Some of the most common questions we get revolve around monitor calibration and how to get better color. When you take a digital photo you naturally look at the back of the LCD to see how it looks. Most likely you trust what you see. You then take that file and download it into your computer. It may look a little different or a lot different. You might try to “fix” your file in PhotoShop. What you get back from the lab may look completely different than what you see on your LCD and your monitor. WHY??

Well, the first thing is that the LCD on the back of your camera is electronically lit. There are also different settings to adjust how bright the screen is. This does not accurately represent the exposure of your file. As for the monitor, this too is backlit. Your file is illuminated from behind. It may also be set to too bright, too dark, too blue, or too red.

Since the introduction of digital there has been much debate about calibration and color management. Should I calibrate my monitor to the lab? Should I white balance? Should I embed a profile? The list goes on and on. The solution is simple: Calibrate your devices to a NEUTRAL state. If you do this you will get accurate color every time.

So what does “calibrate your devices to a neutral state mean?” As far as your camera goes, you want it to capture whites as whites, blacks as blacks, etc. This is achieved through proper exposure and white balance. For your monitor, buy a calibration kit that will read and adjust the colors so black is black, white is white. Some of the responsibility falls on the photographer and some on the lab.

• Capture the best exposure IN your camera, don’t try to “fix it” in PhotoShop.
• Use your light meter to calculate proper exposure. Digital is not as forgiving as film.
  1/3 stop over or 1/3 stop under (you get a little more leeway if you shoot RAW)
• Learn to read histograms and do NOT trust the LCD on the back of your camera.

• White balance is extremely important for getting accurate color; it entails setting your camera to what is white or neutral for the photographic environment.
• Shoot a target and use Custom White Balance when you can.
• Experiment with the white balance presets on your camera.

• Set your camera to sRGB. Some people will tell you to set it to Adobe 1998 because it has a wider color gamut. It also produces a bigger file. The problem here is that the professional printers only support sRGB. If you feel that you must capture in Adobe 1998 be sure to convert to sRGB before sending to Century Color. Do NOT embed a color profile.

• Use a monitor that has the ability to present correct color values; a four year old monitor will not represent color like a new monitor will.
• Work in a room with even color lighting; combining light sources can play tricks on your eyes when it comes to color.
• Invest in a good calibration system, for recommendations visit: http://www.shootsmarter.com
  (Shootsmarter.com is a free online resource. You will need to register with your email address.)
• Calibrate your monitor regularly, like every two weeks, because the settings on your monitor will shift over time.

• Click here to download JustPrint ROES
• Century Color calibrates our printers on a daily basis to insure the best color quality for your prints.