EasyMedia - Transitions

This article covers Transitions, the first but opitional calibration step in the EasyMedia module. It optimizes the blending of light and dark inks to ensure smooth tonal transitions. After setting up your project in EasyMedia, you can begin the transition process.

Why use transitions?

The transition step defines how light inks and dark inks are combined to produce smooth tonal rendering. Its purpose is to avoid visible dark ink dots in light areas while limiting unnecessary light ink consumption.

A transition that introduces dark ink too late may improve visual smoothness in highlights, but it can also increase light ink usage. A transition that introduces dark ink too early may reduce ink consumption, but it can create abrupt color changes or instability during linearization.

For this reason, finding the best transition has often required trial and error. After printing and measuring the light and dark ink targets, experienced users may print one or more linearization targets to identify the best compromise between image smoothness, measurement stability, and ink consumption.

Choose how to get started

Create new transition curves

Run Wizard (Print, Measure, and Build a target)

If you choose to print and measure a target, follow these steps:

Load or import an existing measurement file

As the name suggests, "Load an existing measurement file" allows you to load a measurement file from different sources:

• Load the last measurement file
• Load a file in the project's directory
• Load another file
• Import from the current transition file (.ppi files)

Create from scratch

If you choose to create new transition curves from scratch, the module takes you directly to the transition curve editor, where you can review the transition values as a graph or as numeric values and adjust them manually.

Edit or check the current transition curves

The "Edit or check current linearization" option is available only if the project already includes a transition setup. 

In this case, the options below (Run wizard, Load a measurement file, or Create from scratch) are not available because you can only review or edit the curve values for the existing transition.

Verify Transition Curves

Once the measurements for the light and dark ink targets are complete, the interface displays a two-dimensional graph showing the measured values against the ink percentage. You can choose to display the graph using either spectral density or Hue (ab):

Spectral Density Hue (ab)

• Vertical Axis (Y): Represents spectral density, expressed as a percentage. 
• Horizontal Axis (X): Represents ink percentage, expressed as a percentage.

• In this view, the spider graph displays the hue of primary colors.
• Light inks such as Light Cyan or Light Magenta are included in the corresponding Cyan and Magenta channels.

• Lab / Lch values: When moving the mouse over the curve, the corresponding measured values for the selected point are displayed on the left side of the interface. These values can be shown in either Lab or Lch format.
• Display dark/light curves: Shows or hides the dark/light ink curves in the graph. This can help you focus on the transition behavior of the dark/light inks when reviewing the curve.
• Ink channel buttons: On the right side of the interface, one button is available for each ink channel. Clicking one of these buttons filters the display so that only the selected color is shown. The "All" button restores the full display and shows all color curves again.
• Ctrl Pts (Control points): Enable this option if you want to display the control points on the graph. These points correspond to the measured values from the printed target used to build the curve. For example, a standard target with 21 patches results in 21 data points.
• Pmax / Dmax: These fields allow you to adjust the target values for each ink channel. One field is available for each color, with values ranging from 0.0 to 100.0:
  • Pmax: Indicates the maximum ink percentage on the horizontal axis.
  • Dmax: Indicates the maximum spectral density on the vertical axis.

• Presets:  Available since CalderaRIP V19.2, this option is available only when reviewing or comparing light ink curves. It provides predefined transition behaviors to reduce the need for manual adjustments and repeated verification prints. Transition tuning is often a compromise between smooth rendering in light tones, stable linearization behavior, and ink consumption. The available presets are:

    Good to know

  These presets are intended to reduce the number of adjustment cycles needed before proceeding to linearization.

  • Balanced: It automatically sets a starting point intended to be closer to the optimal compromise between light ink consumption, gradual dark ink introduction, and smooth output. 
  • Light: Recommended when the light ink is not much more diluted than the dark ink. 
  • High: Corresponds to the previous default transition behavior and introduces dark ink later.

Review Transition Ratios

Clicking the "Next" button displays the transition curve verification screen:

• Display: Use the radio buttons at the top of the interface to choose the graph view: Light/Dark, Dark/Light, Ratios.
• Use: The “Use” drop-down menu lets you choose which value is used to display and evaluate the transition graph: Projection, DeltaE, or L (Lab). This helps you assess the transition from different perspectives, such as curve continuity, color difference, or lightness progression.
• Ink channel buttons: On the right side of the interface, one button is available for each ink channel. Clicking one of these buttons filters the display so that only the selected color is shown. The "All" button restores the full display and shows all available curves again.
• Ratio (%): These fields allow you to define the dark/light ratio for each ink channel. One field is available for each color, with values ranging from 100 to 700.
• Auto button: Restores the automatically calculated ratio values and cancels any manual changes made to these fields.

Edit Transition Curve

Clicking the "Next" button will show the following transition curve:

Tips and Tricks

• You might be interested in consulting: Technical knowledge > Technical glossary > Color Management.
• The software automatically applies a limitation to the dark inks, clipping them at 95% by default. This provides a margin for subsequent linearization adjustments. 
• The software also automatically determines an appropriate limitation for light inks. These values are displayed within the interface.

• Check graininess in light tones to help determine the most appropriate transition point between light and dark inks:

  

• Finding the best transition is often a trial-and-error process. After printing and measuring the light and dark ink targets, experienced users may print one or more linearization targets to identify the best compromise between smooth light tones, stable dark ink introduction, and ink consumption.

• Since CalderaRIP V19.2, the transition presets can reduce the amount of manual adjustment required and help reach an acceptable result faster. Depending on the printing conditions, drying time, media, ink technology, and number of verification prints required, this may save approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour per calibration.

    Info

  For visual verification prints, allowing sufficient drying time before evaluation can improve reliability. Ink behavior may change significantly during the first 30 minutes after printing, especially with water-based or eco-solvent technologies. Actual stabilization time depends on the printer, ink, media, and ink load.

Next Step

Once you have finished checking and/or modifying the transition values, click "Next."

The module will ask if you want to test the settings you just adjusted. If you choose to do so, the printing/measurement settings will appear again. 

After printing, the wizard will ask if the test results were satisfactory. If so, you can proceed to linearization.