The process of managing color settings on various viewing/output devices (computer monitors, projectors, printers, etc) so that colors appear the same regardless of how an image is viewed.
39
votes
5answers
1k views
What should I look for in a monitor for photo processing?
What aspects should one keep in mind when choosing monitor for photo processing? What about color gamut, panel types, input types, requirements for video card, different gammas, refresh rate, angle of ...
21
votes
3answers
473 views
What are Color Profiles and where would I find information on using them properly?
I see the term "Color Profile" a lot and I have this vague idea that it helps you adjust color values based on the unique differences of both cameras, displays and printers from some ideal device. ...
21
votes
8answers
2k views
How can I validate my monitor's color calibration?
I just finished re-calibrating my display using ArgyllCMS and my Pantone Huey, and I would like to validate somehow that I've done it correctly. How can I do so simply, without buying more stuff?
...
20
votes
4answers
3k views
What cheap colour calibrators are available for Linux?
I have several computers (at work, at home, laptops, etc.) that all display my photos differently. Alas, it's time to get a colour calibration device — but which to choose?
I am no professional, so ...
15
votes
5answers
985 views
Why isn't the xvYCC color space seeing uptake for still photography?
For the last fifteen years, sRGB has been the primary standard for computer monitors (and for consumer-level printing). That's changing now, as wider-gamut LED-backlit monitors become common. Usually, ...
15
votes
5answers
11k views
How many colors and shades can the human eye distinguish in a single scene?
How many distinct colors, shades, hues, and tints can the average person distinguish in a single scene? In other words, what's the theoretical bit-depth required to be sure of recording a photograph ...
15
votes
3answers
12k views
What white point temperature should I set my LCD monitor to?
I've got the Xrite Eye One Display 2, and tried the advanced calibration today for the first time. It asked what white point I wanted, and had a default of 6500K. I didn't realize that was up for ...
15
votes
4answers
481 views
Questions to ask when using a professional printing service
I do lots of landscape photography. A friend of mine wants one of my photographs printed; I've never done this before! All of my photos are post-processed in Photoshop, and I only generate JPEG's for ...
14
votes
6answers
8k views
Why do my prints look different from what I see on my computer monitor?
I haven't printed any of my photos yet but I decided to give it a try. I am thinking of getting a printer of my own but before that I wanted to see how they would look. So, I simply printed one at the ...
14
votes
3answers
1k views
Why not use a camera as a colorimeter?
Clearly to achieve reliable results, it is essential to calibrate key parts of the imaging pipeline - particularly the computer display on which images are edited.
Few seem to question the ...
13
votes
3answers
597 views
How do color spaces like sRGB and Adobe RGB overlap?
Is sRGB included in Adobe RGB, and Adobe RGB included in ProPhoto RGB? Meaning that a photo in a "lower space" will look like exactly the same in a "higher space", e.g. a sRGB photo will look like ...
13
votes
1answer
578 views
Where can I find good test image(s) to send to a print lab?
I am looking for a good test image to send to a print lab, to test my system's color calibration.
I'll be sending my own photos too, of course, but I would also like to include one or two test images ...
13
votes
2answers
4k views
After monitor calibration colors on my two monitors are still different, why?
I have a pair of pretty nice monitors (HP ZR30w) which I calibrated with a pretty good calibrator (i1-Pro) and after I calibrated both they still show colors every so slightly differently. My left ...
12
votes
4answers
763 views
Do all monitors do (or need) calibration?
I need to buy a new monitor and I do not want to spend hours calibrating. I have an Apple pro laptop and I use Adobe Photoshop. Do all monitors do calibration? I was told that the Apple monitor does ...
12
votes
3answers
485 views
What are the recommendations for getting best color matching when using a photolab?
So I want to use one of the many online printer photolabs to send my photos to and have them print them and send them back. What is the best way to make sure the colors I see on my monitor match what ...
11
votes
2answers
780 views
What software shows the most accurate version of a photograph for web viewing?
I have a photo (photo_A.jpg), taken on a post-sunset beach, for which I want to reduce some noise. I do so using the luminance noise reduction technique from Adobe Camera Raw, open the image in ...
9
votes
4answers
266 views
What workflow will preserve color accuracy?
My current workflow as regards color spaces is this:
Shoot in Adobe98 colorspace in RAW.
Process on a calibrated Mac monitor (I believe that the gamma is 2.2) using Lightroom
Produce jpgs in sRGB ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
What colour space to use when printing digital photos?
As is customary with preparing images for print in a magazine or newspaper, I convert my digital photos from RGB to CMYK before inserting into my publishing application. However, when I'm printing ...
9
votes
1answer
883 views
Has anyone tried the ColorHug?
Based on a previous question What cheap colour calibrators are available for Linux?
One of the answers was ColorHug (from http://www.hughski.com). This seems quite value for money. Has anyone tested ...
9
votes
3answers
378 views
How can I know the color capabilities of my monitors?
I've read around a lot on the whole color-management thing. Gamut. Calibration...
How can I know what my monitor is capable of?
At home I have a Samsung 220wm and at work I have some older IBM ...
9
votes
3answers
821 views
Do monitor calibration tools adjust screen brightness too?
I recently had an online lab print some of my photos and they all came out far darker than I was seeing them on my monitor.
They also sent me a calibration print which I could compare to the same ...
9
votes
1answer
943 views
How do you use Kodak Color Control Patches for photo color/tone restoration?
If you look at a source like Library of Congress royalty free gallery, they go an extra step beyond just dumping a bunch of images, but provide them with Kodak Color Control Patches. This is nice, ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Photo printers that don't need calibration?
I am looking for a new photo printer, something in the price range of Canon PIXMA Pro9000/9500 Mark II or Epson Stylus Photo 1400/R2880.
If I am using papers and colour profiles provided by the ...
8
votes
7answers
2k views
How can I ensure proper color rendition with browsers on wide gamut displays?
When editing for the web, everyone will recommend you to use sRGB, since a lot of browsers don't offer color management, and most browsers will interpret all images as being sRGB anyway.
This is ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
How to choose a good external monitor for photo editing
I have a 13 inch macbook pro and its about the only computer I own. I'm very much into photography these days and the small 13" screen somehow doesn't feel adequate to get a real feel of the photos. ...
8
votes
2answers
303 views
What is the best equipment for a good (semi-)professional color management?
I actually use a GretaMacbeth ColorChecker 24 to be able to produce .dng and have a good color checking.
Now it is time to reach a better result, taking in to account a better calibration of the ...
7
votes
3answers
327 views
Love these colors/style - tips on achieving the same look?
I'm looking for some advice on achieving the look this photographer has:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yosigo/4670815511/
I love the style and tones of everything. Wondering what sort of thing, both ...
7
votes
7answers
3k views
Why are my Lightroom exports too dark in Flickr?
I've been using LR3 for a while now and have noticed that when I export a photo to JPG and upload it to Flickr it ends up slightly darker. The exported photo is ok, it's the image when viewed through ...
7
votes
4answers
666 views
Vibrant colors in pictures
what are the settings on my camera that I should be concentrating on getting vibrant colors in my pics.
I sure can take a picture in RAW and play with it in photoshop and get all I want, but I'm ...
6
votes
1answer
238 views
What should I consider when designing my physical environment for photo editing?
I am in the process of building a controlled environment in which to edit photos. Other questions have addressed the gamut, the monitor and color calibration, but for the most accurate display of ...
6
votes
1answer
861 views
If I assign a profile to my monitor in Gnome Color Manager, should I also enable that profile in Gimp?
I finally got around to using dispcalGUI to profile my monitor under Linux. Now, having assigned that profile system-wide using Gnome Color Manager (or the Xfce Color settings dialog), there's a ...
5
votes
5answers
428 views
Does Earth's latitude affect the color of light?
I was talking with a friend about what conditions can affect color, gamma and white balance, and how to get in order these variables into the configuration to set up and get a good shot.
Beside the ...
5
votes
2answers
786 views
Why do JPEGs only look right when exported from Lightroom in sRGB color space?
When I export RAW photos (Nikon D5000 NEF photos converted in DNG format by lightroom) as JPEG, the only way to get the same color as the original photo is by setting the sRGB color profile in the ...
5
votes
4answers
564 views
Why don't you need to calibrate a camera's LCD screen?
I saw this question from Leon Neal on Twitter a while back:
If a computer screen needs constant calibration and checks, how come the screens on our cameras lack that facility?
I can think of a ...
5
votes
3answers
594 views
Do I need to calibrate my monitor to match my printer?
I just purchased the Canon MG8220 all-in-one photo printer. To get the most accuracy with my photo prints, do I need to calibrate my monitor to match the printer? I am running OSX Lion on a 2011 iMac ...
5
votes
1answer
441 views
How does a display calibration device like the Spyder 3 work?
I was looking up information about monitor calibration and came across the Spyder 3 Express, Pro, and Elite.
How does the Spyder 3 work to calibrate your monitor correctly?
5
votes
2answers
305 views
How can I evaluate the colour accuracy of my photos?
I have noticed that the colours in my photos are quite dependant on the medium on which I am viewing them — the camera LCD, computer monitor, TV, digital photo frame and print. So, something that ...
5
votes
1answer
142 views
Calibrating monitor for editing photos for publishing on web [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What software shows the most accurate version of a photograph for web viewing?
I have a bunch of photos taken in rather difficult lighting conditions and I am trying to ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
Does embedding an ICC profile into an image actually embed the entirety of that profile into an image?
This is very much a imaging question, but Photography looked like the best site to ask.
I've been reading information about ICC, color spaces, JPEG metadata, and the like trying to understand this.
...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How to estimate colour temperature of the illuminant from a photograph of a standard colour chart?
I am working on a digital still camera. I need to compute the colour temperature of the illuminant programmatically using some algorithm (not using a third party tool from Adobe or etc.).
In my case ...
5
votes
1answer
251 views
Color Management and screen standby
I've calibrated my notebook-Display using a Spyder3 pro.
The strange thing: when the notebook display goes blank for video standby and I wake it up by pressing a key or moving the mouse, for a second ...
5
votes
2answers
291 views
What are the proper Photoshop settings for the most consistent color on screen?
There are some in-depth answers on the topic of color profiles including this one by jrista, but it all makes my head spin, and I suspect I'm not alone. I'd like to ask a question that will hopefully ...
5
votes
2answers
470 views
Colors while scanning a cross-processed film: why [not] so vivid?
In this question I am trying to understand the nature of colors in scanning cross-processed films. I've thought that I'm okay with photoshop, with subtractive and additive colors etc etc etc, but ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Why do my image colors look drastically different in photoshop than lightroom on two calibrated monitors?
I am using Lightroom 5 and Photoshop cs5. I have two monitors, both are calibrated, (one is a better screen and more precise but they are very close.) When LR is open I can drag it from one screen to ...
4
votes
3answers
184 views
My pictures are never printed. Is there any point in buying a better monitor?
My monitor is pretty cheap and its colours are horribly dependent on the viewing angle, the moon and whatnot. I could edit my pictures on my old CRT, but its contrast and sharpness are quite bad.
On ...
4
votes
4answers
6k views
How can I get accurate photo colors on a laptop screen?
My editing mainly involves these things:
Adjusting the colors, white balance , brightness (slightly , to get that subtle combination)
Cropping of the images.
I have recently bought a laptop and I ...
4
votes
2answers
154 views
How can several gray card shots help with metamerism?
In a comment to my answer on gray card angles, @underarock mentioned having used several gray card shots at different angles to cope better with metamerism.
This sounds intriguing, but I'm still not ...
4
votes
3answers
216 views
What are the statistics on users posting photos to the web with a color profile embedded?
I am coming from StackOverflow, from this question specifically:
How to stop GD2 from washing away the colors upon resizing images?
Summary: I have a photo gallery website on which the image resizing ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Why doesn't Lightroom offer conversion from RGB to CMYK?
I have never fully understood why Lightroom works exclusively in the RGB colour space. I would assume that a large number of Lightroom users use the software to prepare their photos for print. Yet, I ...
4
votes
4answers
256 views
How can I prevent photos losing vibrancy when printed?
I take a number of landscape photos which I then do quite a bit of post production work with in photoshop elements 9. When I take them to my local photographic shop (I am not talking Boots etc) and ...
