out sourced color lab: Still trying to get prints that look close to what I have post edited in LR from my color lab.... Spoke to my color lab, told me they work only with JPEGS, and...

canon Lee

Still trying to get prints that look close to what I have post edited in LR from my color lab....
Spoke to my color lab, told me they work only with JPEGS, and only adjust WB and black density( what ever that means)... They will be sending me one print with my edits "only" and another with theirs for comparison. I have a feeling that they just tweak the skin tones by eye, and the prints come out with skin tones saturated orange, which I call a cartoon look.... This means to me, that my edits are changed by someone at the lab, where someone readjusts the WB to their eye.... Why do they call themselves a "lab" when they do the same thing as walmart or costco?
Funny but I thought a color lab would do more to get a natural skin tone....
I will get back to you all when I get the comparison prints back.. stay tuned...

P.S. anyone know what effect their printers ICC profile has on my edits??????

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

ICC profiles is to match paper to screen colours. your editing makes no difference to profiles what you finish at is what they try to print. Problem is probably your screen it needs colour correcting . You can but gadgets to do this

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

breck wrote:

ICC profiles is to match paper to screen colours. your editing makes no difference to profiles what you finish at is what they try to print. Problem is probably your screen it needs colour correcting . You can but gadgets to do this

Your issue is absolutely tied to color calibration and color space of your images. Ask the lab if they use SRGB or AdobeRGB ane change your color space accordingly.
Get yourself a Spyder Pro Elite hardware calibrator for $278 (Amazon, I found one on Ebay for less), or if you want to go the full Monty, a Xrite iStudio for monitor and printer color calibration. At $489 if is more than an hobbiest needs, but if you are printing for sale, an absolute requirement.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=spyder+elite&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=174260352917&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16688844435748757339&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061104&hvtargid=kwd-1175538521&ref=pd_sl_9ma8kfzmf7_b

https://www.amazon.com/X-Rite-i1Studio-Monitor-Calibration-EOSTUDIO/dp/B076PN4PMG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526917528&sr=8-1&keywords=i1+studio

I do not know where you are, since you hide your location, but in Los Angeles, Samys Camera has a Master Print class taught by Natasha Calzatti. You will learn all you need to on using Lightroom to set up for color corrected prints.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

A good lab will have the option of custom printing, which includes supplying you with test prints for review. Generally this service will come with additional fee, but when precise color tones are of utmost importance, it may be worth the extra cost.

canon Lee

rook2c4 wrote:

A good lab will have the option of custom printing, which includes supplying you with test prints for review. Generally this service will come with additional fee, but when precise color tones are of utmost importance, it may be worth the extra cost.

HI MY lab works with JPEG's only... I am told that they only tweak up the WB and black density... So no matter how I edit the files they change it and it comes out saturated orange skin tones.... IM in the process of sending one file that is straight out of the camera for them to edit and another with my edits. They will print both and if my edits are good they will just print what I send them without any of their edits added... There cant be a full edit if they are only working with the JPEG's I'm sending them... It is just someone that changes my WB, which I do in LR using the histogram...

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If you're working on an uncalibrated monitor, you're wasting your time.
If you're working with a lab that modifies your images without your written consent, you're wasting your time.
It would seem you have two areas to improve things relative to printing images.

canon Lee

CHG_CANON wrote:

If you're working on an uncalibrated monitor, you're wasting your time.
If you're working with a lab that modifies your images without your written consent, you're wasting your time.
It would seem you have two areas to improve things relative to printing images.

Hi... I do have a calibrated monitor and Frankly I am not satisfied with my color labs WB.... I am considering sending them after I edit on LR directly to their printer... Could you inform me about how the ICC works on their computer? I use to use Costco's ICC but could not see the difference between with the profile and not.... ????

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

canon Lee wrote:

Hi... I do have a calibrated monitor and Frankly I am not satisfied with my color labs WB.... I am considering sending them after I edit on LR directly to their printer... Could you inform me about how the ICC works on their computer? I use to use Costco's ICC but could not see the difference between with the profile and not.... ????

I can't comment on ICC beyond just googling the topic where several topics are available from Adobe specific to using LR. I use AdoramaPix for printing. They have an option of allowing Adorama to make updates or simply print the file as-is. I create my print files using the LR Export dialog with sharpening options for the paper type I prefer. Most 4x6 proofs are perfect, with some needing minor exposure, WB or sharpening adjustments when the 4x6 is viewed. Mostly, my images as created for online viewing can be used as-is for printing with just the export parameter setting of an image to be printed. When making adjustments from the 4x6, the update tends to improve the digital version as well.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

My lab prints what I give them. It's as simple as that. I can either request RTO or Lab Adjust. I stick with RTO and get prints back that match my monitor. Then again, my monitor is calibrated regularly.
--Bob

canon Lee wrote:

Still trying to get prints that look close to what... (show quote)

canon Lee

rmalarz wrote:

My lab prints what I give them. It's as simple as that. I can either request RTO or Lab Adjust. I stick with RTO and get prints back that match my monitor. Then again, my monitor is calibrated regularly.
--Bob

Hi Bob I think I will send them with my LR edits and have them print them without any of their edits added...

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

Have you considered a different lab to see how their product compares?

canon Lee

NCMtnMan wrote:

Have you considered a different lab to see how their product compares?

Hi MtnMan... Gosh I have been with them for over a decade... I know them almost on a personal level... As I have been getting more professional in my business, my demands have grown, I am sure that my complaints will be resolved.... All in all they have great service and quick turn over...

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

I understand business relationships and am a big fan of it. Part of the reason for suggesting it was not necessarily to take you business elsewhere, but to see if you get the same results from another lab. That would help you isolate the source of the problem. If the prints look the same as your normal lab, then you know it's something on your end. If not, then you can tell your lab friends that you did it, not to find another lab, but to help find the problem and it appears to be on their end. It's a process of elimination to find the source of the problem so it can be fixed.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

breck wrote:

ICC profiles is to match paper to screen colours. your editing makes no difference to profiles what you finish at is what they try to print. Problem is probably your screen it needs colour correcting . You can but gadgets to do this

ICC profiles do not match paper to screen, they do tell the printer how to lay/place ink/droplets onto certain kinds of paper and does indeed has some impact on how editing is perceived. You can wright your own ICC profiles for papers and give it a try, you'll see!

canon Lee

NCMtnMan wrote:

I understand business relationships and am a big f... (show quote)

Hi MtnMan.... Your suggestion is right on target, as I have another color lab that I do year books and panoramics, and their prints are color corrected properly.. I do know that my color lab can do better & I am questioning if its partly my fault... Thanks