Color Management in Firefox 3

The big deal about Firefox 3, from a photographer’s viewpoint, is that it has color management capabilities. If you’ve not read my post Firefox 3 For Photographers, you should check that out as well. It’s important to understand that while Firefox 3 has color management in the code, the feature is not activated, nor is it even easy to get to.

Why Wasn’t Color Management Activated In Firefox 3?

As much as photographers would like to think that Firefox 3 was created just for them, it’s important to remember that each generation of the program must respond to the needs and wants of millions of users around the globe. In the eye’s of Mozilla, there weren’t enough ICC-profiled images on the web to make it a priority - especially since activating color management slows Firefox 3 down. (Some say the performance hit is in the range of 10-15% slower).

Here’s what the Mozilla press department sent to PixSylated on the matter.

” Our graphics guys were thrilled to include ICC support in Firefox 3, but didn’t want to turn it on by default as the number of pictures using the profiles is still slim, and it has a slight impact on performance when enabled. Sadly, as is sometimes the case, the change request to add a preference for this feature in the options fell through the cracks, and missed the deadline for translation into the many languages that we ship. We hope to have the option included in the next version of Firefox.

“In the meantime, using the Add-on to add the preference to Firefox, or flipping it in about:config are options for those who do a lot of ICC photo viewing with their browser.”

Two Ways To Activate Color Management In Firefox 3

There are two options for activating color management in Firefox 3. One is to change settings in the about:config file within Firefox 3’s code. The other is to use the Color Management plug-in that does this for you.

If you’re comfortable throwing digital switches, changing the about:config setting is pretty quick. You just have to be certain that you’re changing the correct setting (otherwise your Firefox will suddenly morph into an early version of Internet Explorer). Rob Galbraith did a superb job describing how to change the about:config. Click here for that page.

If you’re happy to let someone else do the heavy lifting, download the Color Management plug-in here. It’s still considered an “experimental” bit of code, so you’ll have to register as a user to get it. Registration is free and takes just a minute.

I’ve run the plug-in for several days now without any hiccups. If you’re on a Mac and would like to learn how to run both Firefox 2 and 3 simultaneously or Firefox 3 with and without color management simultaneously, click over to Firefox 3 For Photographers and scroll down to the section on MultiFirefox.