Patent ID: 7239745

Claim:
A color-converting apparatus comprising: an inputting portion receiving input color data comprising input gradation levels for at least three input color components for an input end device; a color converting portion converting the input color data into output color data that comprises output gradation levels for at least three output color components for an output end device, the color converting portion executing the converting operation using conversion properties of the input end device and of the output end device; a determining portion determining whether one of the input gradation levels in the input color data is equal to a predetermined maximum input gradation level; and a correcting portion correcting the output color data into corrected output color data when the determining portion determines that one input gradation level in the input color data is equal to the predetermined maximum input gradation level, the corrected output color data comprising final output gradation levels for the at least three output color components, the correcting portion including: a maximum-gradation-level preserving portion correcting, into a predetermined maximum output gradation level, one output gradation level in the output color data for one output color component that corresponds to one input color component whose input gradation level is equal to the predetermined maximum input gradation level, thereby setting the predetermined maximum output gradation level as a final output gradation level for the subject output color component in the corrected output color data; an intermediate-gradation-level extracting portion extracting another output color component having an intermediate output gradation level that is intermediate among the output gradation levels in the output color data; and a hue preserving portion correcting the intermediate output gradation level based on correction characteristics of the maximum-gradation-level preserving portion, and setting the corrected intermediate output gradation level as a final output gradation level for the extracted output color component in the corrected output color data.