michael_wilson9 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I just started printing some photos on my new computer. The pictures come out real washed out from what I see on the screen. The colors on the monitor look really nice. I have all of my drivers updated for Vista. The computer was given to me dirt cheap that is why I have vista. Canon drivers updated. Graphics card drivers updated. Monitor driver updated. I have looked into buying a monitor calibrator. It seems as though the issue is with the printer that I have been using for almost a year and half now. Any suggestions. Possible suggestions on which monitor calibration hardware to get. I do not want to have to buy a print calibrater. way too much money for my hobby. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinsouthern Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 The usual cause is shooting and editing using the Adobe RGB colourspace, and then printing to a device that assumes that you're using a sRGB colourspace. We'd ned to know more about your software to be able to help further though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 >>>The pictures come out real washed out from what I see on the screen. The colors on the monitor look really nice. >>> I have looked into buying a monitor calibrator. Consider monitor calibration as a first start. Many monitors are initially set to provide extremely vivid and punchy/contrasty results. Then, in your editing software you adjust your image to compensate for that extreme monitor response. But then, as a result of that extreme compensation, your image looks washed out when printed. www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericf1 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 You can get a calibration device for about $70 (Spyder 2 Express), and you'll waste alot more than that in paper and ink trying to get a good print out of you uncalibrated monitor. Do a search on the topic for much more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickhilker Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Eric's advice is surely worth following, though what's worked well for me for many years is to simply adjust the monitor to look like the print, then adjust contrast, color and brilliance in P/S to what you want. The resulting print will ordinarily look exactly like what you see on the monitor, adjusting for the effect of back-lighting on the monitor vs. ambient light on the print. However, this method is only valid if you do your own printing and would be unreliable for sending work out for printing or publishing. I use Epson 2200 and 7800 printers and do a substantial amount of giclee printing for some very critical artists. I know this method is viewed by many here as heresy, but since it does work for me, I wouldn't dare screw things up with some electro-mechanical gadgetry that might not do as well. So many of the questions here seem to involve problems members have with their calibration equipment that I'd rather stick with something that works -- at least for me, and perhaps for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans_waterlander Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Dick, To many your remarks are not only heresy but straightforward bad advice. Yes, it may work for you (kind of) but it is a bad habit that you need to kick as soon as possible. Believe me and most others, once you start calibrating you never want to go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickhilker Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Frans, I do understand your position and that's why I cautioned against using the method for any other than personal printing. When you say "it may work for you (kind of)," you do so with no firsthand knowledge of the results I've obtained. My submissions consistently do well in competitions with the result that some very good photographers pay me to make their exhibition-quality prints for them and a number of talentsd painters regularly depend on me to make their giclee prints. Maybe they could be better, but so long as what I print is a precise match to what I see on the monitor and so many others agree, I'm not about to mess with what works so well. I'm not suggesting that this is the best way for everyone to work, but simply offered it as an alternative. I've been making photographs for about sixty years and am still learning, but respectfully submit that it doesn't have to be so terribly complicated. To compound the felony, neither do I use special profiles for non- Epson papers, finding that certain Epson profiles work perfectly well for many of the other papers I use for the giclee work. Are you a photographer, Frans? Since you've not shared any of your work with us, it's a bit difficult for me to accept your suggestion that what I've offered is such "straightforward bad advice." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wing8 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Michael, I agree with the need for monitor calibration. You didn't say what software you're using. This may help get specific answers to your situation. It looks like your using a Canon printer, be sure you're using the correct profile for the paper you are using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans_waterlander Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Dick, It may work for you, but your eye is a far worse tool for calibration than a calibrator whether for personal or professional printing. I've been on a long quest for monitor-to-print matching and a hardware/software calibrator is one of the most fundamental tools as is matching brightness and color temperature between your monitor and digital darkroom lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickhilker Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Perhaps, Frans, my advice should have been tempered with the realization that my old Princeton Graphics CRT monitor may offer more flexibility in adjustment than newer ones do. I'm not familiar with what's currently available and so perhaps I made an erroneous assumption about the range of adjustments that might be made. My approach is clearly one of pragmatism and I can readily accept that I either have pretty good eyesight for an old guy or have been extremely lucky all these years. I'm sure an electronic device is far more accurate than human sight, but if I can achieve what my clients and I desire, I'm more than a bit loathe to mess with what works for me. I understand how important it is to standardize the darkroom lighting and have been careful to maintain the same environment during my work there. Prints are judged by the light of a north-facing window and again by the typical incandescent lighting in which they'll most often be viewed. If they pass both tests, everybody's happy. I periodically run a test print with a standard color chart and, if necessary, visually recalibrate the monitor. One customer to whom I've sold some prints is a noted landscape photographer here in New England: he feels just as you do about my methodology (or lack of it,) yet grudgingly concedes that it does seem to work for me and -- just maybe -- I shouldn't tamper with it. He'd still like to bring his gear over and show me how easy it is, though. Maybe someday . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans_waterlander Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Dick, Do yourself a favor and let it be rather sooner than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_wilson9 Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 I am using different software. Most of the photos are not even touched up. I am looking at some of my old photos from back in the early 2000's. Pictures were taken with a small compact olympus camera. The files have not been adjusted in any software yet. I have not even opened up any of the software just yet. Mostly just trying to check out the new system. My old PC and Monitor and printer were pretty darn close. Never even gave it a second thought. Now I see a huge difference and this is a whole new world for me. Seems like there is just way too much information to handle. I seem like I am in overload mode. I will be using photoshop elements 6. Is there anything I can do in my Canon 40D and photoshop to best match the color schemes? sRGB? I appreciated the help so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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