kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

1. Perceptual
2. Relative Colorimetric
3. Absolute Colorimetric.
Which of these settings is best to use for printing?
I selected photoshop to manage colors. And Adobe RGB (1998).

My printer is a Epson P1900.

Are the above settings preferable?

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Here's some info:
http://www.color-management-guide.com/relative-colorimetric-and-perceptual-rendering-intent.html

kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

seriously? I have no Idea what I tried to read.
The only thing I know about physics is E=MC2. Or light travels the speed of light.
Red is Red and Blue is Blue. And don't explain to me that 2+2 really equals 3.

Was my question that complicated?

It's bad enough trying to learn f/stops, ISO's, exposure speed, select sRGB or RGB, spot focus or 200 inaccurate focus points.

Larry Powell Loc: Columbus OH

I recently lost my mind and a lot of wasted paper and ink trying to let Photoshop control my prints. I finally decided to let the printer control color management and suddenly what printed matched what was on the display. I am not at my printer at the moment but it seems to me that the printer chose relative colorimetric.

Epson Photo RX 850. Be sure you do not have both Photoshop and the printer trying to control the color management. Is there a reason you want Photoshop to be in control? Another thing you should check is the color space your camera is set for. Adobe RGB in the camera is discouraged unless you are a pro on handling color management. If you are then Adobe RGB is the best choice.

Paper can make a huge difference too. I suggest you find what works for you and stay with it. My best results were with Kirkland premium photo paper from Costco. This paper is a high white paper. Epson's paper tended to be more yellow.

Hope this helps. I am interested in your further comments.
Larry

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I have my Epson's set to relative colorimetric. I cannot remember where it was that I read this is the best setting... might have been one of the color seminars from X rite.

I would never allow the printer to control the printing process. With a properly calibrated monitor and ICC profile for your paper/printer combo, Photoshop will read and correct color with the calibration profile of the monitor. All monitors will drift color projection as time goes on, without proper calibration, you are never going to be able to keep up. If you are not that critical about the proper coloration and your prints satisfy you, no problem.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Yes color management can be confusing.

Here is a less technical explanation:
Perceptual
Use a perceptual rendering intent for printing images with highly saturated colors. Watch it carefully. To deliver very saturated colors, it may lighten an image or shift the hue of specific colors. Both side-effects can be compensated for with output specific adjustments.

Relative Colorimetric
Use a relative colorimetric rendering intent for printing images where the luminosity structure is most important. You may get slightly less saturated colors but brightness values will be most stable with this rendering intent. This makes it the ideal choice for near neutral and black and white images.

Absolute Colorimetric
Use an absolute colorimetric rendering intent for making a proof of one device on another, like making a proof of an offset press on an inkjet printer. It’s not useful for making the best inkjet print; it will limit the results the printer delivers. Note, you can’t simulate a printer with a greater gamut than the device you’re printing on, only one with a smaller gamut.

Source: https://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/6088/rendering-intents-compared/

How about this idea? Print a few scenes lots of color, less color, BW, using the 3 settings and compare them. See which one you like best.

Bill_de Loc: US

The link above has lot of information. But for photographers it boils down to a choice between two. I use relative colorimetric most of the time. The issue is that your camera can produce more colors than your printer. The different rendering intents tell the printer how to handle it. The third choice, which we ignore, prints nothing if a color is out of the printers range. Below, from the link given above, explains the two choices we are concerned with.

"How to choose between perceptual and relative colorimetric ?"

The most important thing is that there is not a better way of rendering than the other, it depends on the photo to convert and more precisely of Lab colors contained in the file.

Reminder: In nature, the colors are not always very saturated and that is why the choice of working only in sRGB is not "catastrophic". While it is fashionable to work in larger color spaces to show that you know a lot about color management, I find even smarter to stay in sRGB in most cases because the sRGB color space already contains enough colors, to be only rarely forced to work in a larger color space - but it all depends on what you photograph -. Each picture we take does not contain millions of colours and not all photographers take pictures of turquoise blue seas, designer dresses with intense reds with flash or even leaves in the sun in proxi photo !
Thus, if your original does not contain any or only a few colours out of gamut for your printer, they will not be "lost" by a relative colorimetric rendering intent ! It is then the most judicious because it does not transform - and therefore does not deform - the colors within the common gamut. As if by chance, it is the one that works best most often and is perfectly suitable ! Even if you work in ProPhoto RGB, it is amazing how well this rendering mode often works very well. Your image did not necessarily contain many out of gamut colors for the printer whose gamut is much smaller.

If your original contains non-printable colors in significant quantities, it may be wise to use the perceptual rendering intent. Certainly it changes all the values of your file but it preserves much better some materials, some drapes or gradients, some relative distances between two colors as explained above.


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kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

Wow, good info guys, very helpful.
No more Kirkland paper here at Costco!!!

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

In Photoshop you can, I believe, use the proof printing option to check what the image will look like when printed on certain paper. I always print from LR so not clear where that option is on PS.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Relative Colorimetric with black point compensation.

kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

Busy today, back latter.
Thank you.

scsdesphotography Loc: Southeastern Michigan

Ken, all the Kirkland photo papers are available online at Costco.com. In my opinion the Kirkland paper is among the best for photo-glossy prints, both B&W and color. And no one can touch their prices for the quality delivered.

My driver is set for relative colorimetric and I let my Epson P600 control the color for the best prints.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Should you be using the sRGB color selection?? I've been told that the RGB is mostly for high end printing such as color magazine production. Even if your camera software offers the Adobe RGB, can your camera really recognize the finite differences and can the Epson P1900 handle it

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I am sorry but I do not believe you are fully comprehending the question that was asked. The question was regarding rendering options for printing. Please read the the prior replies.

Bill_de Loc: US

Actually it was a good point. We're talking about rendering intent which has to do with the camera producing more colors then can be printed. Adobe RGB has a wider color gamut which could make a difference since the image 'may' have more unprintable colors. It's all related.

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