From camera to print.... NOT WYSIWYG.....

[jks_photo]

hi guys,


need help figuring this out... so here goes...


why is it that pictures taken from most cameras look good when previewed on the back LCD or on computer monitors... but when the files are transfered to my NORITSU QSS minilab for printing [ yes i own a photo developing shop] the perfect pictures look less than perfect. why is that??? ICC profiles I do believe have been set properly on the mini lab. all cameras I encounter use sRGB color space.... I really ahvent

[TakahiroW4047]

I really wouldn

[Daniel Browning]

There are three possible problems:

1. The calibration or configuration of one or more system components (hardware, software, or viewing environment) is not set optimally.
2. The calibration is optimal, but the system is not as good as other systems.
3. The calibration is optimal, and the system is the best that money can buy, but no system is capable of achieving the desired results.

All three are very common. The solutions are:

1. Fix the calibration.
2. Upgrade to a better system.
3. Lower expectations.

For example, if your monitor white point was set to 4500K and 600 cd/m^2 but your viewing environment is 6504K 120 cd/m^2, then your problem is #1 and you need to fix your monitor calibration/settings.


If your monitor is correctly set and calibrated but the cheap-o $400 TN display panel is not capable of showing the full sRGB gamut, no amount of calibration is going to fix it. You'll need one that is capable of showing a closer approximation, like a $1000 IPS variety.


If your settings are correct and your equipment is as good as it gets, then it's still possible not to get a match simply because the mediums are so different. Some combinations of inks and paper can not be approximated by any display yet invented. Displays are capable of contrast and black levels that no ink/paper in the world can currently match.


Hope that helps.

[jks_photo]

@takahiro


yes i have tried calibrating monitors using adobe gamma

[jks_photo]

@ daniel..


any suggestions on what to use for calibrating monitors??? software or hardware based.....


just to clarify things... example I have a file/photo looks great on all computers wherever I try to preview it.. but when I transfer the file to the minlab the minlab then shows me a preview of how the photo would look if printed without "corrections" [color corrections]...... and more often than not it will need corrections... that is my problem

[bob williams]

JKS, I found that a hardare calibration system works wonders--even on cheap monitors. But it sounds like you may need both monitor and print calibration system. Color Monkey is highly rated, but I have never personally used the system. As I understand it, Adobe Gamma is simply a software calibrator and is based simply on what you see and adjust. A hardware system will read your monitor, read prints and develop profile that approximates wysiwyg.


For me personally, I had problems with my prints being off in color, contrast and darkness/brightness. And a relatively inexpensive monitor calibrator made a world of difference--not perfect, but much much better--and I have a cheap TN monitor. The monitor calibrator I use is a Spyder 3 Pro---but there are several others that are rated better than mine.


just my 2cw, good luck


Bob

[Steven23]

What most people are saying is true, its a huge profile system thats lame . Even huge tope rated pro photolabs have into trouble because, of paper changes, what type of inks, printers, screens, if its mac or pc, what light are you viewing it under, and if the printer is config to all those settings, the list goes on and on. I