Color standards in graphic arts and photography - Past, present, and future

Both the photographic and graphic arts industries have undergone significant revolutions over the last two decades. Much of the driving force for these revolutions have been the dramatic increases in the capabilities and cost effectiveness of computing capabilities. This has led both industries to move from systems architectures that were based primarily on analogue technology into fully integrated digital and/or hybrid workflows. One of the immediate impacts of these revolutions was the need for file format and data exchange standards to allow clear communication of image data both between systems and throughout the workflow. However, once color data could be exchanged, it was quickly realized that exchanging data without a clear definition of the meaning of the data was meaningless. In this presentation I will describe the evolution of the standards that provide meaning to the color image data being, exchanged within the photographic and graphic arts industries. While predicting the future state is always risky, I will also provide my vision for the future form of color data definition in these industries.