Screen & Printer calibration - how is yours setup?

Biggus

Biggus

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I've recently got a new 17" LCD monitor (Digimate 1718 from Aria Technology £135 inc) which I believe I have setup as near perfect as I can get it. I've also just got a Canon iP4000 inkjet printer to help do my images justice, but what I see onscreen does not correlate what I see in print :(

I think it is something to do with Photoshop CS, because all web images and Windows Explorer previews etc look spot-on, but they seem very different in CS. I'll post a few examples to try and show what I mean...

These settings look good on anything but CS
Daff1.jpg


With 25% extra saturation like this it prints fine
Daff2.jpg


The only way I've come up with the ability to print 95% satisfactory is to adjust the "colour settings" option in CS to set my monitor saturation to "Desaturate by 25%", and then saturate the image by 25% to make the print look as on screen.

Another strange thing is that this image looks fine on screen but looks like it has a purple tint to the reds when printed (ignore the crap composition BTW) :(
Thomas1.jpg


There is obviously something wrong with my setup, but I can't figure it out, anyone able to offer some assistance?
 
You need to calibrate the monitor in PS CS.

Try THIS LINK for monitor calibration.

When you have your monitor calibrated you then need to calibrate your printer to match what you see on the screen.
Have a look at your printer manufacturers site for info on profiling your printer.

Also you will need to save a profile for each type of paper used.
 
I don't have an lcd monitor, I used Adobe Gaamma to set up my monitor and when I print I use Kodak colour management system in both elements and my printer settings, that gives me pretty good results as long as the paper is good.
 
Sorry I forgot to mention that I have already setup the monitor using Adobe Gamma, and it display all images really well EXCEPT while using CS :(

As for help on Canon's site, what help? :roll:

How do the above images look to you?
Do they look okay, or strangely coloured as to what you would expect?
 
Biggus said:
How do the above images look to you?
Do they look okay, or strangely coloured as to what you would expect?
Click to expand...

They look OK on my LCD monitor. In that last pic there doesn't seem to be any problem with the purple dress and the different reds of the sofa and curtains. Slightly reddish flesh tones maybe, but otherwise.... fine.
 
Ah thanks, so it seems like I have my monitor about right, so now to find out how to get CS to print the same as that :?: :?
 
I don't use Photoshop that much, but I've always found colour calibration a PIA with PS to be honest. Have you got Colour Mangement enabled or disabled? A temporary 'fix' may be to disable Colour Management in PS until you can sort it out.
 
The three images up there ^ all look fine to me.
 
Sorry if I'm preaching a gospel that some have heard before, but what suits me is a very simple approach to colour management that works (for me!). I'm not criticising anyone for doing it a different way, but if you're having trouble then perhaps try this.

IMO it's important that an image looks right not just on PS and on your printer, but also to other people who may view it. It is quite possible to set up your image editor and your printer so the two look right and near-identical, but the image may be way out when viewed outside the editor, or on another machine, or on the web.

My first step is to use a test image and view this in Explorer - not in PS, PSP or an image editor which may apply a profile. Use your monitor settings or a monitor calibration tool (again, not from within an editor) to adjust the monitor so the image looks right. In particular, the flesh tones should be natural, the contrast should be right and there should be no colour cast in the b/w image. You can also check the black and white points and colour gradation using patch bars such as these.

Most monitors allow you to adjust gamma, contrast and other parameters to achieve good results. Beware of the calibration tests that have a solid rectangle surrounded by horizontal lines, and ask you to match the tone of the two - this may work fine on CRT displays, but in my experience it is very unreliable with LCD.

The next step is to produce the same results in your image editor. With PSP this is simple - just make sure that Monitor Calibration in the Tools menu is set to 0,0,0 and that Colour Management is disabled. This ensures that PSP does not change the monitor parameters from what you have set globally. With other editors you may be able to do the same. I'll say again that (IMO) there is no point in having images that look good in Photoshop CS (or whatever) and not elsewhere. Elsewhere is what matters to most other people who will be viewing your images on their screens!

The final stage is to calibrate the printer. Most photo paper manufacturers recommend a default setting for various types/makes of printer, and this is a good starting point. Make a test print, and compare it with the (now 'correct') screen image. Make any adjustments using the controls in the printer driver - CMYK, gamma/lightness/brightness so the print looks like what you see on the screen, more-or-less. The tonal balance will vary according to lighting conditions, so don't expect it to be an exact match in different light. Having found the right settings, you can usually save these as a Custom Profile which you can apply easily in future. You will probably need a different profile for each type of paper you use.

Remember that a monitor's output can change with age, so recheck every so often. Also, there may be slight variations between different batches of ink cartridges or paper, and print head wear can also affect the balance, so some tweaking may be necessary from time to time.

I won't be offended if you think that this method is no match for 'proper' calibration with ICC profiles etc. All I can say is that it works fine for me, to the extent that I've never felt the need for anything more complicated. What I see on the screen looks right, and what I get from the printer is a very close match. It was never as easy in film days. :D
 
Steep said:
The three images up there ^ all look fine to me.
Click to expand...

What he said.

I cant help much on calibration though as I have a dual monitor setup with my second monitor calibrated to Photobox's (an online professional print service) settings so that my prints come back exactly as I want. I find this to be slightly less saturated and contrasty as I like to view on a daily basis but my prints come back exactly as I want.
 
Thanks for the tips etc., that PDF doc with the colour strips looks useful, but I'll try and redo my settings later when it's dark and I can control what light is hitting the monitor.
 
I think this has parrallels to the printing tutorial I put up in the tutorials section. Basicaly, the easiest way is to use Adobe Gamma. It does an OK job of setting up a monitor. More complicated systems are around, like the Optical Spyder etc, but to be honest, it's the printing that's most crucial. So long as you use the RGB gamma settings, and not the single grey one in Adobe Gamma, it does a pretty decent job.

More importantly is getting a good profile for your printer, AND your media. If you can't find one (refer to my tutorial for installing a ICC profile instructions), then there are people who will profile your entire workflow for a nominal fee.

Once calibrated, and you have a good ICC profile for your printer, and paper, then printing really is as easy as pressing print... well, almost... (again.. (yawn).. see my tutorial).

What you see on screen should be what comes out of your printer... if not, then it's not set up correctly.

Using the printer driver's colour corection options is rubbish.

Go here http://thephotographyforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=166
 
Biggus said:
Sorry I forgot to mention that I have already setup the monitor using Adobe Gamma, and it display all images really well EXCEPT while using CS :(

As for help on Canon's site, what help? :roll:

How do the above images look to you?
Do they look okay, or strangely coloured as to what you would expect?
Click to expand...

Oh.... BTW>.. the above images appear perfect on my calibrated monitor.
 
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