aubsxc
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
|
 p.2 #4 · Monitor Calibration...necessary? | |
Peter Figen explained the basic concepts very nicely in an earlier post. I suggest you go back and read his post again, and then spend some time reading up on color management using online resources like the following:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/color-management-printing.htm
In a nutshell, every device you use has a unique color space (a numerical definition of how colors are mapped within a three dimensional space defined using combinations of red, green and blue colors for an RGB system). The goal of color management is to define the color space of every device you use so you can accurately and consistently translate color data from one space to another while working within a standard color space.
Calibrating a monitor sets it a standard state with known color temperature, gamma, white and black levels. Profiling a device numerically defines (a) how colors are reproduced by that device, and (b) the range of colors that can be reproduced by the device (this is called the gamut).
When you work in Photoshop/LR, your work is done inside a STANDARD color space (like Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB etc). In order to accurately display the colors in an image (capture from camera/scanner or a document you create using software like Paint) on your monitor, the software has to know the color space of the monitor so it can translate the data in your image from the STANDARD color space to the monitor's color space. The STANDARD color spaces we use are typically much larger than your monitors color space, and if some colors present in your image exceed the gamut of your monitor, they will be displayed using the instructions you give the software via the Rendering Intent function you select.
Similarly, when we profile a printer using a specific set of inks and a specific paper, we define the color space of that combination, so Photoshop can translate the image data from the STANDARD color space to the printers color space. As with the monitor, some colors in your image may exceed the printer's gamut, in which you compromise by instructing the software to render out of gamut colors using the rendering intent you select.
Paper manufacturers usually provide profiles for their paper customized for commonly used printers. You can use these profiles as a starting point. If you are not happy with the generic profiles, you can create custom profiles for your printer and specific papers using hardware and software. When you have profiled your monitor and printer, you can use the soft proofing function in the software to visualize what your print will look like on your monitor. For printing your work, you basically have three options
Option 1: Create your own profiles using photospectrometers and associated software like Colormunki Design. Your initial investment is high because you could spend anywhere from about $400 to $3000 or more to buy the system. However, if you work with several printers and many paper types, you can do all the work yourself with complete control over the process while saving money in the long run.
Option 2: Use a mail-in service to get your paper/ink/printer combinations profiled. You download color targets from the vendors website, print them using those the combinations you want to profile, mail the prints to the vendor, and then electronically download the profiles after a few days. Less expensive if you only use a limited number of printer/ink/paper combinations, and someone else does all the work.
Option 3: Use a printing service. Download the color profiles for the specific printer/paper combinations from the vendor's website, use the profile(s) to soft proof your images, upload your image file to the vendors website, and wait for your prints to be delivered.
Obviously, there are many factors that affect how your prints end up looking. Again, if you spend some time educating yourself on the color management process, you will reap the benefits in the long run.
|
