http//www.microsoft.com/communities/chats/default
  .mspx
• http//www.microsoft.com/seminar/events/webcasts/d
  efault.mspx
• Locate a local user group(s)
• http//www.microsoft.com/communities/usergroups/de
  fault.mspx
• Non-Microsoft Community Sites
• http//www.microsoft.com/communities/related/defau
  lt.mspx
• MSDN Developer Community Chats
• Printer Drivers -- Ask the Experts Online
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/chats/windows/windows_10
  2402.asp
• Windows Drivers Printer Drivers
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/chats/windows/windows_10
  1602.asp
• Windows Drivers Printing and Networking
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/chats/windows/windows_02
  2002.asp

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Additional Resources

• Web resources
• WS-Devices Profile
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/webservices/understandi
  ng/specs/default.aspx?pull/library/en-us/dnglobsp
  ec/html/devprof.asp
• Printer Working Group
• http//www.pwg.org
• WHDC Printing home page http//www.microsoft.com/
  whdc/device/print/default.mspx
• WHDC Still Imaging / WIA home page
  http//www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/stillimage/de
  fault.mspx
• WHDC Color home pagehttp//www.microsoft.com/whd
  c/device/display/color/default.mspx
• Color Use Caseshttp//www.microsoft.com/whdc/devi
  ce/display/color/WCS_cases.mspx
• Writing Effective Use Cases, Alistair Cockburn,
  ISBN 0201702258
• E-mail
• For developer print questions prninfo _at_
  microsoft.com
• For developer scan questions wiainfo _at_
  microsoft.com
• For developer color questions mscolor _at_
  microsoft.com
• Whitepaper
• On WinHEC CD The Windows Color System in
  Longhorn

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Related Sessions WinHEC 2005

• April 25
• Advances in Windows Printing
• Foundation Technologies for the Document Life
  Cycle
• Ask the Experts
• Windows Color
• Windows Printing
• Windows Document Technology
• Avalon
• April 27
• Avalon Imaging Codec Architecture Overview
• New Document Life Cycle Opportunities

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Whats in a Use Case?

• Usage narrative or story
• Warm up with a day in the life
• Actors and goals
• What are the systems service promises?
• Main Success Scenario
• Top-to-bottom, typical scenario, goal delivery
• Extensions
• Well, theres a little complication
• Extension handling
• How should the system respond?

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Use CasesContracts About System Behavior

• Why do we care?
• Helps us
• Discover behavioral requirements
• Link user goals, UI design, performance
  requirements, data formats, business rules
• Structure project planning and priorities
• Describe the purpose, behavior, status and
  results
• Helps you
• Evaluate system behavior
• Communicate new requirements