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Color Screen 2.0 Parameter Format
The current native .cspar parameter file is UTF-8 JSON (schema 3), not a ZIP archive. It stores processing settings and optionally a reference to the corresponding source image, not the scan's pixel data. Older .par files remain readable for migration.
There are no distributed legacy ZIP-based .cspar files that need write compatibility. New saves use JSON schema 3. .csprj stitching projects are a separate format; the new schema-2 JSON project document contains a compact, schema-3-compatible screen_geometry object for each tile, not a complete copy of the parameter document. Its historical reader accepts version-1 keyword text.
The complete schema-3 field catalogue lists every declared field path, required member, data type, object variant and JSON Schema constraint. The authoritative machine-readable schema and the typed implementation reference give additional detail.
A canonical document has the identity org.colorscreen.parameters and integer schema_version 3. Its processing data is grouped under capture, process, geometry, registration, calibration, reconstruction and color, plus optional source_image linkage. These are structured JSON objects, not legacy text records embedded in JSON.
The persistent configuration covers screen identification/geometry and registration, image-area selection, demosaicing and reconstruction, color/tone and relevant processing adjustments. Source-image association allows a saved parameter file to reopen its scan; if that scan has moved, a replacement may be selected.
Display/output-specific configuration (such as output ICC profile, output gamma and per-view gamut warning) is not intrinsic to the saved processing parameters. Rendering targets may require different output configurations without changing the underlying reconstruction settings.
Important: a JSON reader accepting a numeric value does not establish that it is physically meaningful. Keep three notions separate when extending this reference: (1) the type and constraints enforced by the reader; (2) the quantity's units and interpretation; (3) recommended operational ranges. Do not invent a strict limit merely because a UI slider has a narrower range.
Use the GUI to save parameter files whenever possible. For hand editing, preserve valid JSON syntax and retain unknown settings only if the running reader supports them. Keep a copy before converting old .par files. A .cspar file alone is not a backup of the source scan.
Further reference work: enumerate every schema-3 key and exact parser validation rule directly from the current serialization code before calling this a complete normative schema reference.
Color-Screen 2.0
Earlier releases