AdoramaPix Forums/Solutions Library/Preparing digital photos for printing
Color calibration and custom correction
Al Escudero
posted this on August 02, 2010 12:47 pm
Our Corrections System
AdoramaPix technicians enhance every image in your print order by fixing some common photographic snafus like exposure and color correction. How do they know what color your photos are supposed to be? They know what they’re doing. Our technicians aren’t short term employees who are working part time while they focus on something else, they are professionally trained photographers whose job is to make sure every print that leaves our hands looks great. We use state-of-the-art equipment and software, and have the advantage of color-calibrated monitors/displays for consistently performing color and brightness correction. AdoramaPix strongly suggests that you upload the original images right from your camera and leave it to our trained tech to adjust the image spatially if you don't have a properly color calibrated monitor. Color changes made by you may look good on your monitor but the actual print won’t look the same. Even cropping should be done through our website after uploading.
Custom image corrections
For professionals or advanced amateurs who would like to have total control over the color and the density of the final prints, you can do so by telling us not to change anything in your image, so that AdoramaPix technicians do not overwrite the color correction you've applied to the photos in your order. If you decide to choose this option make sure that your monitor is properly color corrected. You may ask, how do I calibrate my monitor? It’s easier than it sounds. Check out the tutorial at http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibration.htm
You’ll also want to download the Adorama ICC printer profile here: (Updated 31-Mar-2011)
For Regular Prints:
For Posters (16x20 and up):
For Photo Books:
- Archival Album Paper Profile
- Fuji Crystal Archive profile for Covers
- Fuji Crystal Archive profile for 12" Covers
Where to store the downloaded profiles:
Mac OS X:
- Storing profiles in /Library/ColorSync/Profiles allows all users to use them. An alternative area, for users without Admin privileges, is /Users//Library/ColorSync/Profiles — any profiles stored here are available only to the current user. The ColorSync Utility gives access to the details of individual profiles, shows gamut plots, can rename profiles, validates profile structure, among other useful tasks.
Mac OS 9.x:
- System Folder:ColorSync Profiles
- Mac OS 9.x users who have difficulty loading profiles in Photoshop, please read this note.
Windows XP and Vista:
- \Windows\system32\spool\drivers\color
- Microsoft has a Control Panel Applet that emulates some of the functionality of Apple's ColorSync utility. It allows easy installation and removal of profiles, editing of internal and external names, viewing 3-D gamut plots, comparing two different profiles, and much more.
- If you do not use the Color Applet, the easiest way to install a profile in Windows XP is to right click on the profile in Windows Explorer and select "install profile". Windows copies the profile to the correct directory automatically.
- Important note: If you are replacing a profile in Windows XP, the above shortcut does not work. The profiles must be manually copied to the correct directory for the original profile to be replaced.
Windows NT/2000:
- \Winnt\system32\spool\drivers\color
- See above note on installing profiles in Windows XP. The same technique works in Windows 2000.
Windows 98/ME:
- \Windows\System\Colo
Comments
Which rendering intent should be used in Photoshop when soft proofing?
Keep it to “relative color metric“ and you should be ok.
I've corrected my image using the icc profile for the paper - when I save the image, should I convert the image to the output color profile?
do i have to check on simulate paper color on photoshop?
@ Daniel: If you're sure that your monitor is calibrated correctly, and you're saving the images in sRGB space to sent to Adorama then you probably don't need to have them do any color corrections. You should make sure your monitor is set to the right brightness. Most of the time monitors for home use are set too bright and your prints will come back too dark.
@ Leda: When you save images, you should just save with the sRGB profile. Use the ICC printer profiles for soft proofing only to get an idea of how your images' colors will change when printed on a specific paper.
@ Jose: The "simulate paper color" option in Photoshop isn't great--it'll usually make your onscreen images a bit duller than they would actually appear in the final print. I don't use that, and most books I've read on soft proofing suggest not using it either. You should realize that a print will never have the pop that an onscreen backlit image has, but "simulate paper color" takes it a bit too far IMO.
follow-up question from Leda Robertson (above): how do I know what is the "right brightness" which my monitor should be set to to ensure that my prints don't come back to me too dark? I use a Dell laptop.
Setting the correct brightness is a bit difficult and a bit subjective depending on the conditions you'll view the final print in (your print will look brighter in sunlight than it will under normal home lighting at night). Most recommendations I've seen suggest monitor intensity be between 90-120 cd/m^2, but you'll need a way to measure that and the "best" value will change depending on the lighting in the room with your monitor. The Spyder Elite software can measure your ambient room temperature, suggest a brightness value, and help you get there, but you'll have to adjust the brightness of the monitor on your own. Other color profiling packages maybe be able to do the same, I've just not used them. Lower-end monitors (this probably includes laptop screens) may not be able to get as low as 90 cd/m^2 and still produce accurate colors. Some high end monitors with their own colorimeters and software can adjust screen brightness automatically to a value you set (some of the NEC MultiSync line, for example).
If you don't have calibration software or the ability to measure screen brightness, the only thing I can suggest is to make a few prints on your own printer or from Adorama and adjust your monitor brightness to try to match the print. If your prints are too dark, try lowering the monitor brightness to make the image on screen look as dark as your print. Re-edit those photos to make them brighter and try printing again to see if the on screen match is closer.
I use an NEC MultiSync 2690WUXi2 and NEC's SpectraView II software. I've calibrated to D65, gamma 2.2, and intensity 110.0 cd/m^2. Viewed near a bright window I'd say my prints match the brightness of my screen when viewed in dimly lit (not black) room. Viewing at night with typical home lighting my prints appear darker (as one would expect) to the point where monitor intensity of 100 cd/m^2 or lower would probably be more appropriate, but a compromise has to be made somewhere.
Hope this information helps.
I always save with the profile after I color correct a photo. but I just read this in the icc profile page from Adoramzpix "Save this proof setup for future use, naming it AdoramaPixBook, or something to let you know what type of printing it is to be used for. You can view and edit the image while in the "proof" mode and see immediately how your corrections will be reflected in the final print. Once you're satisfied with your images, save them, but do NOT embed the profile in the image file."
If I do not embed the color profile, there is a chance end up with different color profile by mistake. Please help!