Passion For Photography

I have 2 computers I edit photos on and each computer shows a very different color for the photos. Is there a way to get your computer set right???? Any help would be great!!!

Just Tami Loc: Long Island

You buy a calibrator for your monitor. I have one called a spyder or spyder express it was on sale, my prints looked fine on the monitor but prints were redder and slightly darker than on monitor. They can be very expensive or reasonable I went with reasonable and my prints improved. It now remids me it's time to recalibrate. My guess is it's monthly. Sometimes the darker is me I guess it's a preference but now I know to go a little lighter than I prefer it also recognizes my printer. I have the canon pixma mark II 9500 and it told me what I had hooked to my pc. So far I'm impressed

photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga

This is a normal occurence.

I use Colormunki,

How often you need to recalibrate will depend on how particular your needs require.

eleanorea Loc: Dallas

You must calibrate screens. Spyder3 Elite (Datacolor.com) is what I use.
I have a 30" and a 19" screen. They are same company, but they cannot be calibrated to look exactly alike.

I use one screen for all printing and finishing....my smaller monitor is used only for Photoshop palletes, tools, etc. This leaves my big screen free for just the photo.

If you have 2 screens exaclty alike in make, size and age...you can calibrate the same.

Eleanore

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

You all forgot to mention that printers can vary. Your screen can be calibrated perfectly to a theoretical printer formula that is provided with the calibrator device, but print colors could still be wrong.

I personally try for a full system calibration by creating a photo with a variety of colors in it then make an 8X10 print of that. Make sure any auto enhancements in the printer driver software are off before printing and always leave them off. This doesn't even require buying a calibrator device.

Hold the 8X10 print up next to the monitor while looking at both in the same room light you normally edit in. If you have a florescent or incandescent light on your desk, have it on. If you have window light coming in normally, have it as it typically is.

Look at your print and think about the reds. Are they less saturated than your monitor? Reduce red on your monitor to make it match the print. Are the print reds more saturated than the version on your monitor? Boost the red on the monitor to make it match.

Look at the greens, do the same thing.

Look at the blues, do the same thing.

Try to get your monitor version of the photo to be identical to the printed version.

Now you can edit with more confidence that your print is going to be at least similar to what you're creating on the monitor.

photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga

She didn't ask about printers, that is why people probably didn't go down that path.

Color munki will make ICC profiles for not only papers but printers .

There is of course some who calibrate not only their montior to the printer, but start with the camera itself and go from there.

Sometimes it is better to start with one thing at a time than to over whelm beginners.

eleanorea Loc: Dallas

I bought Spyder3 Elite and Spyder3 Print.....pricey, but I found it on sale.
This will callibrate monitor and match colors to printer.

Works great.....sometimes I find that I will make slight modification to exposure on lighter side, but prints are very reliable.
Epson 4800 pro printer. I make 16x20 prints just fine....
presuming you are producing large files with a camera like Canon 7D or 5D Mk II.

Passion For Photography

Thanks for all the advice. I am very new at all this so I'm not sure what some of you mean. How do you work a callibrater? And is it just one time thing you buy?? Sorry this is really like another language to me. :)

eleanorea Loc: Dallas

I would suggest using one monitor and callibrating it.
Go online and google callibrators for monitors. There are many....try spyder3 (datacolor.com) to understand what they do. It is an instrument that you temporarily use on monitor.....website explains all. Some cheap ones are fairly useless....some have regular and pro models.
Spyder3Express is less than $100. Unless you are going to top of the line monitors, it will be very difficult to match 2 different monitors. You can callibrate each to print correctly, but they same photo will look somewhat different on each monitor.
I use one computer for all my photos (about 600GB right now) and the other computer for all other programs like Quicken, email, Word, etc.

JerrysPhotos Loc: Arkansas

I use Spyder 2. I have used it for several years and it works great. Very simple to use following the easy on screen directions.