Monitor calibration, MPix icc profile and Lightroom

[deronsizemore]

I'll start by saying I'm a very amateur photographer. I enjoy it, but mostly take pics of my daughter. I'm getting ready to order prints from Mpix and I want to ensure the final product is the same as what I'm seeing on my screen. I've never attempted to calibrate my monitor or anything like that and I have some questions.

1. On my Mac, if I go to Preferences > Displays > Color tab then I see a list of color profiles I can use/calibrate. If I check "show only profiles for this display" then it only shows "color LCD" as an option. So, should I just select "Color LCD" and Calibrate it? Or should I select a different one from the list?

2. I've downloaded MPix's ICC Profile from here: http://www.zenfolio.com/zf/pnp/mpix.aspx#iccProfiles

I'm confused on what to do with it once I have it. I've added it to my "ColorSync" folder on my computer and see it as a color space option when I export photos from LightRoom to JPG, but is that all I need to do? Select that MPix color space and then export? Is there a way to preview what the final result will look like prior to sending it off to MPix?

I guess I'm just not making the connection here between the MPix color profile and calibrating my monitor so that it displays what the images will look like before print. Any help would be appreciated.

[tzalman]

1. When we talk about calibrating/profiling the monitor we are referring to using a hardware device that reads known colors on your screen, calculates the deviation from what they should be and creates a profile unique to your monitor. Software adjustments in which you try to calibrate by attempting to match color patches are rarely very accurate. The cost of hardware calibrators ranges from about $80 to several hundreds.
2. You use the Mpix profile to "softproof" your image. Softproofing is a process in which an application uses the printer profile and your monitor profile to display an approximation of what the print will look like. Lightroom 4 includes a softproofing function and for Lightroom 3 there is a plugin:
http://www.lightroom-plugins.com/ProofIndex.php
Any edition of Photoshop or Picture Window Pro will do softproofing.

[tonylong]

I'd suggest that you start out with ordering a few small prints of shots that "look good" on-screen.

When you get them back compare the prints, viewing them in good light.

The most common thing that people find is that the prints are "too dark", which actually means that the monitor Brightness is too high. Dialing the monitor Brightness down is a very good "first thing" to do with a new monitor.

If the colors look off, then you are looking at a monitor calibration system, a hardware/software combination that will create a "profile" that gets "read" by apps like Lightroom and Photoshop and, if you direct it to, the Canon Raw processing software Digital Photo Professional (DPP).

The printer profile, like tzalman says above, has to be used by a SoftProofing app. Lightroom can do this -- go to Lightroom Help for info on "soft proofing".

Like I said, you can start simple, do batches of small test prints, then decide how much farther to take things.

Check out the two "stickies" on color management:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=707058

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=296149

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by tzalman

1. When we talk about calibrating/profiling the monitor we are referring to using a hardware device that reads known colors on your screen, calculates the deviation from what they should be and creates a profile unique to your monitor. Software adjustments in which you try to calibrate by attempting to match color patches are rarely very accurate. The cost of hardware calibrators ranges from about $80 to several hundreds.
2. You use the Mpix profile to "softproof" your image. Softproofing is a process in which an application uses the printer profile and your monitor profile to display an approximation of what the print will look like. Lightroom 4 includes a softproofing function and for Lightroom 3 there is a plugin:
http://www.lightroom-plugins.com/ProofIndex.php
Any edition of Photoshop or Picture Window Pro will do softproofing.

Thanks! About the software adjustment, yeah, I tried that yesterday with the built in OSX software for calibration and it didn't look right after calibration. It's way too difficult to match the color patches and images they give you or at least for me it was.

I have LR3, so I will take a look at that Plugin you linked to. I do want to upgrade to LR4 though, so that will make things easier.

I have PhotoShop and will take a look at the soft proofing there. I just hate editing photos one by one in Photoshop.

Originally Posted by tonylong

I'd suggest that you start out with ordering a few small prints of shots that "look good" on-screen.

When you get them back compare the prints, viewing them in good light.

The most common thing that people find is that the prints are "too dark", which actually means that the monitor Brightness is too high. Dialing the monitor Brightness down is a very good "first thing" to do with a new monitor.

If the colors look off, then you are looking at a monitor calibration system, a hardware/software combination that will create a "profile" that gets "read" by apps like Lightroom and Photoshop and, if you direct it to, the Canon Raw processing software Digital Photo Professional (DPP).

The printer profile, like tzalman says above, has to be used by a SoftProofing app. Lightroom can do this -- go to Lightroom Help for info on "soft proofing".

Like I said, you can start simple, do batches of small test prints, then decide how much farther to take things.

Check out the two "stickies" on color management:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=707058

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=296149

That will most likely be the case with me. My monitor is at its brightest setting I believe. Thanks for your suggestions.

Question regarding the MPix icc file I downloaded. When I'm exporting from Lightroom, I have the option to select a color space. Should I select the MPix icc? Or leave it at SRGB? or what? I exported my photos using the MPix color space, but it appears now that doing that really doesn't do anything at all?

[tonylong]

Originally Posted by deronsizemore

That will most likely be the case with me. My monitor is at its brightest setting I believe. Thanks for your suggestions.

Question regarding the MPix icc file I downloaded. When I'm exporting from Lightroom, I have the option to select a color space. Should I select the MPix icc? Or leave it at SRGB? or what? I exported my photos using the MPix color space, but it appears now that doing that really doesn't do anything at all?

Turn down your monitor brightness before you order any prints!

And, when you Export pics leave LR set to sRGB. Unless a print provider explicitely tells you to export in their ICC profile, export in sRGB. The ICC profile is only used to Soft Proof!

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by tonylong

Turn down your monitor brightness before you order any prints!

And, when you Export pics leave LR set to sRGB. Unless a print provider explicitely tells you to export in their ICC profile, export in sRGB. The ICC profile is only used to Soft Proof!

Makes sense, Tony! Thanks again.

*runs to turn down monitor brightness*

[Lowner]

Originally Posted by tonylong

Turn down your monitor brightness before you order any prints!

Down 50% in my case. No, I'm not joking, it really was.

[Titus213]

Originally Posted by Lowner

Down 50% in my case. No, I'm not joking, it really was.

Is that all? Mine is down quite a bit more than that - 80 cd/m2. And it still seems a bit bright.

[tzalman]

Originally Posted by Titus213

Is that all? Mine is down quite a bit more than that - 80 cd/m2. And it still seems a bit bright.

Same here. 13% on the monitor's scale in order to bring it down to 90 cd/m^.

[Dfigs]

Thank you to everyone for sharing their knowledge on these questions (and to the OP for starting the thread, ). I am in nearly the exact same situation and greatly appreciate the info!

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by Lowner

Down 50% in my case. No, I'm not joking, it really was.

Dang! 50%? I turned mine down and it just looks too weird for me. Guess I'll have to turn it down when editing pics and back up for other stuff.

Originally Posted by Dfigs

Thank you to everyone for sharing their knowledge on these questions (and to the OP for starting the thread, ). I am in nearly the exact same situation and greatly appreciate the info!

You're welcome. Glad it's been of use to you.

[Lowner]

Originally Posted by deronsizemore

Dang! 50%? I turned mine down and it just looks too weird for me. Guess I'll have to turn it down when editing pics and back up for other stuff.

Trust us, you can get used to it being at "normal" rather than eye harming levels! And each monitor needs different adjustments, note that one here was down to just 13% of maximum. Why anyone wants the monitor set to 100% I just don't understand.

[Titus213]

It took several days to get used to the lower levels but now as Richard says - full on bright hurts the eyes.

I could light several rooms of the house at that 100%.

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by Lowner

Trust us, you can get used to it being at "normal" rather than eye harming levels! And each monitor needs different adjustments, note that one here was down to just 13% of maximum. Why anyone wants the monitor set to 100% I just don't understand.

Well, I don't understand why anyone wants their monitor set to 13% of maximum! So there! j/k

How do I know how much is good enough in regard to turning the brightness down? And lets say I turn it down to 50% of full brightness (I'm on a Macbook Pro), I assume that will make a lot of my images seem darker than they did before, so then will I need to go in and adjust the brightness again to correct what dimming my monitor did?

Originally Posted by Titus213

It took several days to get used to the lower levels but now as Richard says - full on bright hurts the eyes.

I could light several rooms of the house at that 100%.

Yeah, I'll just have t set it and force myself to get used to it. I'll give it a shot.

[Titus213]

A darker monitor should make you photo processing brighter - the opposite of the bright monitor causing dark prints.

But I always check the histogram.