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Aperture Colour Profile help

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:02 pm
by W00DY
Hi All,

It seems like I only post here when I need help these days...

I need some help with printing from Aperture. I edited some images in Aperture which look great on my MBP Screen, however when I got them printed at Harvey Norman some, not all, looked very average (too greenish). I then went to Fletchers and got the same photos printed with the same result (that rules out HN as the issue :wink:)

Anyway, I am wondering if this has anything to do with the colour space or colour profile being used on my MAC or in Aperture. Currently I have it set at sRGB because I mostly display the images on the web. I tried exporting the same image with different colour profiles (sRGB and ProPhoto RGB) and I could not see any difference on the screen.

So I guess my question is do I need to change the colour profile being used on a version if I want to print it rather than display on the web? And if so which generic profile should I use?

I hope this makes sense... I don't really know what I am trying to ask so hopefully someone will be able to make sense out of it :lol:

Cheers,
W00DY

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:11 pm
by sirhc55
Woody - the MBP, has the screen been calibrated? I use a MB but have another monitor attached. I calibrate both screens and the MB does not calibrate as well as the external - the pics on the MB screen look great but the external is more accurate.

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:15 pm
by W00DY
sirhc55 wrote:Woody - the MBP, has the screen been calibrated? I use a MB but have another monitor attached. I calibrate both screens and the MB does not calibrate as well as the external - the pics on the MB screen look great but the external is more accurate.


First I tried to calibrate the MBP with the MAC calibration tool (part of OSX), I thought it looked good until I used the Spyder 2 calibration tool... it changed the look A LOT, problem is I am not sure which one is correct :)

Is there a way for me to check to see if my display is calibrated correctly? Like can you take a snap shot of your screen and tell me what the values for the top menu bar are? would that work?

At the moment my images look good but my OS looks very "dull" do your menu bars look more dull grey than bright grey?

I am very bad at this colour thing, I never know what looks natural and what doesn't :)

If there is anyway I can test my monitor against yours that would be great.

Cheers.

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 4:54 pm
by big pix
here is a little light reading on COLOUR MANAGEMENT AND COLOUR PROFILING....... you cannot have one without the other......

http://www.colourmanagement.co.nz/index.php

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:02 pm
by W00DY
big pix wrote:here is a little light reading on COLOUR MANAGEMENT AND COLOUR PROFILING....... you cannot have one without the other......

http://www.colourmanagement.co.nz/index.php


Thanks for the link Big pix... I have read about all this before but I guess my simple question is how do you know you are starting off correctly?

If I have an incorrectly calibrated monitor I can still make my images look good on it, my issues will come when I try and print them.

So how do I know that my monitor is correctly calibrated in the first place so I am correctly adjusting my images?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:16 pm
by big pix
W00DY wrote:[
So how do I know that my monitor is correctly calibrated in the first place so I am correctly adjusting my images?


the only way is use a Spyder, huey, or Eyeone Photo2....... anyone of these will calibrate your monitor....... then you will also need to calibrate your printer stock

I use the Eyeone Photo2 for my screen and for making my own printer profiles, and it is very good.......

Epson canned printer profiles,[they come with your printer or download from Epson] are good and work well with Epson stock....... but make sure you setup your colour management in photoshop first

PostPosted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:05 pm
by Steffen
If you shoot a scene that is easy for the camera to get right (WB wise), import it into Aperture, don't adjust anything, then save as jpeg in sRGB. This should come out approximately right if the printer is calibrated to deal with sRGB images reasonably well.

Aperture will take the camera's suggested WB setting until you start playing with the WB sliders.

Chees
Steffen.