Setting up color workflow btw Lightroom & CS4

Ziggy

Hi, I searched Finishing School some to see if I could find this already, but admitedly I'm not good a blog post management. Sorry if this is answered elsewhere.

I just upgraded to Adobe CS4 and working to get my color profile settings set-up correctly. I have the test proofs from Bay Photo and calibrated my monitor using SypderElite 3, and saved the profile, to where I think it displays very close to the printed test proof. But now want to check my color workflow before I begin editing pictures for clients in CS4. I'm not an expert in CS4 or the color space profiles.

If anyone can help and offer best advice, please do.

My basic workflow:
- My Camera is Nikon D80. I shoot RAW files. My in camera color mode set to AdobeRGB. (I typically print through Bay, but do print some photos at home)

- Open RAW files in Lightroom 2. I make adjustments to overall image and color in Lightroom, some spot fixes, but not a lot. Once done in Lightroom 2, I'll open file from Lightroom directly into CS4 as TIFF for final review, more finite adjustments. Then save as JPEG for final posting to SmugMug.

- In CS4, I have not adjusted any settings from default under Color Settings, but want to make sure these are set correctly in CS4 so that when I save files to JPEG, post to my SmugMug gallery and then order prints through Bay, i'm set correctly.

Can anyone provide recommended settings in CS4 Color Setting menu? There are a lot of options in this menu and not sure what, if any, i should adjust.

Also, I see a link to a Bay Photo ICC profile for "soft proof" on a SmugMug help page - is this worth downloading and installing? I don't totally understand what this does - not a Photoshop expert - so if this is really to complicated and I can accomplish screen to print matching through CS4 color profile set up help, that is fine.

Thanks much! Appreciate any advice!
Ziggy

arodney

Ziggy wrote:

My basic workflow:
- My Camera is Nikon D80. I shoot RAW files. My in camera color mode set to AdobeRGB. (I typically print through Bay, but do print some photos at home)

If you shoot raw the settings on the camera are moot (raw has no color space). When you export from Lightroom, the export settings (or edit in Photoshop settings) control the color space of the rendered images.

See: http://www.ppmag.com/reviews/200701_rodneycm.pdf

Can anyone provide recommended settings in CS4 Color Setting menu? There are a lot of options in this menu and not sure what, if any, i should adjust.

See:http://www.ppmag.com/reviews/200404_rodneycm.pdf

Also, I see a link to a Bay Photo ICC profile for "soft proof" on a SmugMug help page - is this worth downloading and installing?

Not that much since you can’t actually use the profile to convert to the color space, they force you to use sRGB which isn’t the output color space of that device.

See:
http://www.ppmag.com/reviews/200409_rodneycm.pdf
http://www.ppmag.com/reviews/200411_rodneycm.pdf