mikemilton

What do folk here do about calibration and colour management and why do you feel this is important (or not)?

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Hi Mike,
My local club had a spyder monitor calibration tool, tried it and couldn't see the difference. When I moaned about Elements printing darker than screen, told this is just the way it is, and best to use the printer software. Now I trial print and adjust so that the final is how I want it to be. I'm not printing hundreds so cost is minimal. Looked at using "proper Print Paper" as this also affects looks...not THAT good a photographer yet. Think the answere I'm giving is that calibration is a tool that depends on how many other options you have and your spending priorities.

GrahamS Loc: Hertfordshire, U.K

Only a fool would ignore correct colour management if he had the ability to use it.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Some of us do it and some don't. It is a complicated subject and takes a lot of trial and error. It's possible that some monitors are have accurate colors right out of the box, but I like the piece of mind knowing that it is the best it can be.

Using print profiles is another area that takes trial and error. Proofing takes practice. Knowing color and how to adjust color casts is a little complicated.

So I'd say, those of us that like to fiddle with things or professionals that want the most out of their art will learn to use color management.

Some people believe that jpg images are fine while others like maximum adjustability with raw images. raw images are more complicated and take practice and skill to adjust, while jpgs are adjusted by the camera.

So the bottom line is everyone is going to do what they think is satisfying to them.

Jer Loc: Mesa, Arizona

I finally broke down and bought a color calibrator. Now my prints look like they do on the monitor. I hated paying the money but it's worth it. I tried free color calibration tools where you had to match colors on screen. Sort of worked. You can play around with test prints to get a match. I tried that too. Never got a match. They are expensive tools but in the digital age they may be worth it. BTW: my printer is a 44 inch Canon and paper waste can be expensive.

mikemilton

Thanks for the answers.

I've never had an issue using the provided colour profiles. The monitor profiles certainly are adequate for me and the paper profiles seem to work as well. As a result, I have not 'fixed' this problem. Aslo, it has been the case that, if I use the requested profile from a print service the results are fine although most do not seem to honour an embedded profile.

I suspect I'd feel different if I was printing on a broader variety of media (which may not have a provided profile) or if I was using a generic monitor.

The only real issue I ran into was a while back when the laptop screen that I sometimes used did not have adequate bit depth and so it dithered (read mangled) colours in a way that calibration would not have helped. The learning was: don't work on a laptop.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

Well I would say calibration is essential in my case. In order to make certain that what I see on the screen is going to be what I see in print, I have to be calibrated. It's not entirely perfect, but I have a good sense when I send in for prints what I'm going to get vs. being uncalibrated and hoping for the best.

mikemilton

I think many people find this to be the case. Perhaps I've been lucky.