i2e PS Plugin

Montec

Sorry if this has been answered before but is the i2e PhotoShop plugin going to give me the results that I can expect from SM prints?

I am looking for something that will give me the same results on my monitor that i am going to receive when my prints are delivered. I was hoping the plugin would do this for me.

Steve Cavigliano

Hello Monte,
I2E Image Editor is used for Auto Color prints, by our lab. If your settings are the same as what the lab is using, then you will see similar results. Maybe someone else can verify how close the plug-in matches the Image Editor? When doing reprints I have only used the standalone Image Editor and not the plug in. Also, please bear in mind that monitors lie:http://www.smugmug.com/help/display-color

In almost all cases, your prints will be darker than what you see on your monitor. Monitors make even under exposed shots look bright enough. Prints will not. Auto Color is great for making sure your prints will not print dark: http://smugmug.jot.com/WikiHome/PrintingAutoOrTrueColor

We offer a number of resources to help you to match what you see, to what you will get in your prints. Many of the forums here will also give you feedback for any image you wish to post. You can also use the ICC profile for the lab: http://www.smugmug.com/prints/ezprints-1.icc Or soft proofing:http://hutchcolor.com/PDF/Soft_Proofing_tips6.pdf

We would be happy to print a small test order for you, to make sure you are on the right track. This would be courtesy of Smugmug of course (no cost to you). We also suggest including a calibration print in your test order: http://cmac.smugmug.com/gallery/122238/1/5637776/Large Just contact the Help Desk and they will take care of you.

I hope this helps

Steve

Montec

Thank you, I will get this in order before ordering prints.

SciurusNiger

May we please beat this topic into British comfort food?

What I have most often found over the years is that some photos are not too dark, but instead they are too light. I downloaded Smugmug's ezprint preview profile and yup, a nicely balanced photo appears too light.

I can work with photo with the ezprint print profile active, but when I switch back to, say, "Windows RGB" to see what will show here on the site...ick. Very dark. Seems to defeat the purpose of previewing them here at Smugmug?

I have this thought that I should also be adjusting my monitor to more closely match but...how??? Brightness & Contrast, to be sure; monitor was told to use the sRGB. (WinXP, HP Pavilion, HPvs17 monitor)

Or should I just not care about what a photo looks like in a gallery but instead focus on the print version? (Unless it's going to be used strictly for the web.)

Luv you guys,
PJ.

Andy

SciurusNiger wrote:

May we please beat this topic into British comfort food?

What I have most often found over the years is that some photos are not too dark, but instead they are too light. I downloaded Smugmug's ezprint preview profile and yup, a nicely balanced photo appears too light.

I can work with photo with the ezprint print profile active, but when I switch back to, say, "Windows RGB" to see what will show here on the site...ick. Very dark. Seems to defeat the purpose of previewing them here at Smugmug?

I have this thought that I should also be adjusting my monitor to more closely match but...how??? Brightness & Contrast, to be sure; monitor was told to use the sRGB. (WinXP, HP Pavilion, HPvs17 monitor)

Or should I just not care about what a photo looks like in a gallery but instead focus on the print version? (Unless it's going to be used strictly for the web.)

Luv you guys,
PJ.

Link me to said photo, okay? I can help

SciurusNiger

Andy wrote:

Link me to said photo, okay? I can help

I posted both the original JPG conversion and the cropped versions in their own gallery (http://sciurusniger.smugmug.com/gallery/3371305#188207283):

Cropped: http://SciurusNiger.smugmug.com/photos/188205085-S.jpg

Original: http://SciurusNiger.smugmug.com/photos/188207283-S.jpg

I added notes so won't repeat them here.

Thanks!

PJ.

Andy

SciurusNiger wrote:

I posted both the original JPG conversion and the cropped versions in their own gallery (http://sciurusniger.smugmug.com/gallery/3371305#188207283):

Cropped: http://SciurusNiger.smugmug.com/photos/188205085-S.jpg

Original: http://SciurusNiger.smugmug.com/photos/188207283-S.jpg

I added notes so won't repeat them here.

Thanks!

PJ.

so, one thing is, why minus 1/2 stop exposure compensation?

Your photo is actually underexposed by at least a full-stop.



here's a corrected version (adjusted for whitebalance and exposure)



Now, look at the histograms:

the dark one


the properly exposed one


Notice that all your pixels are on the left side of the histogram?

Now, let's talk calibration

SciurusNiger

Andy wrote:

so, one thing is, why minus 1/2 stop exposure compensation?

Your photo is actually underexposed by at least a full-stop.

<snipped>

Notice that all your pixels are on the left side of the histogram?

Now, let's talk calibration <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/ear.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

Let's just say that sometimes I apparently experience moments of dyslexia and this time I stopped down instead of up to compensate for being in so much shade. (Beats typing an entire sentence backwards, you know.)

That said, your example makes perfect sense. But on my monitor the corrected photo looks overexposed in the same way the ezprint previews appear.

So...now anxiously awaiting calibration information....

Thanks bunches,
PJ.

Andy

SciurusNiger wrote:

So...now anxiously awaiting calibration information....

Thanks bunches,
PJ.

Start here:
http://www.smugmug.com/help/display-color

And also you should be able to see all the shades (16 steps) in this:

http://andydemo.smugmug.com/photos/188363974-L.jpg

SciurusNiger

Andy wrote:

Start here:
http://www.smugmug.com/help/display-color

And also you should be able to see all the shades (16 steps) in this:

http://andydemo.smugmug.com/photos/188363974-L.jpg

I can see all 16 shades of grey quite nicely. And the "S" curve is amazing. I hadn't figured out you can add points to the line. That certainly makes a great deal of difference! I think that little "trick" was what I've been missing!

So...bottom line is that I should "ignore" what my monitor displays? Or only ignore the "darkness" if I'm going to actually print the photo?

Thanks,
PJ.

Andy

SciurusNiger wrote:

So...bottom line is that I should "ignore" what my monitor displays?

Monitors are inaccurate.
Our Eyes Lie.

Use the force, Luke

(in this case, the histogram, and the eyedropper)

SciurusNiger

Force is good. I'm liking the curve tool a lot.

But just so I'm entirely clear: correct for printing (ezprint preview) instead of correcting for current monitor display. Right?

PJ.

SciurusNiger

SciurusNiger wrote:

Force is good. I'm liking the curve tool a lot.

But just so I'm entirely clear: correct for printing (ezprint preview) instead of correcting for current monitor display. Right?

PJ.

That sounded really dumb. Obviously we want to correct for printing. What I meant was, when posting photos in galleries here, should I ever worry about monitor display or just always correct for printing and post 'em that way (even if they'll look dark to some of us)?

Thanks!

PJ.

Andy

SciurusNiger wrote:

That sounded really dumb. Obviously we want to correct for printing. What I meant was, when posting photos in galleries here, should I ever worry about monitor display or just always correct for printing and post 'em that way (even if they'll look dark to some of us)?

Thanks!

PJ.

Work up a new image that you think will print well. Post it here for us to see. Then I can further diagnose you

SciurusNiger

Andy wrote:

Work up a new image that you think will print well. Post it here for us to see. Then I can further diagnose you

Here is yesterday's daily, which was adjusted only to look nice on my monitor:




And here it is adjusted using ezprint:




Thanks,
PJ.

Andy

SciurusNiger wrote:

Here is yesterday's daily, which was adjusted only to look nice on my monitor:


Thanks,
PJ.

2nd one looks great

SciurusNiger

Ok...thank you!

Now I'm better prepared for tomorrow morning's eclipse. I hope....

PJ.