L.J. DeRosier
September 4th, 2007, 01:02 AM
Hi All,
I'm kind of new here, and if you've read my other posts you probably notice that I usually don't write long posts, oh well...so much for that. I hope this post doesn't bore anyone to death, but I'd like to share some stuff I learned as well as look for some answers to problems I've had to deal with. (warning, my humor in this post...well...it's bad)
My BIG question: How do I get [consistent] OUTSTANDING prints from my PC and home photo printer. (I havent used a MAC [yet], my apologies to the Big Apples out there)
I know this is an old hashed-up and re-hashed subject, but this is really what the photography it is all about isn't it...an "outstanding final product". I have been experimenting with color management (a lot :($$:() and I was hoping to discuss it with those that are interested.
I use an Epson R1800, and shoot with a D70s, a D200, or a 5D...combinations which would be expected to give high performance output. But, out of PSE5, I get a wide assortment from "drop dead georgeous prints" to "I'm dead-in-the-water bad prints".
The BIG problem (mine at least): "Inconsistency" (assume correctly white balanced and properly exposed photos).
So ok, we can start with ,uhhemmm the dreaded words..."color management",(I think this should be a four letter word, actually counting the space it is the equivalent of 4 four letter words...yup, and it's appropriate too). The other BIG question...does this exist in PSE5? The answer is "yes", but it appears to be limited in the way it can be configured.
The Ultimate Solution: putting all the stuff into alignment so the characteristics of the monitor closely match the output of the printer (well, that is...in a perfect world, but this is what we all want right???).
A few points to discuss:
1. We need to deal with that nasty little word, "ICC profile". However, it really is the answer to standardize all our stuff...as elusive as it is.
2. The most obvious death sentence to any print is running two color management profiles (software and printer) simultaneously (just say NO).
3. Monitor calibration, an easy fix, but it has a BIG twist: To get outstanding monitor display you need a properly calibrated system. Macbeth is a good one, (soooo..."On a heath in Scotland, three witches, the Weird Sisters, wait to meet Macbeth"...ooops, I got carried away...wrong Macbeth). Anyway, GretaMacbeth Eye-One has been a good one for me.
To get a good idea of how your final print will look, (and some of this is a bit nit-pickey), you really need a good monitor that can handle Adobe sRGB and RGB (one that is warmed up nice and toasty for an hour or so...say goodbye to sleep mode), a black display hood on the monitor (yes...on the inside too :rolleyes:), a white room to work in, evaluative (5000K) lighting in the work [and proofing] area, and a good chair that lets you view from the same angle every time, (...oh and I almost forgot...a good dark beer, well...ok, its optional but it can't hurt).
As crazy as it may sound, even the color shirt you wear and clutter around the monitor can have an effect on the way the display looks when you need to be very critical about the final product. Each of these things alone may only have a minor effect, but add them all up and voila..."inconsistency" to the nth degree.
4. We need to be in the right "color space" and so does all the other stuff too ,(so pick a space...any space...coffee, tea or sRGB anyone)? Let's not leave out RGB and the CMYK output that the high school yearbook printers use.
OK, so this was L E N G T H Y......(and it only scratched the surface of this subject :eek:). I hope it inspires some questions and discussion, and in the end we all have a better understanding of our systems.
One last thing...H E L P!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm kind of new here, and if you've read my other posts you probably notice that I usually don't write long posts, oh well...so much for that. I hope this post doesn't bore anyone to death, but I'd like to share some stuff I learned as well as look for some answers to problems I've had to deal with. (warning, my humor in this post...well...it's bad)
My BIG question: How do I get [consistent] OUTSTANDING prints from my PC and home photo printer. (I havent used a MAC [yet], my apologies to the Big Apples out there)
I know this is an old hashed-up and re-hashed subject, but this is really what the photography it is all about isn't it...an "outstanding final product". I have been experimenting with color management (a lot :($$:() and I was hoping to discuss it with those that are interested.
I use an Epson R1800, and shoot with a D70s, a D200, or a 5D...combinations which would be expected to give high performance output. But, out of PSE5, I get a wide assortment from "drop dead georgeous prints" to "I'm dead-in-the-water bad prints".
The BIG problem (mine at least): "Inconsistency" (assume correctly white balanced and properly exposed photos).
So ok, we can start with ,uhhemmm the dreaded words..."color management",(I think this should be a four letter word, actually counting the space it is the equivalent of 4 four letter words...yup, and it's appropriate too). The other BIG question...does this exist in PSE5? The answer is "yes", but it appears to be limited in the way it can be configured.
The Ultimate Solution: putting all the stuff into alignment so the characteristics of the monitor closely match the output of the printer (well, that is...in a perfect world, but this is what we all want right???).
A few points to discuss:
1. We need to deal with that nasty little word, "ICC profile". However, it really is the answer to standardize all our stuff...as elusive as it is.
2. The most obvious death sentence to any print is running two color management profiles (software and printer) simultaneously (just say NO).
3. Monitor calibration, an easy fix, but it has a BIG twist: To get outstanding monitor display you need a properly calibrated system. Macbeth is a good one, (soooo..."On a heath in Scotland, three witches, the Weird Sisters, wait to meet Macbeth"...ooops, I got carried away...wrong Macbeth). Anyway, GretaMacbeth Eye-One has been a good one for me.
To get a good idea of how your final print will look, (and some of this is a bit nit-pickey), you really need a good monitor that can handle Adobe sRGB and RGB (one that is warmed up nice and toasty for an hour or so...say goodbye to sleep mode), a black display hood on the monitor (yes...on the inside too :rolleyes:), a white room to work in, evaluative (5000K) lighting in the work [and proofing] area, and a good chair that lets you view from the same angle every time, (...oh and I almost forgot...a good dark beer, well...ok, its optional but it can't hurt).
As crazy as it may sound, even the color shirt you wear and clutter around the monitor can have an effect on the way the display looks when you need to be very critical about the final product. Each of these things alone may only have a minor effect, but add them all up and voila..."inconsistency" to the nth degree.
4. We need to be in the right "color space" and so does all the other stuff too ,(so pick a space...any space...coffee, tea or sRGB anyone)? Let's not leave out RGB and the CMYK output that the high school yearbook printers use.
OK, so this was L E N G T H Y......(and it only scratched the surface of this subject :eek:). I hope it inspires some questions and discussion, and in the end we all have a better understanding of our systems.
One last thing...H E L P!!!!!!!!!!!