Color management and print matching
4
HeyItsJoel wrote:
I'm sure it's accurate and everything but the display isn't very bright at all.
I went through the process and it instructed me to lower the brightness level to match the target level (according to what the puck measured) so I did. I'm doing this at night so the only ambient light source is a desk lamp to the left of the screen.
I did this calibration so I can start printing images I took (sending it to a lab online). But is the cost of printing images a lower brightness level that I have to live with? Am I stuck with this dimness when I'm photoshopping stuff? I guess if I brighten my screen a little I won't be getting an accurate representation of the final print product, right?
If you want a good preview of how a print will look, you need to calibrate your display to a brightness level roughly equal to the brightness of the light under which the print will be displayed. I find that 100-120cd/2 generally works well, as the light levels in most homes and galleries is not very high.
If your screen is too bright, you will tend to tone down the images, and then when you print them they will look dim and muddy unless you view them under really bright light.
One aspect of a color-managed workflow is controlling the ambient light in your editing environment. If you've got bright sunlight flooding into your workspace, your display calibrated to 100-120cd/m2 will look dim. That's why I have neutral-gray blackout blinds on my office windows and subdued high-CRI 5000K lighting in my office. I also painted my office walls neutral gray to prevent any nearby colors from throwing off my color judgement when I'm looking at my display. Needless to say, I don't wear white or brightly colored clothing when I'm processing images, as reflections on the screen can skew perception. These are all measures commonly used in professional prepress shops.
If you're just playing games or watching movies, a bright screen is nice. But, for print matching, not so much.
I'm not a color management pro, but I'm a professional photographer who sells prints, and this is all based on information I've gleaned from various sources over the years.