Monitor Calibration

Best Free and Open Source Alternatives to Apple ColorSync Utility

Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google’s parent), Amazon and Facebook dominate the tech landscape. Their dominance is so broad they account for more than 20% of the S&P 500.

There are many things to admire about Apple’s hardware and software. Apple make great looking (albeit expensive) hardware. Over the years key successes include the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and the MacBook Air. The company designs its own hardware and software. This gives them the power to make an operating system and suite of apps that are tailor-made and optimized for their hardware. Apple also operates the Apple Music and Apple TV media distribution platforms.

macOS is Apple’s proprietary operating system for its line of Macintosh computers. Its interface, known as Aqua, is highly polished and built on top of a BSD derivative (Darwin). There’s a whole raft of proprietary applications that are developed by Apple for their operating software. This software is not available for Linux and there’s no prospect of that position changing.

In 2020, Apple began the Apple silicon transition, using self-designed, 64-bit ARM-based Apple M1 processors on new Mac computers. Maybe it’s the perfect time to move away from the proprietary world of Apple, and embrace the open source Linux scene.

ColorSync Utility is a tool that lets you change a device’s colour profile. When you install devices, such as cameras, displays or printers, a colour profile containing the colour capabilities and limits for each device is created.

It’s proprietary software and not available for Linux. We recommend the best free and open source alternatives.


1. DisplayCAL Modernization Project

This project is intended to modernize the DisplayCAL code including Python 3 support.

Calibrate and characterize your display devices using one of many supported measurement instruments, with support for multi-display setups and a variety of available options for advanced users, such as verification and reporting functionality to evaluate ICC profiles and display devices, creating video 3D LUTs, as well as optional CIECAM02 gamut mapping to take into account varying viewing conditions.

Image of DisplayCAL
Click image for full size

2. ArgyllCMS

ArgyllCMS is an open source ICC compatible color management system. It supports accurate ICC profile creation for scanners, CMYK printers, film recorders and calibration and profiling of displays. Spectral sample data is supported, allowing a selection of illuminants observer types, and paper fluorescent whitener additive compensation.

Profiles can also incorporate source specific gamut mappings for perceptual and saturation intents. Gamut mapping and profile linking uses the CIECAM02 appearance model, a unique gamut mapping algorithm, and a wide selection of rendering intents.


3. DisplayCAL

DisplayCAL is an open source graphical user interface for display calibration and profiling using ArgyllCMS.

This tool calibrates and characterizes display devices using a hardware sensor.

DisplayCAL is written in Python and uses NumPy, demjson (JSON library) and wxPython (GUI toolkit). It also makes extensive use of several Argyll CMS utilities.

dispcalGUI


4. GNOME Color Manager

GNOME Color Manager is a session framework that makes it easy to manage, install and generate color profiles in the GNOME desktop.

With the help of ArgyllCMS, it can create and apply display ICC color profiles.

This gives a consistent color to an image or document, wherever it is output.

GNOME Color Manager
Click image for full size

All articles in this series:

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