Remember the last time you spent hours perfecting a photo masterpiece on your computer only to be met with bitter disappointment when you saw the print? Perhaps you asked yourself, "Why can't they build a printer that will just give me what I see on my screen? Really, how hard can it be?"Fortunately, there is a solution.
Welcome to the world of ICC color profiles.
ICC Profiles are a system developed by the International Color Consortium that takes all the guesswork out of color matching.
This is done by having an ICC Profile for each device that handles your image and telling your computer how to use these profiles.
These profiles contain information that describes or maps the color creating abilities of each device, thus allowing your photo editing software (for instance, Photoshop) to know exactly what your camera, printer, etc.
will do with the colors of your photo when it falls into their hands.
Armed with this color profile knowledge, Photoshop (and any other profile-conscious photo editor) can then adjust your photo to make your print look just like what you see on your screen, and your screen to look just like the real scene that your photo captured.
Sound complicated? It doesn't have to be.
The following steps will have you enjoying accurate prints in no time.
1.
Profile your monitor! If you do nothing else toward using ICC profiles, this one step alone will make a world of a difference.
Monitor profiling is done by a special device that attaches to your screen to measure the colors produced by it.
A good monitor profiling kit will cost around $200 but it's worth every penny.
These kits include the measuring device and software that will automate the profiling process.
The profile will be created and saved where your image editing software will find and use it with no further effort on your part.
And yes, I know $200 is a lot of money, but how much did you spend for your digital camera?Isn't it worth paying a little bit more to be able to enjoy that camera's full potential?Any profiling package will be a good investment, but I personally recommend the Eye-one Color Display2 from Gretag Macbeth.
2.
Use custom white balance if your camera has the option whenever circumstances will permit.
Lighting conditions will greatly affect the colors of your image, so to get the best results, your camera needs to know as much as possible about the light that's illuminating your subject.
Setting custom white balance will provide it with that information.
Refer to your camera manual to see if your camera supports this feature and how to use it.
With the white balance accurately set, most cameras do a good job of applying a color profile to the image without you even knowing it; but remember, the profile will only be as good as your white balance setting.
3.
Use a profiled printer.
You have several options here.
For best results, I suggest sending your photos to a color managed lab that specifically supports icc profiles.
If you want to print at home, your options are as follows: For high-end printers such as the Epson Stylus Pro series, the printers typically either come with good profiles and/or you can download profiles for them online.
For cheaper printers, the profiles that come with them (if any) usually aren't very good and your best option is to have a custom profile built for them.
This involves downloading and printing a test print that you send to a custom profiling agency and they send you a profile that is customized for your printer and paper.
Prices for this service can range from $15 to $50.
4.
Apply your printer profile.
If you're sending your prints to a color managed lab, you can skip this step.
Simply send your images as they are and the lab will do the rest.
For all other printers, you'll need to apply the printer profile.
This is typically done by selecting the "ICM" option in your printer driver and then selecting the appropriate profile from the list.
If your printer doesn't support this option, you can turn off all color management in the printer setup and then tell your photo editing software to apply the printer profile for you.
In Photoshop, this is done under the "Print with preview" window.
That's it.
you'll now be able to end your color frustrations forever by implementing ICC color management into your digital workflow.
It really isn't that hard, and the rewards are enormous.
Should you need help along the way, feel free to stop by ThePhotoTec.
com for more articles, resources, and a support forum dedicated to printing photos the profiled way.
Welcome to the world of ICC color profiles.
ICC Profiles are a system developed by the International Color Consortium that takes all the guesswork out of color matching.
This is done by having an ICC Profile for each device that handles your image and telling your computer how to use these profiles.
These profiles contain information that describes or maps the color creating abilities of each device, thus allowing your photo editing software (for instance, Photoshop) to know exactly what your camera, printer, etc.
will do with the colors of your photo when it falls into their hands.
Armed with this color profile knowledge, Photoshop (and any other profile-conscious photo editor) can then adjust your photo to make your print look just like what you see on your screen, and your screen to look just like the real scene that your photo captured.
Sound complicated? It doesn't have to be.
The following steps will have you enjoying accurate prints in no time.
1.
Profile your monitor! If you do nothing else toward using ICC profiles, this one step alone will make a world of a difference.
Monitor profiling is done by a special device that attaches to your screen to measure the colors produced by it.
A good monitor profiling kit will cost around $200 but it's worth every penny.
These kits include the measuring device and software that will automate the profiling process.
The profile will be created and saved where your image editing software will find and use it with no further effort on your part.
And yes, I know $200 is a lot of money, but how much did you spend for your digital camera?Isn't it worth paying a little bit more to be able to enjoy that camera's full potential?Any profiling package will be a good investment, but I personally recommend the Eye-one Color Display2 from Gretag Macbeth.
2.
Use custom white balance if your camera has the option whenever circumstances will permit.
Lighting conditions will greatly affect the colors of your image, so to get the best results, your camera needs to know as much as possible about the light that's illuminating your subject.
Setting custom white balance will provide it with that information.
Refer to your camera manual to see if your camera supports this feature and how to use it.
With the white balance accurately set, most cameras do a good job of applying a color profile to the image without you even knowing it; but remember, the profile will only be as good as your white balance setting.
3.
Use a profiled printer.
You have several options here.
For best results, I suggest sending your photos to a color managed lab that specifically supports icc profiles.
If you want to print at home, your options are as follows: For high-end printers such as the Epson Stylus Pro series, the printers typically either come with good profiles and/or you can download profiles for them online.
For cheaper printers, the profiles that come with them (if any) usually aren't very good and your best option is to have a custom profile built for them.
This involves downloading and printing a test print that you send to a custom profiling agency and they send you a profile that is customized for your printer and paper.
Prices for this service can range from $15 to $50.
4.
Apply your printer profile.
If you're sending your prints to a color managed lab, you can skip this step.
Simply send your images as they are and the lab will do the rest.
For all other printers, you'll need to apply the printer profile.
This is typically done by selecting the "ICM" option in your printer driver and then selecting the appropriate profile from the list.
If your printer doesn't support this option, you can turn off all color management in the printer setup and then tell your photo editing software to apply the printer profile for you.
In Photoshop, this is done under the "Print with preview" window.
That's it.
you'll now be able to end your color frustrations forever by implementing ICC color management into your digital workflow.
It really isn't that hard, and the rewards are enormous.
Should you need help along the way, feel free to stop by ThePhotoTec.
com for more articles, resources, and a support forum dedicated to printing photos the profiled way.
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