Edited Photos, Color Correction, Printing and Bay Photo

rashbrook

I have been reading the smugmug help, in regard to photos that are 'too dark' or 'too red' or 'washed out', etc. From what I am reading, smugmug suggests letting Bay photo manage color correction, which in the majority of cases, photos print great, and everyone is happy.

That said, I have been editing and tweaking my own images for years. Many of those photos will be included on my site, when it is finished.

Yesterday I uploaded several shots into some unpublished galleries on my site. some looked great. Some, I applied the tools>more>apply color effect>auto color correction, which looked great.

HOWEVER, some of the photos to which I applied the auto color correction, did NOT look good afterward.

I guess, I am trying to figure out if I need to recompose my shots before uploading them to smugmug (e.g., adjust levels), or if I should leave them 'as is' and let the Bay Photo color correction take its course if someone should happen to purchase a photo from me. What about photos where I already did manipulate the levels?

I understand that 'tools>more>apply color effect>auto color correction' is NOT Bay Photo, but if that's any indication of what can happen to my shots when printed, than I should be afraid. Very afraid.

I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer. I'd like to start getting my content uploaded soon and start moving forward, but I would like to avoid complaints and returned photos later on.

Andy

rashbrook wrote: »

I understand that 'tools>more>apply color effect>auto color correction' is NOT Bay Photo, but if that's any indication of what can happen to my shots when printed, than I should be afraid. Very afraid.

Not even close The auto in the gallery that you used is a computer program. The color correction at Bay Photo is by hand, by trained lab techs using their own eyes and years and years of experience

rashbrook

Thanks Andy ;-)

Silly question 1 - if I am going to use Bay Photo color correction, should I not adjust photos before uploading as much as possible? (e.g., so that the result is not a file manipulated by me, and then manipulated again by Bay. I am from the 'less manipulation is better' school)

Silly question 2 - Until now, I've not been actually printing my work that often. In preparation for uploading files, if I follow the advice here and move my color sliders under the histogram in CS4/PSE9, the results arent pretty in some cases. So, if I leave that alone instead, and just upload 'as is' would you say that Bay Photo is going to be closer to the 'on-screen experience', or will they attempt to correct a photograph to it's correct levels and thus alter it from the on-screen appearance?

Thanks again. Much appreciated.