Re: calibrating monitors to what?
Re: calibrating monitors to what?
- Subject: Re: calibrating monitors to what?
- From: email@hidden
- Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 18:09:02 EDT
In a message dated 10/26/01 2:46:22 PM, email@hidden writes:
<< Question 1. My lab sent me a calibration file and print and told me to
use the gamma settings on my monitor to make the calibration file look
like the print that they supplied. I find this is difficult to do.
A.) Is it better to do this or to use the Colorvision spyder and
software (or any other product) to calibrate my monitor?
B.) If the latter (spyder and software), how does the monitor calibrate
to the color lab printer so your prints from the lab match what you see
on your monitor? >>
Dick,
As a photographer who has gone through this process, and feel like I am now
getting predictable and satisfactory results, let me say what I have done and
take it for whatever it is worth.
1) I calibrate my monitor with hardware/software. That HAS to be the basis
for all image manipulations, as it is objective - not subjective like when
the labs ask you to calibrate your monitor to there print. That's bass
ackwards!
2) I do all my RGB workflow in Adobe RGB and that is also what I archive in.
3) The VERY LAST THING I do before sending my files to an outside lab is to
convert the file to sRGB as that space seems to be what most labs use. After
converting, you can see exactly what your image should print like (assuming
the lab has their act together with quality control) and working with
Photoshop 6.0. If the file needs any last minute minor changes after
converting, do it now. Although I find that if I like my file before
converting, it usually doesn't need any change after converting.
This method has been working for me, and I think it should work for most
photographers in general. I steer away from any lab that tells me to
calibrate my monitor to their print. They obviously don't understand digital
and color management.
Ralph Tomaccio