Reference: Appendix 137
The Color Profile includes color tables that relates the device’s color space to a
Profile Connection Space, as well as information about key attributes of the device
for use by CMS-based applications.
A Word about Source and Destination
People often get confused about what is the “source” of an image and what is its
“destination,” so let’s clarify this.
In general, the “source” of an image refers to where the image currently is, and the
“destination” is where you want the image to go.
In CMS terms, “source” means the Color Profile used to bring the image data into
the Profile Connection Space (PCS). “Destination” means which Color Profile is
used to get it from PCS to the destination device. For example, when you scan in an
image, you want it to appear on your monitor. So the source is your scanner, and
its related Color Profile, and the destination is your monitor, using its Color Profile.
Likewise, when you open a Photo CD image, the source is the Photo CD, plus the
Color Profile that relates the color data to the PCS, and the destination is the
monitor, plus the Color Profile that relates the PCS to the monitor’s color space.
Here’s another example: Let’s say you manipulate the image on your monitor
screen, and print it.
The source this time is the monitor (plus the Color Profile that relates it to the PCS),
and the destination is a printer (plus the Color Profile that relates the PCS to the
printer’s color space).
