Screen Calibration Question

[Thlayle]

Hi,

I have a 13 inch Macbook Pro that I use to do all of my image processing.

I have gone to calibrating on regular intervals but that does not seem to help with the one issue that comes up the most consistently: the lightness/darkness of my final images. Once I send them to my favorite lab for processing, they often come out too dark.

I am sure this a by-product of my laptop screen and it's brightness. I am not sure how to remedy this.

Any thoughts on how to get this under control -- consistently? And as a related question: what about the auto brightness setting on the MBP: turn it off while working on photos or leave it off? I find even small variations in the nearby light hitting the screen can make huge differences, even if only for short durations, in the brightness of my screen.

Thanks,

Randy

[Manfred M]

The issue is that your screen is set too bright and you need to compensate in the file you send out to be printed. The only way I know how to do this properly is through doing test prints. I don't know what PP software you use, but I can provide a technique that works for Photoshop (Elements too, I believe).

Your profiling process ensures the colours are right, but not how light or dark the print will be. Our computer screens tend to be turned up to birght.

1. Turn off auto brightness and do not touch your brightness setting (ever!, unless you want to go through the whole process again). If there is a way of setting the exactly the same brightness setting repeatably, note down the setting you are using. Going to minimum brightness is probably the "best" setting, should the lighting conditions you work under permit this.

2. Go to your top layer and use the "Stamp Visible" command (Mac <cmd> <opt> <shift>-<e> / Windows <ctrl> <alt> <shift> <e>) and change the blending mode to "Soft Light". To start, try adjusting the layer opacity to 20%. I label this as my "print adjustment layer". Note this setting.

3. Roll this into a jpeg and send the image off to be printed and see how it comes out. If the print is too dark, increase the opacity (in my example go to 30%) and if it is too light, decrease it (again in my example, I'd go down to 10%). Keep printing and changing the opacity until your printed image comes out right. As I print my own, this only took me a few minutes.

[Thlayle]

Thanks, Manfred: I will try those techniques.

It is very helpful to hear of the use of test prints since 'hard proofing' seems to be a necessary step in my experience. I think maybe I was hoping for 'magic' that would skip this step. (It is a bit of a trip to the lab & mailing gets pricey...)

The auto-brightness of course makes perfect sense. I just keep turning it back on for other uses & then not paying attention to it once working on photos again--a bad habit I will have to break.

-Randy

[Manfred M]

Agreed Randy; I've never found a substitute for test prints (and neither have any other photographers I've spoken to about it). I had to do test prints in the colour wet darkroom and I have to do them with in the digital darkroom as well.

The main difference is that the wet darkroom had a dedicated use, whereas the computer screen has multiple uses which are not optimized for producing colour prints. I've had to issue a "touch my screen controls and I will break your fingers" edict to family members....

[rubencarmona]

That's what the whole color managed workflow is about, check out this eBook:
http://spyder.datacolor.com/scripts/..._Datacolor.pdf

First step is calibrating your monitor to your ambient light conditions with a hardware tool like Spyder.

[Manfred M]

That's what the whole color managed workflow is about, check out this eBook:
http://spyder.datacolor.com/scripts/..._Datacolor.pdf

First step is calibrating your monitor to your ambient light conditions with a hardware tool like Spyder.

Many people feel that this is so, but no, this is not usually correct. There is no substitute for a hard proof. I cannot turn down my higher end computer screen far enough to get the light output to match print output density. On my old CRT screen, I could do so.

A colour managed workflow means the colours are consistent throughout the process, but not much more.

[Texas Dave]

Next set of prints you get from your favorite lab, throw in a test print with known values. I'm not saying you need to buy a spectrometer to read your proofs but I think we all to often trust our "favorite labs" more than we should.

I have a lab close to my work that I like to use because it is convenient to stop in on the way home. I've had some of my prints reprinted from the same file before with very different looking results. Place is called RixPix. I also had issues with their color profiles putting color cast into my black and white images. I have to tell them not to add their color profile if I want a true grayscale image.

I just want to point out, not all photo labs are the same and not all personal in them have the same level of professionalism as we would all hope for.

[Thlayle]

Very good point, Dave.

Sometimes I have thought maybe my issue with shots turning out too dark is their issue not mine. I am pretty sure though that it is in fact ME that's the culprit, not taking into account the brightness settings on my monitor.

The lab I am working with has a very good reputation and is the only real choice in my area. I would have to send my work out to much larger labs that are much further away. That just doesn't appeal to me, so I have to say I really hope it IS me, not them.

I have learned that, at least for standard size prints on photo paper, the nearby Costco photo processing center does a very nice job. That might sound dodgy but it is how it has worked out when I have tried them. I find interesting though that I don't seem to run into this dark/light issue with them. In fact, some of the same shots processed there have turned out noticeably lighter than when I processed them at the professional lab. Costco does color correction as a part of all jobs, unless you ask them NOT to do so.

So that's a bit of a separate question (for my lab I guess): does color correction at labs manage to catch the problem with images' dark/light range? I should have mentioned in my original post that I normally use a professional lab that offers an 'express' service, meaning no corrections are done when they process the work (the option I have typically been choosing).

[Manfred M]

Randy I know a number of pros that use Costco for their run-of-the-mill prints. You can even find the printer icc profiles for your local Costco store on this site, so load them up and soft-proof away. The only real issue I have with Costco is the limited finishes (glossy and matte) available.

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/

I haven't done prints with them in years, so cannot comment on how they do your prints, as I do virtually all my own printing.

As for what a specific printer will do, that really depends on the printer. I know services in town that will do all your editing and printing for you, but of course they are considerably more expensive and prices vary based on size, volume and amount of work involved. I have looked at specialty printers but haven't actually had any done (yet).

[Richard Lundberg]

That link is for the German version, and I was unable to alter the URL to get the English.

[Charlie Woodrich]

I had the same problem on my airbook. I calibrate my airbook and view brightness setting 4 clicks from the right. Uncheck the Auto Adjust Brightness in System Preference > Display.
Make sure you adjust the brightness level again as it may fluctuate when conneting and unconnecting to the charger if in battery saving mode.

[rubencarmona]

That link is for the German version, and I was unable to alter the URL to get the English.

Sorry mate, here is the english version: http://spyder.datacolor.com/scripts/...k_EN_final.pdf

[ajohnw]

You might find this site useful. There are several related articles.

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/a..._too_dark.html

If by some chance your colorimeter automates things too much and things don't work out it's usually possible to use alternate software. I use Argyll colour management and a utility called DispCalGui. It gives far better calibration reports as well but some find it a pain to install.

Personally I do wonder about the utility of calibrating laptops as the ones I am aware of don't offer the same sort of hardware settings that monitors generally have built in. I have also noticed that these days monitors come set way to bright by default as it makes the dynamic range numbers look better. As this pushes up the black level setting the brightness correctly still leaves a decent dynamic range - probably better by a factor of 2 compared with earlier lcd screens. Personally I hate the term LCD as I feel they are more akin to TFT. LCD monitos were awful things.

John
-

[Richard Lundberg]

Sorry mate, here is the english version: http://spyder.datacolor.com/scripts/...k_EN_final.pdf

Thanks a lot

[pnodrog]

A quick and dirty approach would be to grab one of these dark prints, display the file you sent them on your screen and then back off the screen brightness until they match.

A reverse WYSIWYG calibration....

[Round Tuit]

The issue is that your screen is set too bright and you need to compensate in the file you send out to be printed. The only way I know how to do this properly is through doing test prints. I don't know what PP software you use, but I can provide a technique that works for Photoshop (Elements too, I believe).

Your profiling process ensures the colours are right, but not how light or dark the print will be. Our computer screens tend to be turned up to birght.

1. Turn off auto brightness and do not touch your brightness setting (ever!, unless you want to go through the whole process again). If there is a way of setting the exactly the same brightness setting repeatably, note down the setting you are using. Going to minimum brightness is probably the "best" setting, should the lighting conditions you work under permit this.

2. Go to your top layer and use the "Stamp Visible" command (Mac <cmd> <opt> <shift>-<e> / Windows <ctrl> <alt> <shift> <e>) and change the blending mode to "Soft Light". To start, try adjusting the layer opacity to 20%. I label this as my "print adjustment layer". Note this setting.

3. Roll this into a jpeg and send the image off to be printed and see how it comes out. If the print is too dark, increase the opacity (in my example go to 30%) and if it is too light, decrease it (again in my example, I'd go down to 10%). Keep printing and changing the opacity until your printed image comes out right. As I print my own, this only took me a few minutes.

Manfred,

I don't understand the choice of "Soft Light" for the blending mode of your print adjustment layer. "Soft Light" is a contrast enhancing mode and will therefore darken the shadows and lighten the highlights. I would have thought that you would want to lighten the entire picture. Am I missing something?

Andre

[Manfred M]

Manfred,

I don't understand the choice of "Soft Light" for the blending mode of your print adjustment layer. "Soft Light" is a contrast enhancing mode and will therefore darken the shadows and lighten the highlights. I would have thought that you would want to lighten the entire picture. Am I missing something?

Andre

My bad; it was one of those blending modes that start with the letter "s"; I should have said "Screen"; which is correct, rather than soft light. I went back and checked a couple of the images that I printed and checked the training tutorial as well.

The technique something I picked up from an Epson Printer training video from Kelby Training video and it seems to work; the trainers were Scott Kelby and one of the senior tech reps from Epson. Prior to this I simply added a levels adjustment layer that I brightened by the appropriate amount. The Screen blending mode seems to be a touch less finicky to use.

The main reason I use adjustment layers is that I label it "for printing" and all I have to do is turn it off when I do more editing work.

[mrinmoyvk]

Just a random thought...
Why not check same image on different devices like iPad, iPhone, couple of different brand mobiles at full brightness and zero brightness and then adjust the screen brightness to matchup almost similar image on macBook.
If it matches then your image is perfect. Change the lab for printing.

[Manfred M]

Just a random thought...
Why not check same image on different devices like iPad, iPhone, couple of different brand mobiles at full brightness and zero brightness and then adjust the screen brightness to matchup almost similar image on macBook.
If it matches then your image is perfect. Change the lab for printing.

That would do nothing to solve the issue here. The viewing parameters for a transmitted light, additive RGB image will never be identical to a reflected light, subtractive CMYK image.

If you take your iPad or iPhone outside on a sunny day or look at either of these in a darkened room, you are going to get a totally different view of the image; which one would be the correct one to evaluate the image under?