Calibrating monitor for printing pictures (Page 2): It's not just a matter of calibrating your monitor and expect to get bang on colors. !st 'what color profile is your camera set at?

tusketwedge Loc: Nova Scotia Canada

It's not just a matter of calibrating your monitor and expect to get bang on colors. !st 'what color profile is your camera set at? what color profile is your processing pogram using ? What is the color profile on your printer? If for instance your using sRGB profile in your camera and your pp is using RGB your not going to get the same color as the gamut of sRCB is a lot smaller than RGB. I do a lot of canvas stretching and you can pretty well tell when people are using different color profiles,especially when they go to a sign maker for their canvas. They usually only use CYMK as their color . To get really true colors everything has to be in line'so to speak. From camera to printer. Also if your using LCD the monitor should be in an area that the lighting is at a contant, and you should be viewing at ninety degrees at all times. If your using a LED you don't need to but your brightness and contract will be more prominent.

djb663 Loc: Massachusetts

One thing no one has mentioned is that you also want to use the correct profile for the paper you are using in your printer. Papers like hp, epson, canson, etc usually have profiles online that you download and then select when your printing so the ink is applied properly.

I'm not sure about the process with a spyder, but with colormunki you also calibrate your printer by printing a page on the specific photo paper you'll be using, scanning said page with the colorimeter, then printing and scanning a second page. It sounds much more complicated that it is, but if you calibrate both your monitor and your printer, and create a profile for the paper you use, you will see dramatically better results.

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Try matte paper

gacfoto

I was having a similar problem and wasting a lot of ink and paper. I bought an Xrite ColorMunki Photo calibration setup and it has worked wonders. After calibrating the monitor, I run the printer calibration part of the software which prints out a page full of color swatches that I then read with the device, and it prints out a second page which I read. It then sets up the entire system so that every print looks like what I had on screen. The system even monitors the room light and adjusts the screen as the light changes in the room. Wasn't cheap but every piece of paper I put in the printer comes out the way I expect so I know it is worth the money.

Jer Loc: Mesa, Arizona

remember each paper prints differently. make sure you have the right paper profile.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Whoever does the printing, (good places at least), should have a near perfect print that you can use to "eyeball" calibrate your screen with should you want to compare on the cheap.

Dusty

Make sure your printer is set to the type of paper you using also.

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

Calibrating your monitor is only the first step in printing. If you don't do softproofing you can't get good results. SpftProofing allows you to bring all colors into gamut for the printer and paper combination you will be printing on or your printer company will be printing on.

If you are printing at home printer, then you also need to calibrate your printer. If you are sending it out to a printer, then you need to ask them for a paper, and printer ICC profile, and SoftProof using that profile on a calibrated monitor.

nyhttrain

tusketwedge wrote:

It's not just a matter of calibrating your monitor... (show quote)

My D610 is set to sRGB and I checked my photo program and it is set to the same only thing I can not check it my printer settings I don't see them in the menu.

tusketwedge Loc: Nova Scotia Canada

OK since your camera and pp are both set to sRGB that is not your problem.I reread your original post and I noticed that you are using a LED.That alone is going to show you image a lot brighter and also with more contrast than if you were using a LCD. So next time your processing try setting you brightness by utilizing your histogram and cutting out some contrast.The shine you mention could be caused by the paper your using.Try a matte . I bought an LED but still go to my LCD for final pp for brightness and contrast. Good luck and hope you get it under control .

nyhttrain

tusketwedge wrote:

OK since your camera and pp are both set to sRGB t... (show quote)

Thanks I will give that a try. My led is brighter I may need to buy another monitor.

tusketwedge Loc: Nova Scotia Canada

nyhttrain wrote:

Thanks I will give that a try. My led is brighter I may need to buy another monitor.

you will find that most led's are bright.There are some that are geared to photography. They range from about 450.00 up. They come color corrected and profiled"big plus" I do believe that Asus has one for around 450.oo that I heard a few good thing about. But how far do we really want to go if we just do it as a hobbyist sometimes merchantdizer?

nyhttrain

tusketwedge wrote:

you will find that most led's are bright.There are some that are geared to photography. They range from about 450.00 up. They come color corrected and profiled"big plus" I do believe that Asus has one for around 450.oo that I heard a few good thing about. But how far do we really want to go if we just do it as a hobbyist sometimes merchantdizer?

I will need to check on those monitors after the first of the year and maybe get one on sale. I just went in debt for a 70-200 2.8 lens :( (I hope I like it. ) Now I just need to learn to pp and print. Getting some matte paper tomorrow and see how my prints turn out.

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

I'm not sure why some are going on about the brightness of a LED monitor. IT has no bearing as the very first step in monitor calibration is adjusting the brightness.

Calibrate your monitor, do the softproofing with the paper profiles provided by the printer to make sure all colors are in gamut.

Do these steps and you get consistent reproducible color output.

nyhttrain

Capture48 wrote:

I'm not sure why some are going on about the brightness of a LED monitor. IT has no bearing as the very first step in monitor calibration is adjusting the brightness.

Calibrate your monitor, do the softproofing with the paper profiles provided by the printer to make sure all colors are in gamut.

Do these steps and you get consistent reproducible color output.

I should have my spyder 4 pro tomorrow and get it installed I'm hoping that will take care of my monitor calibration. I'm not familiar with the term soft proofing or how to do it please.