SWOP and other color correction issues

Brundige

I have a few questions regarding color profiles, if any one could be so kind as to help.



I have a macbook 5.2 and i am trying to edit some pictures based on a SWOP color profile. CS4 has this profile built in and i use it to edit but i am unsure as to whether or not i have to calibrate my monitor. is this necessary? also i would like to post the pictures on smug mug as well does this mean that i need to edit the picture with a different color profile and upload that to my smug mug site? any help would be appreciated
Thanks, Chris

BinaryFx

Brundige wrote:

I have a macbook 5.2 and i am trying to edit some pictures based on a SWOP color profile.

Brundige, first off I would ask why you are using SWOP, are these images actually going to a web offset press? The SWOP profile and other guidelines would be used for web offset printing in North America. Although one can convert to this profile or assign it to an existing CMYK image intended for SWOP conditions, one would not usually use this profile unless it was actually required.

CS4 has this profile built in and i use it to edit but i am unsure as to whether or not i have to calibrate my monitor. is this necessary?

By edit, do you mean that you convert RGB files to the SWOP CMYK profile? Then you edit in CMYK while this profile is tagged to the image? Can the edits be done in RGB before going to CMYK, or are these CMYK specific edits which are better performed in the final output space than in RGB?

Are you assuming or assigning the SWOP profile to untagged CMYK images, then editing while using the SWOP profile?

Although it is possible to edit CMYK without a calibrated and or colour managed monitor as drum scanner operators used to do decades ago (many did not even have graphics capable monitors, they judged colour by the CMYK values in the scan and the "colour profile" was their experience and their brain), today most would calibrate and characterise/manage their monitor using hardware/software.

also i would like to post the pictures on smug mug as well does this mean that i need to edit the picture with a different color profile and upload that to my smug mug site? any help would be appreciated
Thanks, Chris

Most would edit their master file in RGB (original scan or digicam file). Next they would convert a duped file to the required profile for press (SWOP, ISO, FOGRA, SNAP, GRACOL etc) or for inkjet (custom inkjet profile) or for web viewing (sRGB). They may use softproofing and adjustment layers targeted to final output in the master RGB and never edit the final CMYK or RGB image. Others may do this as well as making edits to the final image (more often for press than other output).


Hope this helps,


Stephen Marsh

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

arodney

Yes, you do need to calibrate your display. SWOP or any other flavor (RGB or CMYK), the numbers will not appear properly without a display profile.

Brundige

more questions
I appreciate the help, try as i may though to understand, the more info i read the more confused i get.


I want to use swop because the images will "hopefully" get used in a magazine and i want it to be as pain less as possible for the photo editor therefore increasing the chance of publication and also maintaining positive control of my color creativity.

I have a few more questions now from everything ive tried to absorbe.

1) how do i accuratly calibrate my monitor, can i do accuratly it without an external device like the huey.

2) my monitor is SWOP certified, what does this mean in relation to calibration.

3)what am i calibrating to when i calibrate my monitor, neutral gray? ambient light? something else?

4) what color profile should i edit in if i plan to use the images on the web, for print (SWOP), and through SM BAY photo option. should i use one and then convert it depending on the output, if so how can i maintain consistency across the board and insure browser compatability.

5)what color profile should i shoot on my camera, does it matter Srgb, adobe3, etc

6)there is an option on my computer for camera color profiles, do i need to factor in differences for my camera (nikon D80).

Thank you guys so much


P.S. I like flow charts a lot if you happen to have any that explains the process from beginning to end.

arodney

Brundige wrote:

1) how do i accuratly calibrate my monitor, can i do accuratly it without an external device like the huey.

Got to have an instrument.

2) my monitor is SWOP certified, what does this mean in relation to calibration.

That means little, even less if anything until the display is profiled.

3)what am i calibrating to when i calibrate my monitor, neutral gray? ambient light? something else?

White point, Tone Response Curve (what most call "gamma") and Luminance (backlight intensity).

4) what color profile should i edit in if i plan to use the images on the web, for print (SWOP), and through SM BAY photo option. should i use one and then convert it depending on the output, if so how can i maintain consistency across the board and insure browser compatability.

What's SM bay? And I assume you're asking what RGB working space you should use? Doesn't make a tremendous difference here compared to all the other issues. IF you send them RGB to do the conversions on their end, which is sometimes an option, convert from your original RGB space, to SWOP back to sRGB and give them sRGB. If you intend to do the conversions to SWOP (and then the question becomes, are they really printing to SWOP) what profile. You might want to read this:

http://www.ppmag.com/reviews/200703_rodneycm.pdf

5)what color profile should i shoot on my camera, does it matter Srgb, adobe3, etc

You're shooting JPEG not Raw? Doesn’t matter when shooting Raw.

You really need to tread carefully here because if only one or more of your ducks are not in order, you'll really hose the color reproduction here!