What light do you edit your photos by?

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Ferj

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Does the lamps around your work station affect the way your image processing? If so what lights do people use!

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Well, if you calibrate your monitor, you should use consistent lighting when you edit. As I mainly do it in the evenings, I calibrated with lights on...

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Ferj said:
Does the lamps around your work station affect the way your image processing?
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YES! Massively.

The room I'm in now, faces south west, and at certain times of the day, despite my screen being calibrated, it looks wrong. Towards sunset, when there is lots of warm light, it looks cyan/green. I KNOW it's right, but there's no way I can edit accurately. I drawn the blinds, which are really dark and and effectively shut out daylight.

There's no hard and fast rule regarding what exact light you should use, but it should NOT be normal domestic lighting, which is usually around 3200K.... very, very warm indeed. This is compounded these days by low energy fluorescent bulbs also having a green cast.

That's not to suggest that all fluorescent lamps are bad though. Some are made specifically for the job.

landwomble said:
Well, if you calibrate your monitor, you should use consistent lighting when you edit. As I mainly do it in the evenings, I calibrated with lights on...

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Click to expand...

What lights though? The calibration process pays no attention to your lighting (color munki and i1 software does though.... turn that feature off!). Normal domestic lighting woudl mean you are viewing a screen that in all probability has a white point of 6500K but yoru room lighting is 3200K. That will result in your monitor looking quite cold, and you may have a tendency to make your images warmer than they should be.

Those that do a great deal of printing, tend to use 5000K as a white point (both room lighting/print booth and monitor white point), but it's quite common, regardless of intent, for screens to be calibrated to D65, or 6500K white point, so your room lighting should equal this so as to not affect your colour acuity. For this reason, it is VERY important that room lighting, and calibrated white point match (but the room lighting shoudl equal the calibrated monitor's white point.. not the other way around) otherwise you will be over-compensating when trying to make adjustments to white balance. in your images. The scary thing is, if you use normal domestic lighting (3200K approx) and a 6500K monitor, you'll not realise that your images are incorrect. The human brain adapts very effectively to changes in colour, which is the very reason why we need colour calibration in the first place.

How accurate you can be depends on whether you have your own space as a darkroom, or edit in your main living space, or share the space with other people. If you have your own space/darkroom/man cave :)....here are some options:


Ideally -

I suggest, no matter how horrible it sounds.... get some of this...

http://www.rpimaging.com/munsell-neutral-gray-paint-pint.html

...and paint the walls with it. It's a highly accurate neutral grey point that will not colour the light at all once it reflects of your walls etc.

Light your room with the D65 version of these...

http://shop.colourconfidence.com/pr...2-x-15-watt-prographic-tubes-for-colorframe01

and obviously calibrate your screen properly with a decent quality calibrator and software to between 100 and 120cd, gamma 2.2 and 6500K (D65).

Compromise -

Ensure your walls are a neutral colour, and use these.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Daylight-Energy-Saving-Spiral-Prolite/dp/B003NHULJW




Normal domestic "white" lighting is crap.... don't do it if you're serious about any of this.
 
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I have a long desk lamp from Ikea that I shine on the white wall behind my monitor. It helps me work for longer that way. I also have the room light on usually too, although it's difficult because I'm living in student digs so I can't really have anything setup how I want.
 
Could still use daylight balanced lamps in all of the above though. The Prolite lamps I linked to above are pretty good actually.
 
i edit in daylight /evening in room light, or any other if its bright out side i just close my curtains :thumbs: i have a pro friend who will only edit in a darkroom (no lights on) each to there own i suppose.
 
Each to their own is probably the truth... however, there are very sound scientific reasons why there is a correct, and an incorrect way. Whether you chose to do that is entirely up to you, yes :)

Using a completely dark room is fine but you'd need your monitors luminance calibrated very low... around 50-60cd otherwise you'll really struggle with getting acceptable black levels when the image is viewed in more normal conditions, or printed.

Unless you have a means of calculating exactly how bright your room lighting is, its actually quite hard to suggest... but "moderately subdued" daylight balanced lighting, and a monitor between 100-and 120cd would be the best option. Normal domestic "white" lamps will be horribly effecting your colour acuity.
 
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I always have my curtains closed when I'm on me computer.

My problems isn't the ambient light but more of an eyesight issue:D
 
Some helpful tips, this came to mind after I have been editing some images but then realised they were all out and had a hint of green!

The lights I edit by are awful and I don't like staring at a screen in the dark so new lighting required I think :-)

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So is it worth buying a calibration system just for a hobby with all these problems about lighting.?:shrug::bonk::gag:
 
LOL... it just means you have to buy a light bulb :) hardly a problem.

If you're in a shared space with others, and you don't want to alter the whole room, just buy a desklamp that takes normal bayonet fitting light bulbs, and fit a daylight balanced one like the cheap one I linked to above. When you're editing, just use the desklamp, and turn the main room lights off.

None of this is a problem.
 
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Pookeyhead said:
LOL... it just means you have to buy a light bulb :) hardly a problem.

If you're in a shared space with others, and you don't want to alter the whole room, just buy a desklamp that takes normal bayonet fitting light bulbs, and fit a daylight balanced one like the cheap one I linked to above. When you're editing, just use the desklamp, and turn the main room lights off.

None of this is a problem.
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Gotcha,cheers for that,now i am looking at the colormunki.:):thumbs:
 
Good choice. Just make sure all the stuff that takes ambient lighting brightness and colour into account is turned off. Room lighting should match the monitor's, not the other way around.
 
Well usually if it is during the day then just daylight coming in, if at night it would just be a small desk lamp.:)

But the desk lamp could go off.:thumbs:
 
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...or a daylight bulb could go in it :)
 
:thumbs::):clap:
 
So.. on the advice above, if my photos come out cr/p i can blame the paint on my walls and my light bulbs.:D:thumbs:
 
Just paint the whole house to be safe.:cuckoo::schtum::runaway::naughty::lol::exit:
 
jockwav said:
Just paint the whole house to be safe.:cuckoo::schtum::runaway::naughty::lol::exit:
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Grey is the new magnolia :)

Seriously though.... £5 on a light bulb, and draw the blinds during the day. Gotta be the cheapest upgrade you've ever had.


All for nothing if your screen's not calibrated though.... may as well break out the Xmas lights in that case :)
 
All the pro edit suites I've seen are painted 18 percent grey with grey carpet and furniture. They then have low level lighting matching the white point of whatever colour space they're working to (usually D65).

There's now a new issue though, the perceived colour on the new high brightness screens coming on to the market depends on the backscatter from the viewer.
 
Room is painted white (that's laziness not professionalism). The main windows are velux so I have blackout blinds fitted but usually it's bright enough to read a book - if it's dark outside then usually I have the lights off when editing (but I don't really do important stuff late). Color Munki sits there and monitors the light for any noticeable shifts.

Also, when I sit at my desk, pretty much all I can see is the screen. It all seems to work - if I get something bad back from the lab it's generally their fault.
 
I would probably edit at night.:thumbs:
 
Pookeyhead said:
Good choice. Just make sure all the stuff that takes ambient lighting brightness and colour into account is turned off. Room lighting should match the monitor's, not the other way around.
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I take it you mean the settings in the calibrator or have i got that wrong.:shrug::)
 
 
Cheers for that Jonathan,the wife is getting it for my xmas,she thinks it,s her idea now.:clap::):thumbs::lol:
 
jockwav said:
I take it you mean the settings in the calibrator or have i got that wrong.:shrug::)
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Yeah.. if you calibrate to 6500K white point, ideally, you should have 6500K lighting.
 
I've just ordered the Colormunki Display from WEX & got a free Kodak Colour Management Pack with it, I then ordered the daylight balanced bulb as recommended earlier. I reckon that should be a good start to getting consistent & accurate colour as I edit in the cupboard under the stairs!

This thread has helped a lot though! I know now I will have to paint it grey and only wear grey if want truly accurate colours :-)

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Don't forget the grey shoes too... terribly important don't you know ;)
 
I'm with JR - white room, no ambient and mine's a Spyder 3 Pro

One other thing to note - what you're wearing !!!

A well known Fellow of the MPA, trainer, lecturer, tells a funny tale of him editing a Wedding one day only to realise the next day that it had an odd colour cast. It turned out to be that he was wearing his new bright pink jumper and it had had an effect on what he was seeing onscreen, so he'd spent all day correcting it :lol:

So yes, wear something neutral as your 'editing' shirt too :)

Dave
 
^^^^:lol::lol::D:thumbs:
Nice website DG:thumbs:
 
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Ferj said:
I've just ordered the Colormunki Display from WEX & got a free Kodak Colour Management Pack with it, I then ordered the daylight balanced bulb as recommended earlier. I reckon that should be a good start to getting consistent & accurate colour as I edit in the cupboard under the stairs!

This thread has helped a lot though! I know now I will have to paint it grey and only wear grey if want truly accurate colours :)

Sent from my GT-I8190N using Talk Photography Forums mobile app
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It would be great to know how you get on with it,not got around to ordering mine yet.:thumbs:
 
I received it today, plugged in and ran it, as expected it was a big difference to my display and now hopefully it stay that way!

The daylight bulb recommended earlier in this thread arrived after so I will re check the ambient tomorrow as the area I work in is solely lit by this!

I'm going to invest in some grey paint too & a new monitor :-) I edit under the stairs with the door closed so it's quite handy and easily controllable!

I used to have xrite i1 but I prefer the Colormunki & software.

I also got the Kodak Colour Management check-up kit which I will look into once I have edited 3 family shoots & the 200 wedding dresses I took earlier :-)

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Ferj said:
I received it today, plugged in and ran it, as expected it was a big difference to my display and now hopefully it stay that way!

The daylight bulb recommended earlier in this thread arrived after so I will re check the ambient tomorrow as the area I work in is solely lit by this!

I'm going to invest in some grey paint too & a new monitor :) I edit under the stairs with the door closed so it's quite handy and easily controllable!

I used to have xrite i1 but I prefer the Colormunki & software.

I also got the Kodak Colour Management check-up kit which I will look into once I have edited 3 family shoots & the 200 wedding dresses I took earlier :)

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That,s great to hear,hope you enjoy it,will be ordering mine in a little while.:):thumbs:
 
The funny thing is that to date I haven't had any issues with colour or tonal range when sending to print. That's across 3 different labs. I'm not a pro but have had a 2-month solo exhibition in a major (if regional) public space. My ethos is to stay as loose as possible and avoid hassle for hassle's sake. Files that've previously printed well remain my references - if I get a new monitor then I go through various calibration exercises but without any device, and end by checking the display by eye against those previous images. My feeling is that the whole business gets a bit over-hyped.

I may become boring about this, but shopping for gear is no substitute for making real-world judgements.

The windows of the room face north, hence no direct sunlight enters, and I never wear bright pink clothing because that's not my nature. I have plain, fairly neutral curtains but the ambient level fluctuates by day & season. I would like to rest my case ...
 
DG Phototraining said:
A well known Fellow of the MPA, trainer, lecturer, tells a funny tale of him editing a Wedding one day only to realise the next day that it had an odd colour cast. It turned out to be that he was wearing his new bright pink jumper and it had had an effect on what he was seeing onscreen, so he'd spent all day correcting it :lol:
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As I said above, it's an issue on bright screens. I've heard its also a big issue in cinemas with high gain screens. It kills shadow details.
 
droj said:
The funny thing is that to date I haven't had any issues with colour or tonal range when sending to print. That's across 3 different labs. I'm not a pro but have had a 2-month solo exhibition in a major (if regional) public space. My ethos is to stay as loose as possible and avoid hassle for hassle's sake. Files that've previously printed well remain my references - if I get a new monitor then I go through various calibration exercises but without any device, and end by checking the display by eye against those previous images. My feeling is that the whole business gets a bit over-hyped.

I may become boring about this, but shopping for gear is no substitute for making real-world judgements.

The windows of the room face north, hence no direct sunlight enters, and I never wear bright pink clothing because that's not my nature. I have plain, fairly neutral curtains but the ambient level fluctuates by day & season. I would like to rest my case ...
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There's no case to rest. You're in a north facing room... a good place to be. While north facing rooms tend to have a cooler colour temp, "Northlight" has always been regarded as the best natural light to make colour critical judgements by. Osram, Phillips and GEC all make lamps called "Northlight" which are usually 8000K lamps designed for colour matching in the textiles industry.

Also... it's probable that you naturally have very high colour acuity. Many people have to such an extent that they can make very accurate colour decisions even under less than ideal lighting situations. I can assure you, that you are not typical. The business is not over-hyped at all, and it's for this reason there are internationally agreed standards for lighting for colour critical industries. The vast majority of people do not have such ability as you, and need a fixed, and measurably accurate standard to judge colour by.

You say that buying gear is no substitute for making real world decisions, but I'm not advocating buying gear other than a light bulb and a means of ensuring your monitor is accurate. Colour is subjective in photography.. absolute accuracy doesn't exist, but you need a known standard to ensure everything you do is going to be seen the same by everyone else (assuming they adhere to the same standards).


I'm pleased you haven't had issues Rog, but the sheer numbers of images posted on here that are way too dark, or light, or have colour casts that the author's never realised does indicate that means of calibration have been developed to service a need... not to create a need that doesn't exist.
 
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