Re: [Gegl-developer] [Gimp-developer] babl roadmap

[Elle Stone <ellestone ninedegreesbelow com>]

Unfortunately for hard-coded "sRGB as PCS", the ICC profile 
specifications are a moving target. Right now the ICC profile illuminant 
is always D50. But in the next planned release of new specifications, 
things will change:

//begin quote from http://color.org/DevCon/devcon14.xalter

While this fixed PCS is capable of delivering unambiguous color 
transforms, it cannot support the increasing demand for spectrally-based 
reproduction. iccMAX is a radically different approach which builds on 
ICC v4 but enables a far more flexible means of connecting devices, 
data, materials, observers and illuminants.

//end quote

I would ask every babl/GEGL/GIMP developer who cares about GIMP as a 
high end ICC profile color-managed image editor to read the rest of the 
page that I just linked to, and maybe think long and hard about whether 
you really want to limit yourself to "babl color management" based on 
hard-coded D50-adapted "sRGB as PCS".

D65 unadapted sRGB is based on CRT technology that is no longer in 
widespread use. Rec.2020 is the up and coming new display device standard.

D50-adapted ICC profiles are based on profile specifications that 
revolve around increasing outdated print-based technologies. 
Print-making technologies have changed, and today the output device is 
just as (or more) likely to be a display screen.

The ICC is moving forward (and let's hope they also fix a few issues 
that V4 introduced).

Tying GIMP to "sRGB as PCS" is a dead-end move.

Kind regards,
Elle Stone
--
http://ninedegreesbelow.com
Color management and free/libre photography