Printing Photos for an event, help!

Digital_Clarity

Digital_Clarity

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Dave
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Hello everyone, I'm sure this subject has been done to death but I can't seem to find a relevant thread on the search!

I've been asked to shoot an event and provide prints, so need to consider colour profiles and ensuring they come out reasonably well. I'll be taking the pics into a lab to have them printed so don't know which colour space they'll be using yet!

I don't actually have a calibrated monitor, so what can I do to ensure I get the print as close as possible to the colours on my screen?

Can I don anything to my monitor settings to get as close as possible? Save all TIFF/Jpeg files with sRGB?

Any help would be great, I'm lost at sea with printing!
 
So you don't need to have the prints done on-site?

To ensure accurate colours, use a hardware calibrator and an appropriate profile (the lab can advise of that). No other way. Software calibration is prone to error and cannot be trusted.

Use jpg for printing and yes an sRGB profile can be used (if the lab are happy with that).

You could do a camera custom profile and so long as you don't edit much (by that I mean changing colour/saturation etc) then your camera should produce fairly accurate results.

cheers
Jim
 
Unfortunately it doesn't matter what you save the files as.

What you need to ensure is what you see on your screen is as close a possible to the print. Which you recognise.

The best way is to buy or borrow a calibrating device. Then take your files to be printed to a printer who is fully colour managed. Then you should be fine :)
 
To be honest, I think it's the only way forward after doing a bit more reading and taking heed of your advice. I'm not so keep on producing prints for people that they won't be happy with, so might just have to go for it and get a calibration device watsit :)

What could I do with my software Jim just to get started? I've changed my colour profile on my PC to sRGB, reset any graphics card adjustments (gamma, saturation etc).

I hate sounding like such a noob, I normally like to take my time and read around a subject fully, but seems in this case I've been caught on the back foot.
 
Digital_Clarity said:
Hello everyone, I'm sure this subject has been done to death but I can't seem to find a relevant thread on the search!

I've been asked to shoot an event and provide prints, so need to consider colour profiles and ensuring they come out reasonably well. I'll be taking the pics into a lab to have them printed so don't know which colour space they'll be using yet!

I don't actually have a calibrated monitor, so what can I do to ensure I get the print as close as possible to the colours on my screen?

Can I don anything to my monitor settings to get as close as possible? Save all TIFF/Jpeg files with sRGB?

Any help would be great, I'm lost at sea with printing!
Click to expand...
Well best is to calibrate your monitor BUT you can use a chart and adjust to get as near as most will not know if you just a little off..
Saving you will need JPG in RGB mode not to be confused with sRGB profile as for a profile check out your printer for this info, most will have a Fuji set up just find out the model and paper type you can download them from Fuji.
 
Digital_Clarity said:
To be honest, I think it's the only way forward after doing a bit more reading and taking heed of your advice. I'm not so keep on producing prints for people that they won't be happy with, so might just have to go for it and get a calibration device watsit :)

What could I do with my software Jim just to get started? I've changed my colour profile on my PC to sRGB, reset any graphics card adjustments (gamma, saturation etc).

I hate sounding like such a noob, I normally like to take my time and read around a subject fully, but seems in this case I've been caught on the back foot.
Click to expand...

sRGB on your camera is a starter and save the images as sRGB (shoot RAW). Regards your monitor, forget what you just did. Set it back the way it was, buy a Spyder 3 or a Gretag MacBeth EyeOne and use the profile it creates to profile your monitor.

ICM profiles and different from ICC profiles - the sRGB one yuo set is likely an ICC one - not for printers.
 
EOS_JD said:
ICM profiles and different from ICC profiles - the sRGB one yuo set is likely an ICC one - not for printers.
Click to expand...

ICC (or ICM) profiles describe the color characteristics of scanners, printers, monitors etc. The profiles are used in a color management system to ensure that printed and / or viewed colors match the colors on the original scanned document. (ICC and ICM profiles are the same, but the profile files have different extensions.)
 
Thanks for the clarification.

So once I've calibrated my monitor, how to I ensure that the information is translated onto the Jpegs?
I assume that using something like Spyer doesn't change the colours/brightness/saturation of your monitor, only profiles it, so how does the photograph obtain that information?
That must be a stupid question, but I have to ask!
 
Digital_Clarity said:
Thanks for the clarification.

So once I've calibrated my monitor, how to I ensure that the information is translated onto the Jpegs?
I assume that using something like Spyer doesn't change the colours/brightness/saturation of your monitor, only profiles it, so how does the photograph obtain that information?
That must be a stupid question, but I have to ask!
Click to expand...

when you run this software it will get you to adjust he monitor when showing you patches of both the top and bottom ends IE whites and blacks. After you have done this it will then colour manage it and save a profile that your computer will load each time you start up. so what you see will be corect colours so as you adjust in PS CS4 or what ever software you have it will be right as long as you have the right printer/paper profile as well
 
when you run this software it will get you to adjust he monitor when showing you patches of both the top and bottom ends IE whites and blacks. After you have done this it will then colour manage it and save a profile that your computer will load each time you start up. so what you see will be corect colours so as you adjust in PS CS4 or what ever software you have it will be right as long as you have the right printer/paper profile as well
Click to expand...
Aaaaah, right! Thankyou.

Once I've calibrated and made sure my pics are true to their profile, how do I ensure the printing shop/lab is using the 'correct' profile and paper for my shots? I'm not sure I've worded that very well, but do I just tell them they're RGB and they take care of the rest?
 
Digital_Clarity said:
Aaaaah, right! Thankyou.

Once I've calibrated and made sure my pics are true to their profile, how do I ensure the printing shop/lab is using the 'correct' profile and paper for my shots? I'm not sure I've worded that very well, but do I just tell them they're RGB and they take care of the rest?
Click to expand...

you need to download them and then in PS convert to that profile before you save it. NOTE: Convert not Apply.. if you apply it might change some of the colours that was out of gambit. where as converting it will get it as near to the colour that is possible..
 
I've had a 'financial review' and realised I just can't afford any calibration hardware at the moment, so have had to just go for it. Sent off some test prints and they've come back looking quite tidy! Obviously I've been a bit lucky in that my monitor is pretty close to ideal.
 
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