Color spaces and calibrations

harleys

I am just learning post production and want to start out on the right foot. I am shooting a D200, editing on a viewsonic VP930b (on a windows computer), and printing on an Epson 2200 (or via smugmugs printers). I just purchased a Spyder2Pro calibrator and am wondering what standard to calibrate to, What colorspace to use in my camera, on my computer, In Photoshop and on the printer? Should I let PS or the printer manage color?

I am currently shooting RAW and converting with Nikon's Capture software. I intend on upgrading to CS2 soon (from ver6.0)

I am an ambitious amature and hope too be able to view accurately what the camera is tking and print what I am viewing.

I know this is a lot of question and that there are many,many variables that could change suggestions but am looking for something that will work the majority of the time and allow me to be somewhat successful right away and be able to learn from there.

The picture below was taken in my front yard in the middle of Kansas, while playing around with depth of field, slow shutter speeds and my 70-200VR.

Thanks
Gary

David_S85

harleys, I can't see your picture. Do you have external links turned on in your SM gallery?

harleys

David_S85 wrote:

harleys, I can't see your picture. Do you have external links turned on in your SM gallery?

Sorry, since it came up when I looked at it I assumed that I did. Should work now.

JBurt

harleys wrote:

Sorry, since it came up when I looked at it I assumed that I did. Should work now.

Nice Front Yard. I like the colors.

Sorry I can't help you with the calibrating but had to comment on the shot.
I finally got my monitor to match 2 of my 3 printers and my smurmug prints. I bought the Huey but it didn't work. (turned everything dusty) I did it by eye using the ICC profile from smugmug and a copy of their printed test sheet. Viewing the same image on the web is still dark and red. I've given up until I get a new monitor.

LuckyBob

The easiest way to start with colorspaces is to standardize on sRGB all the way around, especially since SmugMug uses sRGB. The other standard color spaces have the possibility of representing more "extreme" colors, but at the sacrifice of granularity (especially ones like ProPhoto RGB - ignoring 16bit). Personally, I process RAWs in to AdobeRGB most of the time, but doing so adds the extra worry when posting on the web or printing through an online service of converting back to sRGB.

Here's a link to an image lifted from an article at Luminous Landscape about ProPhoto RGB which gives a visual representation of the different color spaces versus the visible spectrum and Epson's matte paper on the 2200. http://www.luminous-landscape.com/Images32/horseshoe.jpg

harleys

I came across this site and it seems to answer most of my questions.

http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps9_colour/ps9_1.htm

Art Scott

harleys wrote:

I am just learning post production and want to start out on the right foot. I am shooting a D200, editing on a viewsonic VP930b (on a windows computer), and printing on an Epson 2200 (or via smugmugs printers). I just purchased a Spyder2Pro calibrator and am wondering what standard to calibrate to, What colorspace to use in my camera, on my computer, In Photoshop and on the printer? Should I let PS or the printer manage color?

I am currently shooting RAW and converting with Nikon's Capture software. I intend on upgrading to CS2 soon (from ver6.0)

I am an ambitious amature and hope too be able to view accurately what the camera is tking and print what I am viewing.

I know this is a lot of question and that there are many,many variables that could change suggestions but am looking for something that will work the majority of the time and allow me to be somewhat successful right away and be able to learn from there.

The picture below was taken in my front yard in the middle of Kansas, while playing around with depth of field, slow shutter speeds and my 70-200VR.

Thanks
Gary

Welcome Harleys....good to see you made an appearence here....

All on line processors want sRGB....but even your local "pro" labs do also :ie Douglas Black and White (DPI Inc)...

Can't tell you about calibration as I must get a new monitor, but I am leaning towards the Huey...Lawrence Photo has them for 90 bucks...I have seen them much lower on line but I try to give the locals some of my hard earned cash from time to time.....

The shot of your yard is fantastic...sound like you really like the D200.

I started out shooting in adobe rgb...but once I need to have things printed at the labs and had to convert any way...I just changed my camera settings and my PSCS settings and now no more having to convert from once colorspace to another.....I can't tell a difference except in the time savings in the end.

Again welcome to DGRIN

harleys

Art Scott wrote:

Welcome Harleys....good to see you made an appearence here....

All on line processors want sRGB....but even your local "pro" labs do also :ie Douglas Black and White (DPI Inc)...

Can't tell you about calibration as I must get a new monitor, but I am leaning towards the Huey...Lawrence Photo has them for 90 bucks...I have seen them much lower on line but I try to give the locals some of my hard earned cash from time to time.....

The shot of your yard is fantastic...sound like you really like the D200.

I started out shooting in adobe rgb...but once I need to have things printed at the labs and had to convert any way...I just changed my camera settings and my PSCS settings and now no more having to convert from once colorspace to another.....I can't tell a difference except in the time savings in the end.

Again welcome to DGRIN

Art, when are you going across the pond?

Art Scott

harleys wrote:

Art, when are you going across the pond?

summer or early fall.