Where do you get prints/ Astrophotography and landscape

I ordered prints from Nations prints and the colors are either too dark or washed out. My astrophotography prints didn’t come out at all. Any tips on who offers quality work and what’s the best way to get stars to pop in prints?

Is your monitor calibrated?

If you're sending files that are edited on a monitor that isn't at least semi standardized then the prints will look....not great.

I'm not sure if you have a Costco in your area but I have had really good results from them. (not astro, but many landscapes and portraits) Their auto correction is ok but you can look up your stores printer profile and finalize your image to their printer for the best results.

saea501 wrote in post #18828277
Is your monitor calibrated?

If you're sending files that are edited on a monitor that isn't at least semi standardized then the prints will look....not great.

^^ This.

saea501 wrote in post #18828277
Is your monitor calibrated?

If you're sending files that are edited on a monitor that isn't at least semi standardized then the prints will look....not great.

No, It isn’t. I am visually impaired so everything on my Mac is enlarged for better viewing. Can you offer tips for calibration?

gjl711 wrote in post #18828278
I'm not sure if you have a Costco in your area but I have had really good results from them. (not astro, but many landscapes and portraits) Their auto correction is ok but you can look up your stores printer profile and finalize your image to their printer for the best results.

Thank you! I will check our local store

saea501 wrote in post #18828277
Is your monitor calibrated?

If you're sending files that are edited on a monitor that isn't at least semi standardized then the prints will look....not great.

It's more than just having a calibrated monitor. You need to do your final processing with a profile matched to your output device. Printers can be very different than monitors and what looks good on the screen can end up looking not so good on paper.

KDS1 wrote in post #18828537
No, It isn’t. I am visually impaired so everything on my Mac is enlarged for better viewing. Can you offer tips for calibration?

There are a few tutorials out there on how to calibrate your Mac. Google "color calibration mac your monitor" and a few come up. Choose one that fit's your needs. THIS one looked pretty decent. If you want to get more serious, a device like the Spyder Pro does a fantastic job.

A calibration tool is needed for proper calibration. Looks like the Spyder5Elite is running around $200. I have the Spyder4Elite and don't recall it costing that much...but my memory isn't as good as it was a hundred years ago.

Here is an article discussing non-tool calibration and transitioning to discussing using a calibration tool: How To Calibrate Your Monitor

One thing I will say is that a print will often be darker than what you see on your screen. I was reminded of this a while back when I had a test print made. Basically the shadows went to black and had no detail. I went back and increased the brightness of the image and had another print made...it was much better...details in the shadows!

I might not be explaining this exactly correct but one problem is that images on a monitor are back lit with the light source emitting towards us....they're "lit up". With a print, only reflective light is seen. So, what looks good on the back-lit monitor ends up being too dark on paper.

FWIW.
Best wishes!
Ed

If you want to crowd source a rough and ready solution, just post one or two of the problematic files you sent for printing. Those of us who have or think we have good calibration can make appropriate adjustments and post results for your review.

gjl711 wrote in post #18828643
There are a few tutorials out there on how to calibrate your Mac. Google "color calibration mac your monitor" and a few come up. Choose one that fit's your needs. THIS one looked pretty decent. If you want to get more serious, a device like the Spyder Pro does a fantastic job.

Thank you! I'm new to this and I have much to learn so this will help me tremendously.

Intheswamp wrote in post #18828649
A calibration tool is needed for proper calibration. Looks like the Spyder5Elite is running around $200. I have the Spyder4Elite and don't recall it costing that much...but my memory isn't as good as it was a hundred years ago.

Here is an article discussing non-tool calibration and transitioning to discussing using a calibration tool: How To Calibrate Your Monitor

One thing I will say is that a print will often be darker than what you see on your screen. I was reminded of this a while back when I had a test print made. Basically the shadows went to black and had no detail. I went back and increased the brightness of the image and had another print made...it was much better...details in the shadows!

I might not be explaining this exactly correct but one problem is that images on a monitor are back lit with the light source emitting towards us....they're "lit up". With a print, only reflective light is seen. So, what looks good on the back-lit monitor ends up being too dark on paper.

FWIW.
Best wishes!
Ed

Thank you Ed, I think some of the problem may be I am printing unedited photos (not enhanced). Nations Photo does "color correction" so I thought that may be sufficient. Wrong. I was explaining to JJ that all of this is new so I'm learning a lot from everyones feedback so I appreciate you taking the time to spell things out.

AZGeorge wrote in post #18828749
If you want to crowd source a rough and ready solution, just post one or two of the problematic files you sent for printing. Those of us who have or think we have good calibration can make appropriate adjustments and post results for your review.

Thank you
One of the photos is this one...

Photo from KDS1's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (966157)

Photo from KDS1's gallery.
Image hosted by forum (966151)

If I were to send the sky shot as you see it here to Miller Pro I'd expect to see black sky with distinct points of light and a defuse orange glow when the prints arrived. I removed the upper left vegetation just because I didn't want to work hard enough to get it looking right.

With the water shot I'd expect to see soft pastel blends in the prints and an overall less the bright atmosphere.

If that is not what you are seeking on your monitor then you might want to hazzard either adjusting it in general or setting up a different profile photo adjustments.

I hope others will post their ready for the printer takes so we can both learn more.