Color/brightness correction...help?

[kat_75]

I hope someone can help me. :o My pictures look great on the camera screen (Nikon D50) and on my monitor, but when I have them printed at a developer they are a little darker, less contrasty, and the colors are not quite as bright as I'd like them to be, even with external flash (except on the shots that are taken outside in bright light, those are sharp and clear).

I've tried 3 different companies (not for that reason, just trying out different ones) and they all turn out the same, so I know it's got to be my equipment. I did put my camera on the Vivid colors setting. Could it be because my monitor is LCD, and should I get a monitor calibrator? Or should I bump up my, whatzitcalled, EV, by +1 or so? Would that brighten up the shots? Help! :confused: I usually shoot on aperture priority.

[Colina]

Hi Kat,

I'd check which colour profile you are working in from your camera, (if you can't find it in the menu's of the D50 send me a reply and I'll look it up, offhand I think it is under the Custom Settings menu), I think sRGB is the one that should be used, then ensure that you are working in the same colour space within PSE or whatever software you use to edit your pics, oh yes and before you do any of the editing make sure to calibrate your monitor. Your developer should be working with the same colour space and should also be told not to do any adjustments to your images (sometimes they do adjust for brightness or colour automatically). Lastly and for me the most confusing part, lol, is that the print profile for your images should match the printer profile for where you are having the prints done. Different developing machines and different photo papers will produce different results. It is confusing...and I hope this helps a little :).

Colina

[Emma]

I would tend to give instructions to the printer rather than changing exposure on your camera. The LCD on the camera is not a good indicator, which is why looking at the histogram on every shot or series of shots is a good idea. My aperture priority seems to underexpose my photos, putting the histogram to the dark side heavily, with very little in the lights area unless I have some white or overcast sky in the photo, which artificially gives the histogram lights. I've started shooting on manual because the AV mode meters the whole scene (including the background), and I really only care about the exposure on the subject. I've tried different metering modes, and the photos are frequently underexposed by a full stop. In digital phtoography, because of the way it works compared to film, the histogram should be as far right/light as possible w/o blowing out the highlights, and mine is never even close!

After that, contact your printer to find out if they have a print profile file they recommend using, and make sure you check the box for NO CORRECTIONS. They auto-correct everything, and if you've ever used that in PS etc you see why that's generally not a good idea. You've done all your adjustments in your software, you don't need theirs.

Monitor calibration is also really important, but before doing that I'd adjust the monitor to match the prints you're getting back. I have mine adjusted to match the color and contrast of my home printer since that's what I usually use. I have not bought a calibration device yet (my CRT monitor is going out, so I'm waiting until I have to buy a new one).

so bottom line, don't trust the LCD preview, trust the histogram. Don't trust your printer, they fiddle with things and may be using different settings than you. If you don't like the prints, don't pay for them! Work with the manager to ensure good results for a good printing relationship.

[kat_75]

WOW! That's a lot to digest! :lol: I will check all these things and see what I figure out. I'm almost positive I've NOT been having the printer color-correct, but I'll also try checking the histograms on my past pictures as well. *gets to work* :D

[Emma]

here's the article on exposing to the right of the histogram, and it really helped explain what the histogram is, and how digital works vs film, etc
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml

[kat_75]

Oh, thank you, Emma! :hug:

Hi Kat,

I'd check which colour profile you are working in from your camera, (if you can't find it in the menu's of the D50 send me a reply and I'll look it up, offhand I think it is under the Custom Settings menu)Colina, could you help me find the color profile in my camera? I have looked and looked. :(

[Christine]

oh dear more stuff I need to learn. :( Oh I mean, yay! an opportunity to learn more stuff. :lol: Does anybody have a link to go about figuring out what you are talking about for the monitor calibration/color settings/print settings? Thanks!

[Emma]

you've tapped me out now on knowledge: I am very weak in color and print management skills! try this thread
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27257

[Colina]

Hi Kat,

Here's where to check for the colour space on your camera:

Press Menu
Scroll down using direction keys to the "camera" icon
Scroll down to Optimize Image, use right arrow to enter sub menu
Scroll down to Custom, use right arrow to enter sub menu
Scroll down to Colour mode
Choose sRGB if you print straight from your card without any editing, there are 2 to choose from:
Choose sRGB Ia for portraits (better skin tones)
Choose sRGB IIIa for landscapes (better greens)
Chose Adobe RGB for images that will be edited in photoshop.

Now for a brief explanation of the colour spaces. sRGB has less colours than Adobe RGB, but commercial printers for the most part use this to process your images. If you are looking to maximize the quality of your images, I would use Adobe RGB. However this can be more complicated as you will have to tell photoshop to let you use it, then convert the final image back to sRGB before sending it to the printer so that the profiles match.

Have I sufficiently confused you, lol? I hope this helps a little.

Direct quote from Nikon: When printing directly to a printing kiosk using Adobe RGB colors will not be as vivid.


Colina

[kat_75]

Colina, thank you so much! That wasnt hard to find at all.

Sooo, if most of my photos are portraits, and I usually edit them after downloading them to the hard drive off the card, I'm better off shooting in AdobeRGB, then just converting back to sRGB before sending off to the printer?

[Colina]

IMHO, yes, that is the work flow that I use, though lately I'm shooting everything in RAW then exporting to Elements for some minor tweaks, then convert to sRGB. There is also the issue of print profiles too, the ICC profile of your print company should match the profile that you are using. Usually I have two copies of an image, the one I edit to look good on my screen and the one I'm going to print. I print out a test image and then make adjustments as required, then print again. I usually print at home as I know the profile of my printer and the kind of paper I'm printing with. Some labs will provide you with their colour profile I think, try asking them. The problem is that you don't know what kind of machine they are printing with nor the kind of paper, these things will affect the printed image. If you do a Google search for "printer profiles" there is info out there. It is confusing, lol. Let me know how your next batch of prints turn out. I know I'm going to put a Spyder colorimeter on my Xmas list this year, it will help to profile my monitor and printer to get consistent results.

[kat_75]

I was just about to ask any recommendations on monitor calibrators, lol! I've seen some brands I recognize, but those arent always best (or cheapest, lol.) I have an LCD monitor. Any thoughts?

[Colina]

I looked at the Huey and the Spyder. The Huey did not do printer profiles from what I could see, but the Spyder does both. The Spyder2 Suite does both calibration and printer profiles, and the Spyder2 pro does the same but for dual monitor set up, and it also measures ambient light in your office. There is a new Spyder3 package, but from the looks of it, they just changed the colorimeter (new and improved, lol). Not sure I want to spend the xtra cash, I'll probably go with the Spyder2 pro.