Color Management in Digital Photography
“Ten Easy Steps to True Colors in Photoshop”
Brad Hinkel, Author
Published by RockyNook
ISBN 10 1-933952-02-4
ISBN 13 978-1-933952-02-6
Distributed by O’Reilly Media
Reviewed by Tom Roberts, member of the Eureka Photoshop Users Group
TEN STEPS FOR COLOR MANAGEMENT
1. Choose a Color Space
2. Get a good monitor
3. Create a good work environment
4. Calibrate and profile your monitor
5. Get a good printer
6. Create basic prints
7. Test your color management system
8. Create advanced prints
9. Obtain profiles
10. Adjusting colors for advanced printing
The author’s premise is that most digital photographers start with one simple goal: to match their prints to their monitor images. This may seem like a reasonable goal but a host of technological issues conspire to make prints and monitor images appear anything but the same. You can create great images on your computer screen but the printed results often look far different.
The fundamental goal of the book is to help you set up your monitor and printer so these images match. Three major tasks are required to achieve this goal:
1. Configure your software for color management;
2. Set up your monitor to display images accurately;
3. Set up your printer to print images accurately.
The author covers each of the above-listed ten steps to arrive at the three major tasks required to achieve this goal.
Setting up a good work environment involves a Monitor Hood so that room light does not change the appearance of the screen. Also, change your computer desktop to gray. Bright color on you desktop could cause the image to appear wrong.
Profile your monitor with a suitable tool such as Eye-One Display 2 from Gretag MacBeth.
Default Calibration Values:
Brightness/Luminance 100lux (CRT) (140lux (LCD)
Gamma 2.2 (for both Mac & PC)
White Point 6500K (orD65)
Hinkel covers very clearly the area to set up the profiling of the monitor, then let Photoshop bring the image into the monitor. Make any adjustment in color, then let the printer do the basic printing. It is very important to use the paper and ink made for the printer you are using, otherwise the profile in the printer drivers may not give you the desired results.
He also states that with basic printing, most inexpensive photo printers will produce excellent prints very easily, as long as you follow the specific instructions and use the manufactures premium photo paper. The only problem with these printers is the limited print sizes of 81/2 x 11 or 81/2 x 14. Larger printers will increase the cost of printing both in the printer paper and ink.
I think the author clearly covered all of his 10 steps in setting up the software for color management. Profiling the monitor and setting up the printer for creating basic printing.
The author was writing from his experience working with monitors and printers that he used in his own environment and did not want his readers to rush out and buy new equipment until they had the experience to know what they really needed.
I liked Chapter 7, “Test Your Color System”. Where he included a PDI Target file, which the reader can download and use, a version that he has used in his own work for years.
Chapter 8 is about Advanced Printing. The author spells out the setup for a soft proof. This is really bringing up the image that you have color-corrected in Photoshop then bringing it up on the monitor. If changes are needed from the soft proof, he goes back to Photoshop for adjustments.
I believe that the book was written using Photoshop CS2. It will be interesting to see if the book is reprinted and edited to update it to Photoshop CS3.
The one area that was not covered in the book was the Advanced Printing of Epson printer software. Hinkel did a good job with Epson software of basic printing but not one word about Advanced Printing which I thought was strange.
“Ten Easy Steps to True Colors in Photoshop”
Brad Hinkel, Author
Published by RockyNook
ISBN 10 1-933952-02-4
ISBN 13 978-1-933952-02-6
Distributed by O’Reilly Media
Reviewed by Tom Roberts, member of the Eureka Photoshop Users Group
1. Choose a Color Space
2. Get a good monitor
3. Create a good work environment
4. Calibrate and profile your monitor
5. Get a good printer
6. Create basic prints
7. Test your color management system
8. Create advanced prints
9. Obtain profiles
10. Adjusting colors for advanced printing
The author’s premise is that most digital photographers start with one simple goal: to match their prints to their monitor images. This may seem like a reasonable goal but a host of technological issues conspire to make prints and monitor images appear anything but the same. You can create great images on your computer screen but the printed results often look far different.
The fundamental goal of the book is to help you set up your monitor and printer so these images match. Three major tasks are required to achieve this goal:
1. Configure your software for color management;
2. Set up your monitor to display images accurately;
3. Set up your printer to print images accurately.
The author covers each of the above-listed ten steps to arrive at the three major tasks required to achieve this goal.
Setting up a good work environment involves a Monitor Hood so that room light does not change the appearance of the screen. Also, change your computer desktop to gray. Bright color on you desktop could cause the image to appear wrong.
Profile your monitor with a suitable tool such as Eye-One Display 2 from Gretag MacBeth.
Default Calibration Values:
Brightness/Luminance 100lux (CRT) (140lux (LCD)
Gamma 2.2 (for both Mac & PC)
White Point 6500K (orD65)
Hinkel covers very clearly the area to set up the profiling of the monitor, then let Photoshop bring the image into the monitor. Make any adjustment in color, then let the printer do the basic printing. It is very important to use the paper and ink made for the printer you are using, otherwise the profile in the printer drivers may not give you the desired results.
He also states that with basic printing, most inexpensive photo printers will produce excellent prints very easily, as long as you follow the specific instructions and use the manufactures premium photo paper. The only problem with these printers is the limited print sizes of 81/2 x 11 or 81/2 x 14. Larger printers will increase the cost of printing both in the printer paper and ink.
I think the author clearly covered all of his 10 steps in setting up the software for color management. Profiling the monitor and setting up the printer for creating basic printing.
The author was writing from his experience working with monitors and printers that he used in his own environment and did not want his readers to rush out and buy new equipment until they had the experience to know what they really needed.
I liked Chapter 7, “Test Your Color System”. Where he included a PDI Target file, which the reader can download and use, a version that he has used in his own work for years.
Chapter 8 is about Advanced Printing. The author spells out the setup for a soft proof. This is really bringing up the image that you have color-corrected in Photoshop then bringing it up on the monitor. If changes are needed from the soft proof, he goes back to Photoshop for adjustments.
I believe that the book was written using Photoshop CS2. It will be interesting to see if the book is reprinted and edited to update it to Photoshop CS3.
The one area that was not covered in the book was the Advanced Printing of Epson printer software. Hinkel did a good job with Epson software of basic printing but not one word about Advanced Printing which I thought was strange.