auto/ true color and color management

CynthiaM

Wondering what is the suggested workflow on SmugMug with regard to color management. For my own printing, i work in a color managed environment; calibrate the monitor, soft proof, make soft proof edits and then print.

But I've seen caveats on this site that although true color is available, that auto color is less problematic. Somewhere I found the icc profile for smugmug and when I tried to soft proof with it, well let's just say that there was a BIG jump between the origianl image and when you click on the soft-proof. Would require a lot of work to get the soft proof to look like the original image.

So what is suggested? Leave well enough alone, upload your images, set controls to auto color or do you leave it set to true color, soft proof with the smugmug profile (leave it in sRGB color space for this purpose??), set controls for proof delay and upload the soft-proof corrected image for the print order?

Andy

Hi it really depends, sorry! Shoot me a link to a representative gallery you'll print from on your site here, and we'll check it

CynthiaM

Andy wrote:

Hi it really depends, sorry! Shoot me a link to a representative gallery you'll print from on your site here, and we'll check it

Try either of these galleries:
http://cynthiam.smugmug.com/gallery/4713341_iW4xH
http://cynthiam.smugmug.com/gallery/2023467_HZoEz
What does it depend on?

Thanks,

Matthew Saville

Hey Andy, while we're on this topic, (sort of) ...is there any sign of pros being able to turn OFF the color correction and cropping in their public shopping carts? Or, and now I'm really dreaming, allow customers to do B&W / Sepia in the shopping cart?

I'd hate to have this new whiz-bang shopping cart, and whatever new lab / color stuff you're working on, ...and not be able to allow shopping cart B&W / Sepia. HONESTLY I've requested this feature for years and I think it is a sore lack considering how much time and effort has gone into "improving" the shopping cart!

=Matt=

Andy

Matthew Saville wrote:

Hey Andy, while we're on this topic, (sort of) ...is there any sign of pros being able to turn OFF the color correction

Yes, we've had public discussion along these lines in the past few months. And we hope to allow pro's choice here. Haven't figured out the exact implementation but we do expect to have this.

and cropping in their public shopping carts?

Doubt we'll change the cropping. You, as pro, will always have final say and ability to recrop with our Proof Delay feature that already exists. Too many pros will try to fit 10lbs of photo into a 5lb bag, Matthew

Or, and now I'm really dreaming, allow customers to do B&W / Sepia in the shopping cart?

Now *that* would be nice, wouldn't it? Stay tuned!

Andy

CynthiaM wrote:

Try either of these galleries:
http://cynthiam.smugmug.com/gallery/4713341_iW4xH
http://cynthiam.smugmug.com/gallery/2023467_HZoEz
What does it depend on?

Thanks,

You'll want to print those TRUE color. And please do order a set of 4x6 samples right now so you can see.

BTW, Filmstrip is not the friendliest / nicest style. I find it very hard to browse pics in that style. Give SmugMug Style a try

CynthiaM

Andy wrote:

You'll want to print those TRUE color. And please do order a set of 4x6 samples right now so you can see.

BTW, Filmstrip is not the friendliest / nicest style. I find it very hard to browse pics in that style. Give SmugMug Style a try

Andy:
When you say to use true color and to order a few 4x6s for myself, are you at the same time suggesting that I open the image in CS3, soft-proof using the smugmug icc profile, make corrections to get the soft-proof to look as close as possible to the original, then re-upload, through the proof delay feature, the soft-proofed image for printing?
Could you give me some sense why you are suggesting to use true rather than auto? Could you take a look at one more gallery: http://cynthiam.smugmug.com/gallery/5171644_6tLcw#311269375_qnMGx.
This one and the others that I sent you to are fairly representative of the kinds of colors that I use.

Took your suggestion for changing to SmugMug Style. I showed that and the filmstrip style to my daughter (my biggest critic) and she thought the filmstrip was distracting. BUT why does the format in your galleries look like the thumbs spread across half and the highlighted image across the other half? Mine looks like the thumbs take up 2/3 and the highlighted image 1/3. How can I get it to look like your galleries; I prefer that format.

Andy

CynthiaM wrote:

. How can I get it to look like your galleries; I prefer that format.

?? http://img.skitch.com/20080817-cdwwqcmdms5137p1y1sb8gpkj5.jpg

Andy

CynthiaM wrote:

Andy:
When you say to use true color and to order a few 4x6s for myself, are you at the same time suggesting that I open the image in CS3, soft-proof using the smugmug icc profile, make corrections to get the soft-proof to look as close as possible to the original, then re-upload,

Yes. Don't forget to sharpen for print

Order a few that you've done, and see if you like the print vs. display.

CynthiaM

Andy wrote:

?? http://img.skitch.com/20080817-cdwwqcmdms5137p1y1sb8gpkj5.jpg

Yes, like that. What do I need to do to get that format? What code and where does it go or is it something so simple as a customization feature that I've overlooked?

This is getting to be TMI.

Thanks

CynthiaM

Andy wrote:

Yes. Don't forget to sharpen for print

Order a few that you've done, and see if you like the print vs. display.

Do you find that there are certain repetitive tweaks that you do on nearly every soft-proof for smugmug? Could you share what you do and your settings?

I will probably do, what I think I saw someone else suggest, and that is to upload to a private gallery a few images, one soft-proofed and marked true, the other straight out of photoshop and marked auto and see how they look.

Thanks,

PhotoMarkus

B&w ?

CynthiaM wrote:

Do you find that there are certain repetitive tweaks that you do on nearly every soft-proof for smugmug? Could you share what you do and your settings?

In addition to these requests, how about B&W printing without colour cast ? Any tips from you guys ? TRUE or AUTO colour ?

Many thanks.