Colour Matching: prints vs monitor


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Leongfm

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Feb 12, 2003
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Hello

Need some advice on colour management here...

The colours of all the prints that I got from a print shop (Konota) is quite different from what I saw on my CRT monitor. All the prints have yellow cast.

I use a Canon D60 which outputs files in sRGB colour space. I edited the files in Photoshop using AdodeRGB as recommended by most books. My monitor is calibrated using Adobe Gamma.

I asked the shop what kind of colour space do they support and they were not sure. While I accept the possibility that calibarting with Adobe Gamma may not be perfectly accurate but it can't be that far off to produce colour cast.

Do you think the problem is due to my system or the printer shop's system? How do I avoid this problem? Thanks.

FM
 

I don't get that problem. At least not to a "yellow cast" extent.

I use Samsung 753DFx at home and at work. All are configured for sRGB (so my tech guy tell me). Whenever I want to send for my JPGs for printing, I just do whatever little adjustment I need, save to a CD, and send the CD to the shop. The shop I use is Kim Tian Color, also a FDI like Konota. I always tell them to print with -1 to density (lighter). That makes my prints like what I see on the monitor. And they're what I want.
 

Firstly, remember to convert back your photos to sRGB; many print shops may not know how to interprete AdobeRGB 98. Secondly, if possible, get the profile of the printer from the site or other places if possible; it would reduce the possibility of the color cast, though it would still not solve it. Color management is a black art...
 

Oh dear....looks like u're unfamiliar with the Laws of Digital Printing. :)

First Law
The color gamut of minilab print is smaller in the following sequence. Frontier < SRGB < Adobe RGB. This implies that u will NEVER ever get a 100% color match from your screen. The color spaces do not even overlap !

Second Law
To use color management, u need to have (or assign correctly) the color profiles for every single device from source to final print.

Third Law
U must convert the color profiles as u move from device to device. In the case of the last step from Photoshop to print, u must use the convert (and proofing).


I suggest u really go and read www.drycreekphoto.com how to use print on Frontier properly. Incidentally, I already did (look under Singapore for DigiPro in database) a profile. Check out consumers section (sticky) for the details.
 

You have actually left out the zeroth law: it is almost never works right and is never right when you need it. :D

As for your first law, it is actually wrong. They do overlap; just that Frontier is the smallest of all. sRGB is within AdobeRGB 1998 (ie a subset) and Frontier is within sRGB if I'm not mistaken.
 

though I don't know for sure what your problem was, I thought maybe I should share with you my experience.

I shoot slides which is the end result and hence no compensation can be done (so I thought) or as easily as compared to print film in the printing stage.

One day, I sent a few perfectly sharp mounted slides to develop into prints. To my horror, the prints came out blurred! Whose fault? It's obvious....

Another day, I sent a slide to print in Konota. My vibrant yellow trees turned out "less yellow but more blue". Whose fault again?

Both cases, I expressed my dissatisfaction and get refunded immediately.
 

There is a software in the market (you can get it from CP) that matches your photo and colour corrects so that what you see will be what you get. It costs some $300+ I believe. Can't remember the name of the software. Go to CP they have it there.


Originally posted by Leongfm
Hello

Need some advice on colour management here...

The colours of all the prints that I got from a print shop (Konota) is quite different from what I saw on my CRT monitor. All the prints have yellow cast.

I use a Canon D60 which outputs files in sRGB colour space. I edited the files in Photoshop using AdodeRGB as recommended by most books. My monitor is calibrated using Adobe Gamma.

I asked the shop what kind of colour space do they support and they were not sure. While I accept the possibility that calibarting with Adobe Gamma may not be perfectly accurate but it can't be that far off to produce colour cast.

Do you think the problem is due to my system or the printer shop's system? How do I avoid this problem? Thanks.

FM
 

Originally posted by Watcher
You have actually left out the zeroth law: it is almost never works right and is never right when you need it. :D

As for your first law, it is actually wrong. They do overlap; just that Frontier is the smallest of all. sRGB is within AdobeRGB 1998 (ie a subset) and Frontier is within sRGB if I'm not mistaken.
Hi Watcher,

oops..what i meant wasn't a 100% overlap for Frontier and SRGB. Even frontiers have slight discrepanices from machine to machine according to Ethan from drycreek.

But I think u are right to say that SRGB is totally within Adobe RGB.
 

Originally posted by Java_Guru
Hi Watcher,

oops..what i meant wasn't a 100% overlap for Frontier and SRGB. Even frontiers have slight discrepanices from machine to machine according to Ethan from drycreek.

But I think u are right to say that SRGB is totally within Adobe RGB.
Sigh, all these color space and color management makes my hair turn white (<-irony ;) ). I guess the only true way is to get the color profile of the specific machine that you will be printing and put in into your PS and work from there. Everytime they recalibrate, they must inform and give you the new profile.
 

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