Please help with monitor calibration!

[DocFrankenstein]

I got a new SyncMaster 955 DF today.

It comes with a Natural Color software. It's a similar prog to adobe gamma. You calibrate using your eyes and match the squares. The middle square must be the same color as the frame around it.

I've created an night time ICM profile for my monitor. I saved it in some directory with all the other profiles.

If I print at "Blacks" on their Fuji Frontier 370, what steps do I need to do to get matching prints?

I have PS 7.0

I don't know where to begin.

Update:
I have loaded the newly created profile for the monitor. Desktop Properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> Then I added the new profile and made it the default one.

Now when I load the photoshop I get the message:
The Monitor profile "" appears to be defective. Please rerun your monitor calibration software.

I can either ignore or use anyway.

I've rerun the calibration software. Same message appears.

What do I do?

[Jesper]

Sorry, I don't know the software you are talking about, but I do think that you're probably never going to get a very accurate profile with a software-only solution such as Adobe Gamma or your Natural Color software.

Using your eyes to estimate if grey is neutral for example is very inaccurate. It depends a lot on the ambient light, and what you've been looking a few moments ago, if you're tired or not etc...

I've used Adobe Gamma before I got a Spyder (http://www.colorvision.com) to calibrate my monitor, and the profile created with the Spyder is MUCH better that what I'd made with Adobe Gamma. In my opinion, if you want to profile your monitor seriously, you can't get around getting a hardware device like the Spyder.

Here are a few links on monitor calibration and profiling.
Monitor Calibration and Profiling (http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibration.htm)
Guidelines for accurate monitor display (http://www.ltlimagery.com/monitordisplay.htm)

Setting up Photoshop and your printer: use a standard color space such as sRGB or Adobe RGB in Photoshop; for printing, use File / Print with Preview and choose the correct ICC profile for your printer; completely turn off color management in the printer driver.

Here's another interesting page: Managing Colour when Printing (http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps7_print/ps7_print_mac.htm) (for PS 7 & CS).

[gcogger]

I have a Samsung LCD and hardware calibrator (i1 Display). All I can say about 'Natural Color' is - don't bother! I really couldn't see that it made any improvement at all over not calibrating.

[Dchemist]

I use a device calibration device from Monaco Systems to calibrate my monitor. I found it effective and the resulting profile to be accurate. The specific device I bought was a MonacoOptixXR. You can see it at this link:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=310560&is=REG

[Top-Cat]

When you have PhotoShop open go to edit/colour settings. When the window opens make sure you have the advanced mode box checked.
In Working spaces set as follows

RGB box click on the drop down menu and select Adobe RGB (1998)
CMYK, select U.S. Web Coated (swop) v2
Gray, Gray gamma 2.2
Spot. Dot Gain20%

Color Management Policies

RGB Preserve Embedded Profiles
Cmyk Preserve Embedded Profiles
Gray Preserve Embedded Profiles

Make sure you check the three boxes

Profile Mismatches,
Ask When Pasting,
Missing Profiles.

Conversion Options

Engine Adobe (ACE)
Indent Relative Colorimetric

Check the box for
Use Black point Compensation
And the box
Use Dither (8-bit/Channel images

Advanced Controls
Leave all boxes unchecked

Now right at the top of the window in the Settings box give the settings a name Like My settings and the date.

Now save the settings and close the window Close PhotoShop and then restart it
Go to Edit/Color Settings and you should see that your settings have been opened

In the working spaces section go to the RGB Adobe (1998) drop down menu. Then scroll up until you see

Monitor RGB -( THIS SHOULD BE YOUR MONITOR PROFILE NAME )

And it should be the monitor profile that you saved as you default monitor. If it is not you need to rerun you monitor calibration and make sure you save it as you default profile in Start/
Control Panel/Appearance and Themes/Display/settings/advanced/Color Management.

When you get to the display properties window make sure the monitor in the display box is the one you are using.
You can get some good information on how to calibrate you monitor and to calibrate you monitor to your printer from the following web site.

http://www.peak-professional.com/htmls/ical.htm

If you down load there calibration print and print it on your printer using you normal printing method you can then re calibrate your printer to your monitor.

This all takes time :? but is worth it in the end. :lol:
Top-Cat

__________________



Eos 10D With Grip
16-35mm f2.8L
24-70mm f2.8L
70-200 f2.8L
100-400mm IS f4.5-5.6L
100mm Macro
550EX Speedlight

[Jesper]

...In the working spaces section go to the RGB Adobe (1998) drop down menu. Then scroll up until you see

Monitor RGB -( THIS SHOULD BE YOUR MONITOR PROFILE NAME )

And it should be the monitor profile that you saved as you default monitor. If it is not you need to rerun you monitor calibration and make sure you save it as you default profile in Start/
Control Panel/Appearance and Themes/Display/settings/advanced/Color Management...

Maybe I misunderstand your description, but you should not use your monitor profile as your working space in Photoshop. Your monitor profile is a device-specific profile. You don't want to save your images in the device-specific color space of your monitor. Instead, you want to use a standard, device-independent color space such as Adobe RGB or sRGB as your working space in Photoshop. So leave the Working Space setting on "Adobe RGB", don't set it to your monitor profile.

[Top-Cat]

Yes you did misunderstand. What I meant was, after you have saved your setting you can check to see if Photoshop has recognised your monitor profile. By clicking on the drop down menu for the working spaces – RGB, then scroll up and where it says Monitor RGB- you should see the description that you gave to your monitor profile. DO NOT select this as your working space profile. The working space should not be changed from Adobe RGB (1998) Close the window without making any changes

Sorry for the confusion

Top-Cat

______________________

www.rosswilliamsphotos.com

Eos 10D With Grip
16-35mm f2.8L
24-70mm f2.8L
70-200 f2.8L
100-400mm IS f4.5-5.6L
100mm Macro
550EX Speedlight

[DocFrankenstein]

Thank you Top Cat! It's really helpful.

I'm gonna get the print results soon :D

[ecobo]

Just get a Spider! Forget all these software solutions - they are incorrect.
And the SANSUNG DF monitors are not the best choice for color corrections. If you can, return it and get a NF serie monitor - it's based on Mitsubishi Dimondtron tube that is great choice. We use SAMSUNG NF monitors in our company and we obtain absolutely correct colors.