Yet Another Monitor Calibration Thread

RogersDA

So - help me out here. I've been reading a lot on this and wanted to get this straight after another cr*p print (my problem - not Smug's).

I ordered, in the past, SmugMug's calibration prints. I assume that those have not changed in the past year or so due ot printer changes, ICC changes, etc. I also grabbed a copy of the calibrations shot.

Things I want to be clear on:

For a properly calibrated monitor the screen should show what the physical calibration print shows when compared side-by-side.

For a calibrated monitor and Photoshop (in my case) - soft proofing with the EZPrints ICC (2008.1) should show no perceptual difference using the calibration jpg and toggling the Preview on and off.

I tried to use the Mac's calibration tool on an Eizo L997 monitor, but the color cast(s) that resulted had me a bit concerned. I am close to ordering an EyeOne calibration system, and want to be sure what the heck I am doing.

arodney

RogersDA wrote:

For a properly calibrated monitor the screen should show what the physical calibration print shows when compared side-by-side.

Not without an ICC profile of the printing conditions for soft proofing. And it has to be the same profile used to convert to the output space and the lab has to use a specified rendering intent (the one you used to soft proof).

RogersDA

arodney wrote:

Not without an ICC profile of the printing conditions for soft proofing. And it has to be the same profile used to convert to the output space and the lab has to use a specified rendering intent (the one you used to soft proof).

Thanks for the response, Andrew.

When working in Photoshop (for example) one will usually edit in sRGB, Adobe RGB, or LAB colorspace. Softproofing with the printer's ICC is still required. Those on-screen appearances can be different. Even with a properly calibrated monitor the image in sRGB will look different than the image in softproofing?

Is there a way to get the sRGB image to be the same as the softproofing image (assuming the printer uses a different ICC)? Or - am I beating a dead horse here?

So, once my monitor is properly calibrated, open SmugMug's calibration print in Photoshop, and then softproof it, it should appear essentially the same as the physical print. Is that correct?

Again, thanks for the help.

arodney

RogersDA wrote:

Is there a way to get the sRGB image to be the same as the softproofing image (assuming the printer uses a different ICC)? Or - am I beating a dead horse here?

The sRGB image, for that matter any working space will not appear exactly like the output and thus soft proof because one's based on an emissive display, the other a print. When you set the soft proof to simulate the paper white and ink black, it gets farther away because you're now asking to see the dynamic range of the print simulated on screen. You can edit the document a bit to attempt a somewhat closer match (that usually means pulling a very slight curve and maybe a slight hue/sat adjustment layer). But they will never be identical. And these edits are output specific so they should be done on an adjustment layer and only used for that one output device.

RogersDA

Thanks again, Andrew. That helps a lot.

If I work in sRGB in Photoshop I softproof with the EZ-Prints ICC. Once I am happy with that softproof look I upload the sRGB-based image to Smugmug. Ordering of the print will then be fine as the printer will use the ICC that I soft-proofed with.

I think that is clear now. I hope. Now, hopefully I can get the monitor calibration tool soon so I can reprint without fear.

arodney

RogersDA wrote:

If I work in sRGB in Photoshop I softproof with the EZ-Prints ICC. Once I am happy with that softproof look I upload the sRGB-based image to Smugmug. Ordering of the print will then be fine as the printer will use the ICC that I soft-proofed with.

Do you know for a fact? What rendering intent will they use? Do they allow you to specify it? If not, all bets are off.

RogersDA

arodney wrote:

Do you know for a fact? What rendering intent will they use? Do they allow you to specify it? If not, all bets are off.

I have no idea what intent is used - perhaps perpetual? perhaps colorimetric? As far as I know we can't specify it during printing via Smugmug.