Color Management Help

[link955]

Hey guy I was looking into printing some of my photos and I realized that my Laptop monitor color profile  default was srgb iec61966. So I then changed it to ProPhoto RGB . Is it really easy as just changing a profile button?? I also changed my PhotoShop profile to ProPhoto RGB.  I know that alot of people use a hardware color calibrator to correctly calibrate them, I dont have the money for one so, how accurate is doing a color calibration in windows without a device? Also do I only have to switch the device profile to make the monitor be in ProPhoto RGB or is there something else?  If i missed anything or did something wrong Please  let me know. Thanks

[ALwin]

Windows color calibrating by eye... utterly useless for photography.  Also, there's really no point in setting your default profile in Windows Color Management to ProPhoto or AdobeRGB if your monitor doesn't even have the capability to display those wide gamuts.

 

Something like Spyder or ColorMunki, hardware calibration tools, work by measuring the color reproduction capability of your monitor to create a profile that an imaging software can use to check how much it differs from a standard profile (e.g. sRGB).  Additionally for printing:

• If you own a photo printer, say an Epson, chances are you can download ICC profiles Epson has created for that specific printer that matches a type of Epson photo paper.  Other photo paper manufacturers such as Ilford or Canon also provide ICC profiles (usually generic) for their different paper types.
• If you use a lab, a proper photo lab and not some supermarket 1-hour print shops, chances are they also provide color profile files you can download.

I think there are some links in one of my guides that refer to color management.  You can also check this site:

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/what_is_colour.html

 

And one more item: Soft Proofing

https://luminous-landscape.com/understanding-soft-proofing/

[link955]

2 minutes ago, ALwin said:

Windows color calibrating by eye... utterly useless for photography.  Also, there's really no point in setting your default profile to ProPhoto or AdobeRGB if your monitor doesn't even have the capability to display those wide gamuts.

 

Something like Spyder or ColorMunki, hardware calibration tools, work by measuring the color reproduction capability of your monitor to create a profile that tells the system how much it differs from a standard profile (e.g. sRGB).  Additionally for printing:

• If you own a photo printer, say an Epson, chances are you can download ICC profiles Epson has created for that specific printer that matches a type of Epson photo paper.  Other photo paper manufacturers such as Ilford or Canon also provide ICC profiles (usually generic) for their different paper types.
• If you use a lab, a proper photo lab and not some supermarket 1-hour print shops, chances are they also provide color profile files you can download.

I think there are some links in one of my guides that refer to color management.  You can also check this site:

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/what_is_colour.html

Okay,  And yes, I am going to use a online photolab "bay photo". So if my monitor cant display all of the color gamuts what should I set my monitor profile as? Also would it be worth it to buy a one of those hardware calibraters if i was going to send them off to a lab, because the more correct the colors are the better. 

[ALwin]

You can buy something like X-Rite ColorMunki Display and it will be very useful.  However, is it necessary?  It's good to have it, but is not essential unless you are actually working professionally and selling prints.

 

Just get the profiles from the lab's website and soft proof your photos.  As for your monitor, use the default sRGB profile that Windows had set.  The next best profile to use would be the one created using a hardware calibration tool.

[link955]

8 minutes ago, ALwin said:

You can buy something like X-Rite ColorMunki Display and it will be very useful.  However, is it necessary?  It's good to have it, but is not essential unless you are actually working professionally and selling prints.

 

Just get the profiles from the lab's website and soft proof your photos.  As for your monitor, use the default sRGB profile that Windows had set.  The next best profile to use would be the one created using a hardware calibration tool.

That   X-Rite ColorMunki Display  looks very cool, but any one less expensive. (I am only 16 with only a small income a month)

[ALwin]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/894645-REG/X_Rite_cmunsml_ColorMonki_Smile_Color_Calibration.html

 

Seems to be the cheapest tool on the market, unless you buy second hand.

[link955]

Just now, ALwin said:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/894645-REG/X_Rite_cmunsml_ColorMonki_Smile_Color_Calibration.html

 

Seems to be the cheapest tool on the market, unless you buy second hand.

Second hand is always fine so ill check into that, As always ALwin Thanks

[ShadowCaptain]

9 hours ago, link955 said:

SNIP

You can probably colour calibrate your screen to some degree, but the limitation is often hardware, and there is no way to overcome this without having a better monitor

That said, unless you are printing photos for an art gallery it wont really matter that much if you cannot get a 100% colour accurate screen

[link955]

9 hours ago, ShadowCaptain said:

You can probably colour calibrate your screen to some degree, but the limitation is often hardware, and there is no way to overcome this without having a better monitor

That said, unless you are printing photos for an art gallery it wont really matter that much if you cannot get a 100% colour accurate screen

Okay makes sense, So unless im printing for a gallery( which im not) as long as I have the printers icc profile and my photos in adobe rgb 1998. I should be okay just for a home thin wrap print. But if I had a monitor calibrator that would help out also. Correct?

[ALwin]

Unless you're printing for exhibitions or for clients, soft proofing using the lab's color profiles is often enough.

[.spider.]

For most people a somewhat correct gamma is enough.

http://www.photoscientia.co.uk/Gamma.htm

Of course you won't get exactly "srgb gamma" or BT.1886 gamma, but it is definitely a good idea to check the monitor's gamma for big errors.