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How to remove Adobe gamma - on Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Turn off Adobe gamma on your PC before profiling

When you install many Adobe programs, the Adobe gamma software also gets installed on PCs. You can use it to calibrate your monitor at the system level and to create an ICC profile that describes how your particular monitor reproduces colour. Any application that uses ICC profiles can use this profile.

Although we only use Macs at Northlight, we get asked about this often enough that we've included this short guide to deactivating Adobe Gamma on your PC

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This page is part of the Articles section of our Info and Resources feature Northlight Images prides itself on its independence when giving advice. We do not sell hardware or software and have no direct commercial links with any of the software or hardware vendors that may be mentioned here. See our Review Policy for more information.

Why turn of Adobe Gamma?

If you are going to calibrate your monitor, then it's best that only one piece of software does the job for you. Adobe gamma is a useful bit of software that gets installed that can help you set up your monitor to look better.

Remember that adjusting a monitor by eye is at best a partial solution (see our viewing guide for more info about adjustments 'by eye')

If you are going to use any of the popular profiling packages (by ColorVision/X-Rite/Pantone for example) on a PC then they all recommend disabling Adobe Gamma

Turning of the automatic start-up of Adobe Gamma

Adobe Gamma is usually started by a short-cut in the start-up items folder. You can just delete this and the software won't get automatically started.

Note - If there is no short-cut there, then Adobe Gamma isn't getting loaded, so just carry on and use your profiling package

The installer installs the Adobe Gamma control panel (Adobe Gamma.cpl) into the Windows/System folder (Windows Me and 98) or the Program Files/Common Files/Adobe/Calibration (Windows XP and 2000), and it installs the Adobe Gamma loader application (Adobe Gamma Loader.exe) into the Program Files/Common Files/Adobe/Calibration folder. In addition, it installs a short-cut to the Adobe Gamma Loader application in the Windows/Start Menu/Programs/Startup folder (Windows Me and 98) or the Documents and Settings/All Users/Start Menu/Programs/Setup (Windows XP and 2000). As a result, the Adobe Gamma loader application appears in the Start > Programs > Startup menu and starts automatically during Windows startup.

While loading Adobe Gamma.cpl during Windows start-up, the Adobe Gamma Loader application applies settings in the Adobe Gamma.cpl file to the system and applies calibration settings for your monitor at the system level.

Windows 2000/XP

It's found at Drive/Documents & Settings/All Users/Start Menu/Programs/Start Up/Adobe Gamma Loader (alias)

The easy way to get at it is:

Your profiling software will often place a new short-cut in the startup items folder that activates your new profile

Windows Vista

Any Adobe Gamma alias is in the same place as above - just delete it

Windows Me and 98

If you are curious about colour management and what it can do for you, then we have a growing collection of reviews and articles about software and hardware, and how to use it

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Equipment and software reviews

X-rite (ex GretagMacbeth)

Sept. 2008 X-rite have updated the i1 (Eye One) range

It now consists of two options. The functionality is the same as we have reviewed, but exactly what you get varies. As a result of this rationalisation, the i1Photo, i1Photo SG, i1Proof and i1XT have all been discontinued, and the i1 range now consists of:

With the i1XTreme you can calibrate and profile:

*Requires Digital ColorChecker SG Chart - available separately.

Datacolor (aka ColorVision)

Pantone

Others

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