LR editing vs color lab ?
Oct 27, 2018 16:42:59 #
Just a quick reply. I shoot picture day for youth sports clubs, & after a shoot I wind up with around 80 to a hundred images from LR quick selection. I outsource my images to a color lab where they add templets. I have for yrs spent hours on LR doing a full color and exposure post edit procedure ( adjusting using a calibrated Mac, and using the histogram as my guide to exposure), only to get photos from the lab, that are dark, over saturated & little or no detail in the blacks. After post editing the RAWS, I export as a JPEG, ( as per their request), and send them to the lab. I know the lab does some editing to my images. Soooooo recently I decided to export all RAW images, converted to JPEGs, to the lab straight out of the camera, & to my surprise all photos were excellent.
I am confused as to why this happens.. Could it be that my editing is not compatible with their printers ICC? Any ideas?
I am confused as to why this happens.. Could it be that my editing is not compatible with their printers ICC? Any ideas?
Oct 27, 2018 18:08:17 #
canon Lee wrote:
Just a quick reply. I shoot picture day for youth... (show quote)
Time to get a better Color Lab, or at least one that understands what color is.
Oct 27, 2018 18:33:38 #
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
Time to get a better Color Lab, or at least one that understands what color is.
Hi thanks for your comment... I wasn't sure if it was my post editing or theirs... All were shot in camera RAW and sent to the lab as JPEGS.. I wonder why their prints came out excellent? I also sent them JPEGS that I had edited from my raws and told them not to edit print as is... The prints turned out excellent.. I think there is some reason why the prints are bad when they edit my edits...
Oct 27, 2018 19:12:41 #
canon Lee wrote:
Just a quick reply. I shoot picture day for youth... (show quote)
Bad lab. But now with the autoadjust feature, which can be put into a preset, will get you very close to ideal, usually with only a slight adjustment necessary.
Oct 28, 2018 09:48:53 #
Some labs have a "standard edit" set that they apply, no matter what (unless NO EDITING is requested). Unless their quality control requires that they actually examine the output images, their editing can wreak havoc on your images. Actually, as you discovered, their standard editing works pretty well on totally unedited images. So the key for you, as I see it, is to either send them your unedited images and allow them to do it, or do the editing and request "no editing" by them. Either way you should get decent images. The first way would be a lot less work for you!
Oct 28, 2018 10:18:01 #
DennisC.
Loc: Antelope, CA
Do you change the exposure much when you edit? The Mac monitors are overly saturated and bright for printing, especially if the lab is using a Windows machine.
Oct 28, 2018 10:38:25 #
Gene51 wrote:
Bad lab. But now with the autoadjust feature, which can be put into a preset, will get you very close to ideal, usually with only a slight adjustment necessary.
Hi Gene. It has been a while since we chatted.. I moved down to the NJ shore... Been busy settling in.... The thing that confuses me Gene is why are the prints good when I don't do any post editing in LR?
Oct 28, 2018 10:43:30 #
DennisC. wrote:
Do you change the exposure much when you edit? The Mac monitors are overly saturated and bright for printing, especially if the lab is using a Windows machine.
Hi Dennis... I adjust my RAWS in LR and use the histogram for over exposure. I do not understand how to get the correct brightness on my screen. This is why I adjust using the histogram.
Oct 28, 2018 11:23:59 #
canon Lee wrote:
Just a quick reply. I shoot picture day for youth... (show quote)
Check on what paper they use and what else they do to the image (add templets?). You can look at one of your images in Proof Mode, a box that is checked at the bottom of the screen in Develop Mode, and it will let you see what the image looks like in a variety of papers. You can create a Proof Print, it's simply a virtual copy, in Proof Print mode and then you can edit that copy for any particular paper you want to use. The paper used makes a lot of difference. Don't let the lab edit your images, you've already done that, and if you use Proof Mode you will know what the image will look like on the paper they use. You should be able to get their ICC profile if you ask and then you can edit to that.
Oct 28, 2018 14:44:35 #
Do you calibrate your monitor? I'll bet the lab does. Using an uncalibrated monitor is notorious for resulting in too dark prints, because viewing on a monitor is , well, lit up. The statement that you have a bad lab is based on ignorance. If you send it edited and indicate non changes, you get exactly what you sent.
Oct 28, 2018 15:55:17 #
DennisC.
Loc: Antelope, CA
You mentioned that the unedited files print fine at the lab, then try comparing a straight out of camera jpeg histogram to a Lightroom edited histogram.
Oct 28, 2018 17:58:22 #
Bill P wrote:
Do you calibrate your monitor? I'll bet the lab does. Using an uncalibrated monitor is notorious for resulting in too dark prints, because viewing on a monitor is , well, lit up. The statement that you have a bad lab is based on ignorance. If you send it edited and indicate non changes, you get exactly what you sent.
It will help if you read my opening statements... "Just a quick reply. I shoot picture day for youth sports clubs, & after a shoot I wind up with around 80 to a hundred images from LR quick selection. I outsource my images to a color lab where they add templets. I have for yrs spent hours on LR doing a full color and exposure post edit procedure ( adjusting using a calibrated Mac, and using the histogram as my guide to exposure), only to get photos from the lab, that are dark, over saturated & little or no detail in the blacks. After post editing the RAWS, I export as a JPEG, ( as per their request), and send them to the lab. I know the lab does some editing to my images. Soooooo recently I decided to export all RAW images, converted to JPEGs, to the lab straight out of the camera, & to my surprise all photos were excellent.
I am confused as to why this happens.. Could it be that my editing is not compatible with their printers ICC? Any ideas?"
So to be clear, I use a calibrated monitor, as well as using the histogram in LR to assist on exposure corrections. I also stated " Soooooo recently I decided to export all RAW images, converted to JPEGs, to the lab straight out of the camera, & to my surprise all photos were excellent". I still would appreciate your input about my question," I am confused as to why this happens.. Could it be that my editing is not compatible with their printers ICC? Any ideas?".
I have through the years has a wonderful relationship with this company and wish to continue using them... In summery; I will save my time and continue using their printing services, However I still don't understand why my LR editing comes back unsatisfactory. that in fact was my question that went unanswered. & since I am satisfied with their prints without my editing I will still use them... Hey Bill think of the hours of time I will be saving...
Oct 28, 2018 18:09:52 #
via the lens wrote:
Check on what paper they use and what else they do... (show quote)
Hi I agree that the paper is a factor as well as soft proofing their ICC profile... The temples you asked about, are part of their services... I do youth picture day for youth sports clubs, in which the parents choose a variety of packages ranging from memory mates which have their child's image as well as their team included on 1- 8x10, to sports tickets .. each print has a templet added.. I feel however that me editing and them editing and the printer ICC profile interfere with each other... I am satisfied with them doing the editing and me just sending them straight out of the camera... I save lots of time... I also wonder about the fact that I send them a JPEG. How does a color lab edit a JPEG? Shouldn't they edit raws? TIFFS? I think they really don't edit them but put them into their printer and the printer is set to an average not a custom edit....
Oct 28, 2018 18:16:01 #
Sorry, I did not interpret cabilbrated Mac to calibrated monitor. Actually, I have been told endlessly by highly skilled Mac users that the monitors can't be calibrated and others that say they don't need it. As an ordinary poor person, I don't know about mac's but I do know that there are many complaints of too dark prints.
Oct 28, 2018 18:51:45 #
Bill P wrote:
Sorry, I did not interpret cabilbrated Mac to calibrated monitor. Actually, I have been told endlessly by highly skilled Mac users that the monitors can't be calibrated and others that say they don't need it. As an ordinary poor person, I don't know about mac's but I do know that there are many complaints of too dark prints.
Hi Bill To clear up a misunderstanding about "Mac calibration", Most computers today have the monitor built into the computer, as in a laptop, or other manufactures... When you calibrate your computer you are calibrating the monitor. That cleared up, you have been sadly misinformed about monitor calibration. Any monitor PC, desktop or projector can be calibrated. You may want to upgrade your knowledge about this subject... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV3RqTWirNQ
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