Prints Come Back too Dark
Jul 16, 2019 06:25:05 #
PixelStan77 wrote:
Wayne, I use COSTCO. They give you a site to go to to calibrate your monitor. Problem solved and quality silver halide prints.
PixelStan, "quality silver halide prints" ... I use Costco also and have never heard of this. Are all their regular prints that? Or is this an option I am not seeing?
Jul 16, 2019 06:46:38 #
Have you printed any on your own printer to see how they turn out? I suspect they will also be dark. As others have said, your monitor is deceiving you.
Jul 16, 2019 08:05:08 #
Could it have something to do with the angle of your monitor when you are editing? The lighting may be difference and the image you’re submitting may not be the image you thought it was. There could be a difference between what your eye is seeing and what the computer has captured...resulting in a print that is not what you think it should be.
Jul 16, 2019 08:18:15 #
With Adorama I always chose the option for them not to adjust the color and got back prints that echoed what i sent them. I did calibrate my display first.
Jul 16, 2019 08:49:15 #
mas24
Loc: Southern CA
I've never had this problem, yet. I get prints made from Walgreen's and sometimes Costco. My Lenovo Laptop is now 10 years old, so the brightness may have diminish. I don't like the monitor too bright anyway. I only do prints when I'm at events like Veterans gatherings, or a Middle School Graduation. The only problem I had last year, was when a woman wearing a purple dress came out blue. She was quite proud of that purple dress, and didn't like that it came out blue. I told her that the camera did it. Not me. I give away all of my prints.
Jul 16, 2019 08:53:02 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
waynemac3 wrote:
I am often disappointed when I get my prints back ... (show quote)
I use shutterfly all the time to make books for my children at Christmas. I let them adjust whatever they like and the shots come out great.
Jul 16, 2019 08:56:15 #
waynemac3 wrote:
I am often disappointed when I get my prints back ... (show quote)
This is nearly always because your monitor is far too bright for photo editing.
Post processing demands a properly calibrated and ICC profiled monitor. THAT requires:
> A monitor worthy of calibration
> A hardware calibration device and the software that comes with it
> Achieving specific levels of monitor output
> Proper reference illumination for print viewing
Get those right, and your prints will be a close match with your screen.
Jul 16, 2019 08:56:46 #
Jul 16, 2019 09:01:52 #
mas24 wrote:
I've never had this problem, yet. I get prints mad... (show quote)
Certain fabrics and flowers reflect UV radiation that your camera can see... but we can’t. That UV mixes with visible light and shifts the recorded color.
Other colors are outside the recording capabilities of the sRGB color gamut, or the lab’s printing process, or both.
Jul 16, 2019 09:13:17 #
Jul 16, 2019 09:15:20 #
Deanie1113 wrote:
PixelStan, "quality silver halide prints" ... I use Costco also and have never heard of this. Are all their regular prints that? Or is this an option I am not seeing?
Most photo labs use the old, conventional wet process printing method. It uses a silver halide-based, light sensitive paper and a digital laser printer.
While many folks prefer that look, it is not the ultimate in quality — just cheapness.
High end inkjet printers using 8-12 inks can produce much better color accuracy, 2-5 times longer print life under similar storage conditions, and can print on canvas, art board, metal, and dozens of different paper surfaces.
But... we get what we pay for. A good “giclee” inkjet print is much more expensive than a silver halide print.
Jul 16, 2019 09:15:45 #
mas24
Loc: Southern CA
burkphoto wrote:
Certain fabrics and flowers reflect UV radiation that your camera can see... but we can’t. That UV mixes with visible light and shifts the recorded color.
Other colors are outside the recording capabilities of the sRGB color gamut, or the lab’s printing process, or both.
Other colors are outside the recording capabilities of the sRGB color gamut, or the lab’s printing process, or both.
Good to know. Thanks for the explanation.
Jul 16, 2019 09:17:23 #
peterg
Loc: Santa Rosa, CA
CHG_CANON wrote:
From AdoramaPix, you can order some 4x6 / 3x5 test proof prints at much cheaper than a large-scale initial test.
I got similar test prints with JPEGs from Bay Photo. 1. Calibrate monitor. 2. Adjust brightness to match prints.Jul 16, 2019 09:28:00 #
peterg wrote: I got similar test prints with JPEGs from Bay Photo. 1. Calibrate monitor. 2. Adjust brightness to match prints.
I got similar test prints with JPEGs from Bay Photo. 1. Calibrate monitor. 2. Adjust brightness to match prints.AND if you use Bay (and other printers may have similar pricing), you can cut the cost of the print by almost 40% (depending on size) by not having them custom set brightness and color for each print.
Jul 16, 2019 09:28:07 #
mas24 wrote:
Good to know. Thanks for the explanation.
We ran into this at Herff Jones Photography back in the days when HJ made school portraits. HJ also made caps and gowns for graduations. Several of the cap and gown colors could not be reproduced properly with silver halide paper processes.
We also ran into issues with wedding photos... The flowers in some scenes would be a much lighter pastel shade, and a different hue from "real life," despite the rest of the scene looking nearly perfect.
Kodak researched the issue back in the early days of color and made us aware of it. When digital imaging invaded the labs, we had another round of complaints and questions.
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