CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Now this is a general statement - but more accurate than the stores will admit.

Do not use Walmart or Walgreens or any grocery store. They have no idea how to calibrate and run the quality -control software on their printers. They do not know how to turn off the Auto-Correct function which will add contrast and sharpening. I have asked, and the answer is,"Oh it just does it." I say "I know,I want you to turn off the auto part." I have been told it cannot be done. Well, that is baloney. Of course it can.
There was a fellow who used to work at a Wolf Camera (where the DO know how to print) and went to work for Walgreens. He was told NOT to change the chemistry when color got bad and to blame the customer!

Costco does a pretty good job and they DO know how to turn off the AUTO correct. Just tell them"No Corrections."


With a calibrated monitor, you should be really close. Apple monitors tend to be too bright, so I turn mine down almost all the way and results from printers are great. Any calibration device will save its profile automatically in the correct place and assign it to your monitor. And yes, you MUST convert to sRGB - or just shoot in sRGB. The whole Adobe RGB thing is given way more attention than necessary. Especially if you print form a commercial printer.

swamiji

This problem is beyond the OS (yes Mac & PC). There is a break between graphics applications (Adobe, Capture 1, etc) and the OS. Application use their own input device profiling, and the OS use a different output device profiles (Mac & windows use ICC). So to get exact color matching from the Light entering the camera to the screen and finally to the paper is very difficult and requires some very expensive software/Hardware.

If all you want is somewhat realistic color through the process, the you can set all the components of your system to sRGB and you are done. However, there is a great amount of color that is lost in a jpeg/sRGB process that is available in RAW/color calibrated system, and even in a sRGB system you still need to calibrate your monitor which has it's own unique color range.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

I've been poking around the different export settings, learning how to change the color profile, pixel size, ect. I will change my camera profile around if need for future prints. I have a Mac and working only with Aperture, which I feel comfortable finding my way around in. I will export some to myself first by email with the New saved metadata from my changes and see if they transfer. I really appreciate you sharing info with me. I hope to learn and share all that I learn thru this process, I want what I see on my screen to be what I get printed, Period. I have to have control or I'm wasting my time with printing photos. Thanks again

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Hey Captain.. You understand my pain as it sounds like you've tried these same chain stores with similar results I've gotten. I can even show my photo on their monitor and it doesn't match what they print.. They look at me like I'm an idiot. I want what I see, Period. Yes I can convert my photos over when I export them, have found all of the adjustments in Aperture. Looking forward to getting some printed up that are hopefully what I see from here.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Swamiji, I follow mostly what your saying and I've been shooting in RGB with my camera, now I'll change over to what ever color profile I need to have them printed correctly. I recently started to shoot only in jpeg for the fact when I do convert over to jpeg, tiff ect from Raw, I had to make more tweeks with color than if I left in jpeg.. Now that I only shoot in jpeg, I don't even mess with color, just shadows and high lights for the most part. I can add richness just by contrast or adjusting tones, so I'm staying with the jpeg and spend more time shooting and less time messing with my photos. Thanks so much for time.

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

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So we can agree you will never go to Walmart, Walgreens, or a grocery store.

One thing to remember is that prints can NEVER exactly match a monitor. It is physically impossible because one EMITS light and one ABSORBS light. Exact match not gonna happen. So it is possible, you are asking for what cannot be done.

However, with a well-calibrated monitor and the proper use of color space and print profiles, we can get really close. Reds will be red, not pink/magenta/orange, skin tones will be appropriate, etc.

So if we assume your monitor is calibrated by a good hardware calibration system, that your brightness is turned down, and you are in the sRGB color space, the only reason your prints would be far off the monitor is the printer. Be sure, if you did not shoot in sRGB that you CONVERT to sRGB, not ASSIGN sRGB. Not sure how Aperture does that, but if there is no choice, you can figure it does convert, not assign.

If you have done virtually ANY corrections to your images, a commercial printer needs to turn off the AUTO feature. So you need to go to a printer that will do that. Costco will do that if you tell them.

Do you have any REAL camera stores nearby? Wolf/Ritz, etc.?

But without monitor calibration, none of this works.

If not, try MPix: http://www.mpix.com/
and be sure you indicate no corrections - call them ahead of time if necessary to see how to indicate that.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Thanks again Captain. Yes, I just want the colors correct, no help from the printer, Aperture does convert, but will pay attention to all the details. I'm in the middle of the state with no real camera stores within 100miles. Appreciate your time with this, will also check out the recommended website.

So we can agree you will never go to Walmart, Walgreens, or a grocery store.

One thing to remember is that prints can NEVER exactly match a monitor. It is physically impossible because one EMITS light and one ABSORBS light. Exact match not gonna happen. So it is possible, you are asking for what cannot be done.

However, with a well-calibrated monitor and the proper use of color space and print profiles, we can get really close. Reds will be red, not pink/magenta/orange, skin tones will be appropriate, etc.

So if we assume your monitor is calibrated by a good hardware calibration system, that your brightness is turned down, and you are in the sRGB color space, the only reason your prints would be far off the monitor is the printer. Be sure, if you did not shoot in sRGB that you CONVERT to sRGB, not ASSIGN sRGB. Not sure how Aperture does that, but if there is no choice, you can figure it does convert, not assign.

If you have done virtually ANY corrections to your images, a commercial printer needs to turn off the AUTO feature. So you need to go to a printer that will do that. Costco will do that if you tell them.

Do you have any REAL camera stores nearby? Wolf/Ritz, etc.?

But without monitor calibration, none of this works.

If not, try MPix: http://www.mpix.com/
and be sure you indicate no corrections - call them ahead of time if necessary to see how to indicate that.[/quote]