Monitor calibration and proof colors

[iwong]

I am trying to calibrate my LCD monitor (Apple Powerbook 12", I know, laptop LCD's aren't

very good for digital photography post processing, but this is what I have now.) using the

Colorvision Spyder2. What gamma value should I use? I tried 1.8-Native and 2.2-Native,

and what should give me the most natural and accurate output?

 

Also, when trying to match my inkjet printout to the monitor, (I have the Epson R800 and

downloaded the icc profiles for their papers from the website.) should I use Photoshop

CS2's "proof color" view or the default view? I have selected the paper icc profile in the

proof color view is it the correct way to do it? If I compare the print to the default view, my

print appears too dark (yes, I have turned off the printer's own color management and

chose "let Photoshop determine colors" and selected the correct paper profile.) And if I

compare the print to the "proof view", the color seems slightly off. That was why my first

question of 1.8-Native or 2.2-Native in the calibration process.

 

Thanks for any insights.

[patricklavoie]

If i was you, i didtn bother trying to calibrate my laptop screen but i am not you, so here is

the answer. gamma 2.2 - 6500K. Since you have a laptop screen it is normal that what you

see could be too dark, too pale etc...that why you should invest in a external display, until

then everything you see will be problematic.

[iwong]

I wasn't using the "print preview" window when trying to match my printout. The question

is, should I use the normal view (where you do your edits) or the "proof colors" view,

accessible by pressing Command-Y on the Mac? I picked my paper's ICC profile for this

view if that makes any sense or if I am completely out to lunch?

[iwong]

Ahhh... this is starting to make sense now. That's what I was predicting, and you need two

copies of the same image, one for your calibrated monitor (and for screen use for anyone

with a calibrated display) and one (or more) for your printer with the specific paper and

ICC profile for that combination. Your master (screen copy) would be your reference and

you tweak your "proof color" copy to tailor that to your specific printer and paper to match

your master copy as closely as possible.

 

I noticed that my printouts are much better this way. Previously I was trying to match my

printout to the screen master copy and the print was always too dark.