iMAC 2013 and a second monitor? Or is it something else?

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Chipper

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Linda
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Whilst I have managed to print monochrome well to my new A2 printer, I am still having trouble with colour.

A very experienced photographer / printer came to help me and thinks that unless there is some kind of software mismatch, it is the Mac screen that is the source of the problems. We recalibrated whilst he was there and it did alter the colours, the calibration, and it seemed to make the white a lot less white, which my mate said would make it a guessing game. He thought the whites on the screen didn't look white when switching between before and after calibration.

I am wondering if, as has been suggested by another photographer, I need to get another monitor and plug that in to my Mac and edit in there. It would be a bit cramped but maybe that would work. Would they be compatible in terms of the colour gamut - don't get high tech on me please - and other advances? as per title, its the 2013 iteration bought new in 2014.

Another friend suggested that the Mac is self calibrating and that he's only done it once with his high spec calibration device, not a spider 4 which I bought I think in 2014ish.

Soooo... to sum up if the tech guy can't resolve it with my Mac 2013 (calibrated by spider 4 printing to a pro graf 1000 with custom profiles].

Could you suggest which of these:

- new calibration device? Recommendations would be helpful
- new screen to plug in to my mac. Again compatible recommendations would be helpful
- Another solution?


I only just had the hard drive and RAM upgraded before the summer so a switch to PC isn't an option.
 
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Hi

Do you have anyone near you that could lend you a i1pro display to try.

Also worth trying display cal with you Spyder:

https://displaycal.net/
 
The iMac screen is pretty good and takes calibration and profiling well, I doubt very much (unless you have a hardware fault) that the screen will be the source of your problems.

It would be helpful if you could describe the problem, what software you are printing from and what your workflow steps are as I suspect that is where a problem could lie/

( The iMac BTW is not self calibrating)
 
Hi Phil. I download my images into Lightroom. I tick CA and lens aberration adjustment. I might crop if I see straight away what I want to do. I might reset the black and white points from adjusting the highlights and shadows. If it is mono, I will head into PS and use DFINE to get rid of noise, if required. So, as an exmaple, For my BBL shots, I have the ISO up at 6400 as the lighting really isn't great. I will do some local adjustments on exposure. I will get rid of any distractions with either the healing brush or the clone tool. If I think it might work better as a mono [the green walls are a bit unpleasant and become more so with the mix of light sources] I usually go to EfexPro in Nik and select a template and then tweak it. No borders. I might add a touch of unsharp mask and then head back into LR. Leave it simmer for a day or two. Go back and see how it looks. If it is good to go, I will select a paper and change the settings on the printer - size and type eg matte or lustre or whatever. I will select the custom profile. Check the size and enter the type of paper. In develop, I will tick soft proofing and see if anything shouts at me. The colour on the last print that I made was brighter in the blues and generally flat and darker overall. Prior to sending the samples of what I had printed to Fotospeed for review, I adjusted the brightness and contrast in the print panel to see what effect that had on a print. It is fair to say that I am new to this but determined to get it sorted... if I haven't mentioned a step, please tell me and I will hopefully be able to explain whether I have done that and just forgotten to tell you. Thanks for helping.
 
Ok, lets check your setting for printing, for now we will leave soft proofing out of the equation...

In the print module on Lightroom you are selecting Lightroom manages colour... and selecting the correct printer/paper/ink profile there.

In the printer driver you are disabling colour management....

(Don't touch the brightness and contrast sliders in the LR print module, they are a 'kludge')
 
Hi Phil - thanks - the printer menu that comes up,as I recall, has colour synch selected but greyed out which I have been told on a Mac means that it disables it.... I will let you know what Fotospeed's tech guy tells me in the morning - been a long day; woke at 4.30am :( . Hasta la vista!
 
Hi Chipper
Just my 2P's worth. Can I ask what exactly is the problem with the colour. I've had a 2009 and 2015 iMac and had no problems with colour matching via my Epson printer. Do you know what your screen was calibrated to i.e. the colour temperature and brightness . Also please bear in mind that when you soft proof in either Lightroom and Photoshop there is an option (on by default in LR) to show the results with the paper base colour taken into effect. This generally reduces the the brilliance of the whites . And in some cases add a slight colour shift.
 
PhilH04 said:
That is correct... Be interesting to know what you find out today...
Click to expand...

Will report back... not long now.

Chappers said:
Hi Chipper
Just my 2P's worth. Can I ask what exactly is the problem with the colour. I've had a 2009 and 2015 iMac and had no problems with colour matching via my Epson printer. Do you know what your screen was calibrated to i.e. the colour temperature and brightness . Also please bear in mind that when you soft proof in either Lightroom and Photoshop there is an option (on by default in LR) to show the results with the paper base colour taken into effect. This generally reduces the the brilliance of the whites . And in some cases add a slight colour shift.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I use that - it is helpful when I get the urge to tinker with monos that I know are ok!
 
So my chat with the Fotospeed chap hasn't produced any answers yet. I printed something this morning and emailed him the file and he is going to send me what he has printed and we will take it from there. So, still pondering whether I need a newer calibration device or a plug in monitor or just experience to work out how what I am seeing translates... I will get there! Maybe later rather than sooner, but I will get there. The fact that my monos have no colour cast means that the profiles are working... hmm. Dark art... :)
 
Chipper

I don't know if you are using custom or canned profiles. My experience with "canned" profiles is variable Some are good others not so. I have used some "canned" ones that were totally useless. I also remember using several years ago Ilford pearl paper, when it was available.profiles worked well. Then I switched to Canson infinity , which was the same product , according to well informed sources. The Canson profiles did not work well, however the Ilford ones, with Canson paper were excellent. Dark art indeed
 
Well, having seen the print that the Fotospeed people produced from my file, Tim at F'speed sent me the profile that he had just done on his machine and it produced something just like theirs - so much for custom profiles.... I am taking a break today from printing! I think I have to somehow accept that the Mac screen gives really bright woo-hoo colours and consider getting a specialist monitor to go along side it... or sell it! :eek: . I do love the monos that I get from it though... anyway, as I said, day off today and will have another go tomorrow.

Has anybody added a BenQ or Eizo [spelling?] monitor to a Mac and found it easier to get the colours they are seeing?
 
I found it took a lot of printer calibration to get it matching my iMac.

It is way less hassle (and money) to use professional printers.
 
Chipper said:
I have to somehow accept that the Mac screen gives really bright woo-hoo colours
Click to expand...
No... as I said the iMac screen is actually pretty good, not great, but fine for photo editing.
Chipper said:
getting a specialist monitor to go along side it
Click to expand...
I do not think that will improve matters.

There is a lot that needs to be taken into account especially if you are trying to achieve a colour managed workflow, I do think that there is something else amiss as I can get as decent a match as possible using a Pro 100s and a Pro 1 from both my 2011 iMac and a 2017 Macbook Pro...

You say custom profiles... do you mean canned generic profiles downloaded from Fotospeed or profiles they have made specifically for you?
 
I never hold a print up to my screen.......

Srsly, I have an iMac Late 2012 calibrated with a ColorMunki and it's fine. Pictures look good on screen, pictures look good printed.

But (1) I only print pictures at a lab - I no longer even own a decent printer (2) when a print arrives I look at it and check it but *never* hold it up next to the screen. This way madness lies.......

BTW I have run a second screen on my iMac in the past and it was fine but after a while it started being fairly temperamental - not powering up when the iMac woke from sleep etc. Google says this is a relatively common problem. After a while of trying to fix it, I realised I can edit quite happily on one screen. Calibrating 2 on a Mac is "OK" but again - don't put them right next to each other and expect exactly the same colours unless you have the exact same screens.
 
For a start a well calibrated screen does not radiate with whiteness like a nuke. That just is not supposed to happen. Neither is a sheet of paper. You start at maybe 30% brightness and then calibrate. Never at 100 or near.

Then you have a histogram and profile clipping points that you edit to. You all don't listen to me when I tell you simple obvious things and thrt end up with funny mates doing funny things. You should be able to sort your routine out in a hour and never let them back in
 
JonathanRyan said:
Calibrating 2 on a Mac is "OK" but again - don't put them right next to each other and expect exactly the same colours unless you have the exact same screens
Click to expand...

That's total bs. I have 2 different screens. Actually 3 if you count mbp too and they will display one and the same srgb output.
 
Craikeybaby said:
I found it took a lot of printer calibration to get it matching my iMac.

It is way less hassle (and money) to use professional printers.
Click to expand...

Canson papers with their profiles come out pretty much perfect right away. The more glossy ones at least as matte soaks up ink in a different way... Good profiles really matter
 
Me, I am having a day off and raking the leaves from the neighbour's poplar today! i will turn the brightness down a tad, perhaps. Back to it tomorrow..:) . And it doesn't make me angry :) so please don't have a fight in this thread!
 
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