jdub82 Loc: Northern California

In the process of ordering prints from Bay Photo, there is a box to check to opt out of color correction (or enhancement) on your prints. They will do this automatically unless you check the box that you don't want color correction. This is my first time ordering from them. I am a bit apprehensive, as I really like the photos the way they look electronically after post processing. There are several threads recommending Bay Photo, but I haven't found any specifically about their color enhancement. Are there any UHH members who have experience using color correction with a lab such as Bay Photo? Do you recommend allowing their people to do the color correction?

JaiGieEse Loc: Foxworth, MS

I've used Bay Photos a few times - before I started producing my own prints with an Epson SureColor P800.

Bay did a very nice job with the prints I ordered - and I DID opt out of their color correction. I spend quite a lot of time ensuring that my images' color is the way I want it, and I do not want others messing with my calibration.

Can't say how Bay's people do with color correction, since I've never used it, but outside of that, Bay does very good work indeed.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I use Costco and they also offer color correction. I assume the situations are similar. The first time I had Costco print my photos, I did not color correct and all of my photos were much darker than my monitor. Computer monitors are very, very bright. Since then I check the color correct box. My colors are NOT tampered with, it's the exposure that is (with Costco printing). What I should do is order an 8x10 from Costco without color correction and then darken my monitor to match the photo, so I will not be underexposed. But, now, I'm off on a tangent.

JaiGieEse Loc: Foxworth, MS

I understand what you're saying - BUT - I refer you to the bit of my first post - "I do not want others messing with my CALIBRATION." (emphasis added.)

If you want your prints to match what you see on your monitor, you must be serious about calibration. I've created calibrations for my camera/lens combo with Spyder tools, those entered into LightRoom. I use Spyder4 Pro to calibrate my monitor. Inasmuch as I prefer Red River papers, I've downloaded and installed the RRP color profiles for each type of paper I use. These are set during the printing process.

Lotsa work and time invested, but when I send an image to my SureColor P800. it prints as I see it on my monitor.

If your prints from CostCo are coming back too dark, then you need to look into calibrating your monitor. You do that best with a tool like the Spyder Pro colorimeter or the X-Rite colorimeter. You'll get much better results that way than by using a Mark 1 Eyeball adjustment.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

If you have the means to calibrate your monitor, download their ICC profile and soft proof, then you can typically dispense with their correction and save almost half the cost. If you don’t have the above and don’t allow them to color correct, then you’re on your own. I calibrate and soft proof and order from Bay without correction, and the results are excellent, but you have to put in the $ and time to establish a calibrated workflow. If you do though, it will save you $ and frustration in the long run.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

Thanks for the information and advice, I really appreciate it.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

You have a lot of choices there. IF you have a decent monitor, and IF you calibrate it and profile it with a hardware colorimeter and software package from X-RITE or Datacolor, and IF you get the lab's printer profile and use that as a proofing or simulation profile in your post-processing software... THEN you will get, from your lab, a very decent reproduction that closely matches your monitor, by OPTING OUT of their color correction service.

If, on the other hand, you are colorblind, OR you have a cheap, office-grade, UN-calibrated, NOT custom profiled monitor, or your only monitor is on a laptop, and you DON'T use the lab's printer profile as a proofing/simulation profile when post-processing, OR you don't really know what you're doing with color management, THEN, you probably should use their color correction service.

If you only record JPEGs in the camera, and they are a little off in exposure (+1/3 stop, -1/2 stop), and a little off in white balance (have a color cast), then you will appreciate the lab's color correction service. If you record raw images, you really should be using a calibrated and profiled monitor, post-process your images to achieve tonal nirvana, and take responsibility for color output.

Bay Photo is one of the USA's most well-respected labs. When I was in the business, I used to see their tech gurus at all the PMAI shows, Bremson User's Group meetings, and Kodak Professional Lab conferences. They knew their stuff. Send them some tests, and see what you think.

Getting good color requires a little applied science, a lot of disciplined technique, and the right technology. ICC color management starts at the camera and ends with the print (or finished image ready for the Internet). The major key to getting GREAT prints from a lab is to buy and calibrate and profile a decent monitor! Don't adjust your images unless you do that first. After that, CALL THE LAB, and ask them to send you their proofing profiles and a test image and test print. Compare their print with the test image displayed on your monitor. If they don't match, call the lab and walk through your setup...

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you think you can really calibrate a monitor without a colorimeter or spectrophotometer, you're fooling yourself.

If photography is important to you, and you intend to print often, spend the $150 on a decent monitor calibration and profiling kit. It will bring your monitor to the proper color and brightness standards, and allow "What You See Is What You Get" (from the lab or your printer) workflow. My Spyder5Pro is the most important tool in my office.

I ran the digital departments of a pro portrait lab for five years. The color correction department was one of them. We bought a Spyder from Datacolor and calibrated/profiled all nine of our monitors used for color correction. Those monitors matched the output of our printers, and they matched each other. When we implemented an ICC color managed workflow, we saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in paper, chemicals, labor, overhead, and opportunity cost.

jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania

I haven't used Bay Photo but I would imagine that you would want to opt out of the color correction if you are processing your pictures on a calibrated monitor. If your monitor isn't calibrated you probably should allow them to do color correction. If your monitor isn't calibrated there is a very good chance that printed photos from just about anywhere will probably not match what you are seeing on your monitor.

msalinas100 Loc: California

Hello to all. I'm new here and just found this blog. It is quite helpful to read what the most experienced users here have to say. I'm trying to print photos my wife has taken of international recipes. I'd like to create large wall art from these images but have never done this before.

I could really use some sage advice & Burkphoto seemed to have info that seemed like he'd know what I should do.

I've been told that I need to color calibrate my 2017 27" iMac 5k. Then I read that I should download the Bay Photo ICC Color Profile. And, only then should I attempt to process her photos using Lightroom. My confusion is, if I color calibrate my monitor with a Spyder Pro hardware colorimeter, doesn't that create a color profile? Wouldn't downloading the Bay Photo ICC Profile replace it?

To make things even more confusing, I've read that I should also install the ICC Color Profile for the paper Bay photo will use to create my print.

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated!

Thank you all in advance!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The monitor profile just keeps the monitor honest. The printer/paper/ink or printer/paper/process profile from Bay Photo enables "soft proofing" in Photoshop, Lightroom, and similar applications, so you can simulate on your monitor what will come out of the printer. It does not replace the monitor profile. You need both profiles for an accurate look.

Printer profiles involve three things: The hardware (printer itself), the paper (every paper has a different look), and the ink or process (every ink set or chemical process is different). So you need a proofing profile for every "situation". If you print your own, you need profiles for all papers and ink and printer combinations you intend to use.

Proper color workflow starts at the camera with a white balance reference for later raw development (or the correct white balance, if you're making JPEGs in camera).

Lightroom allows a wide range of adjustments to color. But for any of them to show up in print the way you saw them on screen, the monitor has to be calibrated and profiled. Otherwise, the lab prints false color (assuming the monitor is off, and you adjust images with it).

All this assumes you value color accuracy and want to see prints that look as you intended them to look when you adjusted them. Not everyone cares about such accuracy.

msalinas100 Loc: California

Burkphoto,

Thank you for the response. As for your last question, My wife & I care very much that the color and quality of the images be as emotionally moving as is possible for each image purchased by our, eventual, customers. When people see something on the screen that they decide to buy, the wall art they receive should be equally beautiful to them. Anything short of that will kill the brand we want to develop and frustrate people that have better things to spend their time, money and excitement on.

Our site is still in development and we still need to find our best option for an e-commerce solution, but at the moment, we’re about to cull down our 60k+ images and start the process of processing them in preparation for uploading to the site and we want to do this color correction only once.

If you’re curious, the demo of the site can be seen here: www.food-on-the-walls.com

May I ask a few more questions in the near future?

Thanks again,

Mario A. Salinas

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Don't hesitate to start new threads on UHH. You'll get lots of responses to many questions!

Your site is beautiful! The food styling and photography are excellent.