Guidance on adjusting my monitor calibration for printing

[lkalliance]

Hey, all, looking for some guidance from people with experience with monitor calibration.

I’m going to submit a photo to my state fair. I was going to use a local vendor to get a high-quality printed version done. They are for pros, they do not do any color adjustments. They’ve provided me with prints of some of my photos to compare to my monitor. The monitor is a hair brighter and a bit more saturated than their output.

I’m guessing that what I need to do is to create a calibration profile that displays my images on screen such that they match the prints, and then to color-edit the photo in that calibration profile so I can get the print as I like it.

(1) Is this the correct way to go about it, or am I thinking about this bass-ackwards?
(a) How do I do this? I have never had to do color calibration before.

 

[mollyc]

Typically you would calibrate with a hardware calibrator. There are several companies that make them; I've always had good luck with Spyder products.

However, if the prints you got back match "close enough" you can just eyeball it. Drop the brightness of your monitor and then perhaps drop the saturation a bit on your photos and send out for new prints. If the colors are basically correct and it's just saturation/brightness you can probably develop a new workflow manually. If you are noticing massive color shifts, then, I'd definitely recommend a hardware colorimeter.

 

[lkalliance]

Typically you would calibrate with a hardware calibrator. There are several companies that make them; I've always had good luck with Spyder products.

However, if the prints you got back match "close enough" you can just eyeball it. Drop the brightness of your monitor and then perhaps drop the saturation a bit on your photos and send out for new prints. If the colors are basically correct and it's just saturation/brightness you can probably develop a new workflow manually. If you are noticing massive color shifts, then, I'd definitely recommend a hardware colorimeter.

I'd say the prints are very close, but when done up with the finish I want might get a little grayer. I think the image is close, but there are areas where I do see it. I think I can get a good feeling about "close enough" by closing the pic on my computer, waiting a day, and looking at the sample print with fresh eyes. I'll probably end up just nudging up the brightness and the saturation a bit, and send it in.

Thank you for your help on this, molly, I'm way too excited about all of it because this might be my first work to be displayed publicly, and I'm a little tickled.

 

[mollyc]

Thank you for your help on this, molly, I'm way too excited about all of it because this might be my first work to be displayed publicly, and I'm a little tickled.

good luck!! 🍀

 

[Apple fanboy]

Hey, all, looking for some guidance from people with experience with monitor calibration.

I’m going to submit a photo to my state fair. I was going to use a local vendor to get a high-quality printed version done. They are for pros, they do not do any color adjustments. They’ve provided me with prints of some of my photos to compare to my monitor. The monitor is a hair brighter and a bit more saturated than their output.

I’m guessing that what I need to do is to create a calibration profile that displays my images on screen such that they match the prints, and then to color-edit the photo in that calibration profile so I can get the print as I like it.

(1) Is this the correct way to go about it, or am I thinking about this bass-ackwards?
(a) How do I do this? I have never had to do color calibration before.

So I work for a company that basically do this for a living. We write the software for Calibrite monitor calibrators.
Spyder is the other brand that Molly mentioned.

Basically you can’t trust your eyes. People don’t all see colour the same. Men especially have less accurate colour vision.
Other factors are the lighting conditions you are viewing your monitor and the print in. Are they daylight or some other light source?

Use a device like a Calibrite 123 which is a colorimeter that measures your colours on screen and creates a profile.
You’ll need to do this at regular intervals as all monitors drift. Consider where you place your monitor and avoid direct light on the screen (a shading hood is a good way to help with this).
If looking at prints consider a daylight lamp for viewing the prints under.

Good luck with the competition.

 

[richardallan]

In my experience, you are best to get a monitor calibrator, as suggested above, and do it yourself properly. I have an old Color Munki Photo that still works really well with the Calibrite software. I’m not sure about their newer calibrators but the Color Munki can take into account ambient lighting as well which is handy. Whatever you decide, bare in mind that a print will never look exactly like your screen, even with soft proofing, because of the inherent differences between a screen and a print.

 

[cupcakes2000]

The best way to achieve it will involve spending. A calibration device such as the ones mentioned are absolutely necessary for accuracy and consistency. Consider also a factory calibrated monitor if it’s something you feel you will do on a regular basis. You can spend a fortune, but I use a relatively cheap benq. I cant remember the model number, but it’s relatively low spec monitor wise (1900x1080 I think). But coupled with a hood and an afore mentioned device, it’s great for editing.

If you have a great monitor that you prefer, then it’s still worth the outlay as a checker for your images to be printed.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The best way to achieve it will involve spending. A calibration device such as the ones mentioned are absolutely necessary for accuracy and consistency. Consider also a factory calibrated monitor if it’s something you feel you will do on a regular basis. You can spend a fortune, but I use a relatively cheap benq. I cant remember the model number, but it’s relatively low spec monitor wise (1900x1080 I think). But coupled with a hood and an afore mentioned device, it’s great for editing.

If you have a great monitor that you prefer, then it’s still worth the outlay as a checker for your images to be printed.

Factory calibrated doesn’t mean correct though. All monitors drift, so even an expensive colour accurate monitor will be out of tolerances in a few weeks (assuming it was ever ‘calibrated’ correctly for photography anyway).

But yes some monitors will display colour much better than others. Eizo are generally considered one of the best. BenQ SW range are a good choice for the cost.

Avoid glossy screens and Apple ones!

 

[cupcakes2000]

Factory calibrated doesn’t mean correct though. All monitors drift, so even an expensive colour accurate monitor will be out of tolerances in a few weeks (assuming it was ever ‘calibrated’ correctly for photography anyway).

That's why I said use a calibrator coupled with one.

 

[OldMacs4Me]

Guessing that you just want to get the occasional print almost bang on without having to go back and do corrections then print again.

Given that density is close, check the controls built into your monitor. Hopefully there is a black level adjustment which will let you almost exactly match density of monitor to print. If saturation is still an issue you will probably be able to figure out a way to do a saturation tweak on images you want to print and that tweak should prove to be quite consistent.

Also keep ambient lighting consistent, perhaps consider using a small spotlight to look at print to avoid the viewing light also reflecting on the monitor.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Guessing that you just want to get the occasional print almost bang on without having to go back and do corrections then print again.

Given that density is close, check the controls built into your monitor. Hopefully there is a black level adjustment which will let you almost exactly match density of monitor to print. If saturation is still an issue you will probably be able to figure out a way to do a saturation tweak on images you want to print and that tweak should prove to be quite consistent.

Also keep ambient lighting consistent, perhaps consider using a small spotlight to look at print to avoid the viewing light also reflecting on the monitor.

Editing the image on the screen so it looks right to the print is exactly what you want to avoid.
By calibrating the screen you can know it is correct to the print. Otherwise you end up wasting money on printing until your experimental settings match (if you ever get it right).

 

[OldMacs4Me]

Editing the image on the screen so it looks right to the print is exactly what you want to avoid.
By calibrating the screen you can know it is correct to the print. Otherwise you end up wasting money on printing until your experimental settings match (if you ever get it right).

Like it or not the printer controls the output. Once I found a printer that did not try to correct my images it took two wasted prints to set the monitor to match prints. A fraction of the cost of calibration hard and software. If you're doing it for a living spend the bucks. Otherwise tweak the monitor settings.

Neither approach will provide a perfect match. For the simple reason the monitor is backlit RGB projection and the print is CMYK reflection. FWIW I do about 50 prints a year using the simple approach at most 2 or 3 have to be redone.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Like it or not the printer controls the output. Once I found a printer that did not try to correct my images it took two wasted prints to set the monitor to match prints. A fraction of the cost of calibration hard and software. If you're doing it for a living spend the bucks. Otherwise tweak the monitor settings.

Neither approach will provide a perfect match. For the simple reason the monitor is backlit RGB projection and the print is CMYK reflection. FWIW I do about 50 prints a year using the simple approach at most 2 or 3 have to be redone.

Well if you really want to do it properly you need to calibrate at
Capture (Color checker chart).
Viewing on your monitor (monitor calibration)
Printing (Studio or ColorMunki Photo).

But as you said depends on how accurate you want your images to be.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Good advice above. Also remember that the ambient environment heavily impacts what your brain perceives when looking at a display or at a print. Color of any kind in the room as well as through windows will impact your color perception.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Good advice above. Also remember that the ambient environment heavily impacts what your brain perceives when looking at a display or at a print. Color of any kind in the room as well as through windows will impact your color perception.

Correct. My office walls are 18% grey and both my monitors have shading hoods. No direct sunlight on the screens and I tend to edit in the evenings anyway.

 

[OldMacs4Me]

Correct. My office walls are 18% grey and both my monitors have shading hoods. No direct sunlight on the screens and I tend to edit in the evenings anyway.

Bingo!