Monitor Color Accuracy Help

I'm having a specific problem in trying to get my monitor to give me an accurate preview to the printed image.

If I take a picture with my camear (sRGB) and output it to my Canon S820 it prints what I think is pretty accurate. So I've gotten used to doing all my editing, ignoring how innacurate it looks in photoshop (using levels, etc. instead).

But the screen bears no resemblance to the prinout. So I went and bought that ColorVision thing advertised here. Tried it out, set up a brand new profile.

Guess what? The pictures look even LESS like the printer.

If I tell Photoshop NO color management it is closest, but still not right.

What am I supposed to be doing to make my monitor resemble my printer? I tried searching, but all the discussions seem around making the printer match the monitor, I am going the other way around.

--
Rick Flashman
Orlando, Florida

Hey Rick,

It can be a pain, but the best advice I can offer is to look up Adobe Gamma and Profiling throughout this board. If you look at my profile you will see I posted several things about this, and many other have as well.

Key is to make sure your monitor is set up correct first, then start profiling. Check out this tutorial - http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps7-colour/ps7_1.htm

It does a good job of explaning many issues, and isn't too technical.

I use simple Adobe Gamma, and utilize many color spaces depending on what I want(sRGB,Adobe1998,Printer-specificProfile) - they all work flawlessly no matter what I do. It's easy to get correct if you go in the correct order, and are certain of what you are looking for.

Start at the Darkroom tutorial and read a few of my past messages. If you still need more clarification I'll be glad to help.

Vendra

Vendra said:

Hey Rick,

It can be a pain, but the best advice I can offer is to look up
Adobe Gamma and Profiling throughout this board. If you look at my
profile you will see I posted several things about this, and many
other have as well.

Key is to make sure your monitor is set up correct first, then
start profiling. Check out this tutorial -
http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps7-colour/ps7_1.htm

It does a good job of explaning many issues, and isn't too technical.

I use simple Adobe Gamma, and utilize many color spaces depending
on what I want(sRGB,Adobe1998,Printer-specificProfile) - they all
work flawlessly no matter what I do. It's easy to get correct if
you go in the correct order, and are certain of what you are
looking for.

Start at the Darkroom tutorial and read a few of my past messages.
If you still need more clarification I'll be glad to help.

Vendra

Click to expand...

I actually looked right at that article before posting. I used a ColorVision Pantone eye thing to calibrate my monitor, Adobe Gamma before that. Monitor seems to be calibrated pretty good... just doesn't match print.

All the articles on HOW to calibrate make sense. I did that. It doesn't match print. Yet the print is accurate. Monitor images are not as nice or accurate as print.

Just wish there was a way to see accurate skin tones on monitor without having to waste printouts to see what color adjustments I need to make. I don't know where to turn next and I hate throwing more money after bad.

--
Rick Flashman
Orlando, Florida

Vendra said:

I use simple Adobe Gamma, and utilize many color spaces depending
on what I want(sRGB,Adobe1998,Printer-specificProfile)

Click to expand...

Venra, hi!

I also use Adoba Gamma to calibrate my monitor. I use the sliders at the Adobe Gamma window to make any corrections, but as far as I know using those sliders (which practically change the gamma of each R, G, B gun of your monitor) prevents your monitor from showing all its possible gammut.

So, I was thinking to use my monitor's controls in order to make any adjustments by looking at the RGB boxes of Adobe Gamma. My monitor has both Gain and Cut Off adjustments, but which is the one that I should be using to do the above?

Thanks

PS: Sorry if anything is unclear, but I tried to keep it short. Let me know if I shall explain something again.

--
Pabletto
http://www.pbase.com/pabletto
(samples taken with the MINOLTA DiMAGE 7)
Last update 22 October 2002 (Flower shots)

Rick Flashman said:

All the articles on HOW to calibrate make sense. I did that. It
doesn't match print. Yet the print is accurate. Monitor images are
not as nice or accurate as print.

Click to expand...

Are you setting the output profile as a custom Proof Setup (Soft Proof) in Photoshop? That's key. And of course the output profile has to be accurate or the soft proof and print will never match. There's a tutorial on soft proofing with Photoshop at the URL below.

The display AND the printer profile both have to be good and accurate.
--
Andrew Rodney
http://www.digitaldog.net

I would recommend a book titled "Real World Color Management" by Fraser, Murphy and Bunting. It is a wealth of information on color management. I purchased my copy from Amazon. It is worth the cost to understand what color management is all about and what are reasonable expectations when you do it. For example, you will find that getting your monitor close to a print is doable, but an "exact" match is not usually possible, etc. Leon