Trying to make a monitor profile !!

[sanjuaner]

I am using elements 5.0 and am kinda new at this. I purchased a monitor calibrading system called Spyder express and have calibrated the monitor with the software and meter that came in the package. The prints have been comming out fine except for a minimal of tweeking I have had to do in elements so I get the print to come out as I see it on the screen. What I am looking for is a way that I can make a profile as I want it and install that profile into the display properties box in color management so I can have more than 1 choice other than the profile that Spyder put there. Is there a link someone can send me so I can learn how to accomplish this?. As I said I'm new at this and all I need is the revised version of that spyder profile with a little adjustment to it. I hope you can understand this. Thanks, Steve

[TonyW]

Your need for tweaking could be nothing to do with the monitor profile but the printer profile. What printer do you have? Are you using a printer/paper profile when you print with printer color management turned off or just letting the printer look after color management in which case that's what you may need to be tweaking.

Tony

[Tom K]

Hi Steve,

I think I understand your issue - if you are satisfied with the image on
the monitor, then the spyder did it's job.

If it's the print image that does not match the monitor to your satisfaction,
then Tony is correct.. your problem is the printer / profile.

Again no simple answers, although many questions. What make and model
printer, what brand of paper,matte, glossy?

What printer profile are you using? A good place to start setting up your
printer is a video by 'RussellBrown.com'

Tom :)

[sanjuaner]

Hi there again, I am not fooling around with the printer other than choosing the kind of paper I am using and the quality of the print. I have a hp photosmart 7960 I have also noticed that when I use the hp premium plus glossy paper and set it in the printer properties that I am using that paper before I print then the print comes out really close to what I see on the monitor. The one thing I have noticed is that if I set the printer mode to "normal" I get a closer print to what I see on the screen than if I set it to print at the "best" setting. The "best" setting seems to saturate the paper too much and I get a darker print that way. Maybe I'm just too picky because the prints are really close to WYSIWYG. I am pleased with the sypder calibrator even though there are some folks that say it dosen't do that good of a job on an LCD monitor which I do have. It made the difference for me. I am not too sure what you are talking about when you are refering to the printer profile or color management turned off but I will try to figure that one out. Like I said I'm kinda new at all this profiling stuff and I greatly appreciate all the advise I can get. Guess I have to deep a little deeper to figure this stuff out. Thanks for your responses, Steve

[Codebreaker]

Steve....

There is and should always be only one Monitor Profile although there can be variations depending on certain preferences. However, once done there should not be a selection to choose from in my opinion.

The idea behind the Spyder and other similar devices is to get the Brightness/Contrast and White Point of your screen set to a 'normalised' value. In addition it also produces the color translation tables needed by programs like Elements to get the colours out of your camera for example and on to the screen correctly.

Screens and prints will never match 100% - they can come close for some images and be widely out for others. This is due to two factors:-

a) Screens transmit light and prints work from reflected light.
b) the colour range or gamut of screens and printers are different. There are some colours that your screen will show that your printer just may not be able to reproduce.

You've done the first step - getting your screen profiled. Now you need to address the printing stage and this is not so straight forward.

1. Always use the manufacturers top quality photo paper and their own inks - at least in the first instance. Once you get good results you could venture into different papers. Remember paper quality determines the colours just as much as the inks since the 'White' is an ingredient in the colour mixing stage.

2. Colour Management must be done at the print stage in only one place -

a) Elements or
b) the printer driver

NEVER BOTH.

If Elements is to do the job ( my recommendation) you need to identify in the Print Space setting a printer profile for your machine AND the paper type being used. Not all printer manufacturers supply this - in which case you could get one made. There are On line services for this. Sometimes the closest option is to choose sRGB because many basic printers assume that this is the colour space they are being given.

You must make sure you set the Printer Driver to the correct paper type and TURN OFF its Colour Management capabillity - sometimes indicated by a butto n called 'ICM'.

Even when you do all this it is often necessary to tweak a screen image to get a better print - remembering that this is all subjective. There are some images in which I have to boost the Mid-tone brightness to get a closer match.

Colin

[ClickCardo]

Colin

I have read several books and a ton online. Your succinct explanation was the best summary Ive read and is a great starting point.

CC

[Codebreaker]

I'm glad it helped..

Colin

[Biskit Bakin' Bob]

Colin,

I just tried the techniques you wrote about. Wow...my prints look much better than before. Thanks a bunch.