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Calibration
- Thread starter chez1980
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chez1980
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Sorry I just simply wanted to know if anyone could recommend a better calibration software than what I have.
I use auto wb then in post production I change my wb if needed with my grey card.
I've noticed my prints are slightly off to my screen
C
russellsnr
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Hi, I use X-Rite i1 Pro now and cannot fault it.
There are like software so many options out there for calibration just like PP software it is difficult to choose what is right for you.
X-Rite do have some very good tutorials on there page and will answer to emailed questions pretty quick.
http://blog.xritephoto.com/?p=7247
Russ
There are like software so many options out there for calibration just like PP software it is difficult to choose what is right for you.
X-Rite do have some very good tutorials on there page and will answer to emailed questions pretty quick.
http://blog.xritephoto.com/?p=7247
Russ
ah5168
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I use a spyder 4 and struggled to get consistent results with it. The main problem I had turned out to be that I had a number of colour profiles running that reinstalled themselves after I had deleted them and it took me a while to stop this happening.
The other things that had some bearing were, removing any dust from the screen, and tipping the screen back enough that the spider effectively makes a light tight seal with the screen surface.
Before changing the above I would get a different colours every time I ran the software and none of them looked right.
The other things that had some bearing were, removing any dust from the screen, and tipping the screen back enough that the spider effectively makes a light tight seal with the screen surface.
Before changing the above I would get a different colours every time I ran the software and none of them looked right.
Spuriousfish
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Most definitely not. Monitors and papers/ink/printers have different colour ranges and need their own profiles for converting from the image file RGB data to screen RGB data; and image file RGB data to print RGB data.... which is what the colour management engine in Photoshop does if it has the correct profiles for source and destination.
Other thing to consider when assessing print quality is the viewing light. If you use a normal tungsten or fluorescent lamp it may well throw the colours out. Best option, in my opion, is a daylight lamp the same colour temperature as what you set you screen to - and I'd recommend 6500K and 120mcd.
Colin
redhed17
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Isn't the point to get the screen accurate, which I assume the Spyder does, or they wouldn't sell so many, and then get the prints to match the screen?
Colour Management can be as easy or as complicated (and cheap/expensive) as you want it to be depending on how accurate you want things to be, and if you print yourself.
The screen + printer calibrater's from Datacolor (Spyder) and Xrite (Colomunki) seem to be £300+. Add in a Passport Colorchecker and in theory you can get accurate colour from the camera, viewed on a screen showing accurate colours and contrast etc, and then accurate prints.
Depends how much you want to get into it. :shrug: Or how much slight variations bug you.
Spuriousfish
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Absolutely. The use of a tool such as the Spyder is to Calibrate and Profile the display to a known standard. Without an accurate rendering of the image it's hard to make valid processing adjustments. Would you be correcting an image problem or a screen problem?
Sort of! Calibrating a screen does only that and wont guarantee a screen to print match. In fact because of gamut differences between the screen and printer you may never get a 100% match. Plus, viewing screens, which transmit the light and prints, which work with reflected light may give some differences as well.
Profiling printers or using a canned printer profile is essential for the colour management process to work end to end.
Colin
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redhed17
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My question was meant to be rhetorical to the OP. They have bought a calibration device, which you would imagine has made their monitor accurate, and then have a problem in the prints, but talk about changing the calibration device. 
That's why I mentioned the calibration which does the monitor and the prints. Calibrate the prints to create an ICC profile for the ink and paper combinations.
You can never get 100%, but you can get closer with the right equipment. And like I said, it depends how much you want to get into all this stuff.
I had some photobooks made a few years ago and was not happy with the prints, without a calibrated monitor, unless it is a obvious mistake they made, it could very well have been me giving them files with problems. :shrug: So I got Spyder3 Pro to calibrate the screen. And it was my fault because like many people I had my monitor too bright, so when I edited an image I was darkening it to make it look 'right' on my bright screen. :bonk:
Now if I get something printed I can at least say that I can see the original on my screen with accurate colour, brightness on contrast levels and have that as a reference and take things from there.
Someone gave me an Epson A3 printer.
I hardly print, but they didn't want it, and it would have been thrown away so I took it. For that I'm going to try and match the prints through trial and error. I'm not going to spend hundreds of pounds to get accurate prints for something I hardly use. :shrug: I'm in as much as I want to be at the moment with colour management.
If was printing a lot, and especially if people were buying my images (they're not btw
) that would be another story. :shrug:
They have bought a calibration device, which you would imagine has made their monitor accurate, and then have a problem in the prints, but talk about changing the calibration device. That's why I mentioned the calibration which does the monitor and the prints. Calibrate the prints to create an ICC profile for the ink and paper combinations.
You can never get 100%, but you can get closer with the right equipment. And like I said, it depends how much you want to get into all this stuff.
I had some photobooks made a few years ago and was not happy with the prints, without a calibrated monitor, unless it is a obvious mistake they made, it could very well have been me giving them files with problems. :shrug: So I got Spyder3 Pro to calibrate the screen. And it was my fault because like many people I had my monitor too bright, so when I edited an image I was darkening it to make it look 'right' on my bright screen. :bonk:
Now if I get something printed I can at least say that I can see the original on my screen with accurate colour, brightness on contrast levels and have that as a reference and take things from there.
Someone gave me an Epson A3 printer.
I hardly print, but they didn't want it, and it would have been thrown away so I took it. For that I'm going to try and match the prints through trial and error. I'm not going to spend hundreds of pounds to get accurate prints for something I hardly use. :shrug: I'm in as much as I want to be at the moment with colour management.If was printing a lot, and especially if people were buying my images (they're not btw
) that would be another story. :shrug:
Spuriousfish
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I have an Epson R2400 on which I do all my photo printing. I find that the canned profiles from the paper manufactures are just fine so I've never bothered to get a specific print profile.
I've just swapped to using Lyson Inks via SpecialistInks.com and they offer a free printer profile service when you buy from them. I may take this up sometime but so far so good.
Colin
I've just swapped to using Lyson Inks via SpecialistInks.com and they offer a free printer profile service when you buy from them. I may take this up sometime but so far so good.
Colin
Chappers
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As Neil says laptop screens are probably not the best for this task. It's possible that it can't give you an exact calibration. Although the calibration software does it's best , if it cant adjust one or more channels sufficiently then it's going to be off as far as colour or brightness.
The other point to remember is that the printer also has an effect on the final print. Calibrating the display is only one part of the storey. You have to appreciate how the printer /ink/paper combination is going to behave. The printer profile details how the printer can handle the image that is sent to it. You may have an incredibly blue sky on the screen but if the printer is incapable of handling that level of blue, it's never going to look the same. This is where "Soft Proofing" comes in. It simulates on the monitor how the the print will look when printed.
here's a quick primer
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/soft-proofing.shtml
Another point to remember are the viewing conditions. These can have an effect on how you see the final print. Brightness and colour temperature of the viewing area will also have an effect on how good a match you get.
It takes a bit of experimentation to get the match correct. However to start with a good screen calibration, and good printer profiles coupled with soft proofing should get you close
The other point to remember is that the printer also has an effect on the final print. Calibrating the display is only one part of the storey. You have to appreciate how the printer /ink/paper combination is going to behave. The printer profile details how the printer can handle the image that is sent to it. You may have an incredibly blue sky on the screen but if the printer is incapable of handling that level of blue, it's never going to look the same. This is where "Soft Proofing" comes in. It simulates on the monitor how the the print will look when printed.
here's a quick primer
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/soft-proofing.shtml
Another point to remember are the viewing conditions. These can have an effect on how you see the final print. Brightness and colour temperature of the viewing area will also have an effect on how good a match you get.
It takes a bit of experimentation to get the match correct. However to start with a good screen calibration, and good printer profiles coupled with soft proofing should get you close
Spuriousfish
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From personal experience the printer/ink/paper need profiling as a complete set.
The generic Epson profiles for my R2400 work very well with Epson Ink and Paper. The Generic Ilford profiles also work very well with Epson Ink and Ilford paper.
But just a couple of days ago I tried my first prints with the Lyson Inkset and Lyson Generic Profile and it's way off. Even tried the Epson Profile and this was way off too but very different from the Lyson Profile print.
Soft proofing with the Lyson profiles didn't even give a close match to print that came out.
Now waiting for my Custom Profile to arrive.
Colin
The generic Epson profiles for my R2400 work very well with Epson Ink and Paper. The Generic Ilford profiles also work very well with Epson Ink and Ilford paper.
But just a couple of days ago I tried my first prints with the Lyson Inkset and Lyson Generic Profile and it's way off. Even tried the Epson Profile and this was way off too but very different from the Lyson Profile print.
Soft proofing with the Lyson profiles didn't even give a close match to print that came out.
Now waiting for my Custom Profile to arrive.
Colin
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