Color Settings in Photoshop CS3 and Monitor Calibration questions

[JMM Photography, LLC]

OK, here's the deal...I currently am doing my work flow on a Dell Inspiron 1520 laptop.  I have Photoshop CS3 and am trying to get my color settings in Photoshop as well as my monitor calibrated so that what I see on my computer screen post production is what I see in a printed photo (I just use www.mpix.com).

Some background info..I shoot  in Adobe RGB and I have callibrated my monitor using the Spyder 3 Pro.

So, I was told that I need to go to Edit -> Color settings -> then under working spaces keep the RGB at the sRGB (and a hole bumch of numbers and some letters after that) setting.  But then under Color Management Policies change the RGB, CMYK,  and Gray drop downs to Convert to Working RGB, CMYK, and Gray.    I have since done this and before I used my Spyder 3 Pro to callibrate my monitor my prints were turning out dark and some of the prints had a green tone (depending upon the action I used in Photoshop).  I wasn't happy with this, so I bought the Spyder 3 Pro to callibrate my monitor thinking this was the problem.

I have since used the Spyder 3 Pro to callibrate my monitor and BOY do things look different- darker and with a yellow hue.  Now, my issue is this...what I have shot and previewed on my LCD screen on my camera is WAY different than what I am seeing on my computer screen.  Strangely, before I callibrated my monitor they matched much closer.  So, since callibration I feel like I am spending TONS of time trying to color correct!  What is the deal?

Did I callibrate my monitor incorrectly?  Is it my camera that is messing up the color?  The auto white balance setting was working nicely in most lighting throughout the day, except for churches.  Do I need to just use my Expodisc all the time now?  Are my Photoshop settings correct?  I feel like since I shoot in Adobe RGB my color settings should be Adobe RGB instead of sRGB.

Help!  What is working for you?

[Lou Dina]

JMM,

It's confusing at first.  Try checking out the Introduction and Monitor and Printer profiling PDFs at my website:

www.dinagraphics.com/color_management.php

Another great resource is the book Real World Color Management.  You need to understand the principles of color management.  It can get complex, so a simple canned answer usually won't cut it.

Lou

[Ramón G Castañeda]

JMM Photography, LLC wrote:

I currently am doing my work flow on a Dell Inspiron 1520 laptop.  I… am trying to get my color settings in Photoshop as well as my monitor calibrated so that what I see on my computer screen post production is what I see in a printed photo

A laptop is not an optimal machine to do any type of color critical work.  Sooner or later you have to face that fact.

[JMM Photography, LLC]

Ramon,

What desktop to you recommend for color critical work?

Thank you!

[Ramón G Castañeda]

As a Mac user, I wouldn't want to recommend a Windows box , but any name-brand desktop machine that allows you to use plenty of RAM, a state-of-the-art graphics card (supporting both OpenGL 2 and Shader Model 3, with at least 256MB of VRAM), and a great wide-gamut monitor (like the NEC 2690 and 2490 or the Eizo top of the line) will do.

[ReneDamkot]

A few things worth noting: If you shoot Raw, it doesn't make a lick of difference whether you set sRGB or AdobeRGB in camera: You set the output color space in the Raw converter.

Second: If the desired output color space is sRGB, why not set that in camera / Raw converter? That will at least give you an accurate clipping warning if you use ACR for instance (not so with Lightroom).

Third: I would never set "Convert to working space" as a default. If an image gets converted from AdobeRGB to sRGB, that's done using relative colorimetric intent. So clipping might occur. In that case I want to be notified, so I can make a concious descision...

I'd set working space: sRGB, policies: Use embedded. Tick all "Mismatch" and "missing"checkboxes. Use sRGB in camera/ as output color space from the Raw converter.

[CCS_learning]

Hi,

I tried using sRGB1966 setting but after convert to JPEG, the color somehow inaccurate(more yellowish). I been trying few different setting yet can't solve the problem. Your response is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[ReneDamkot]

I presume the jpg changes color when viewing it in a non color managed application?

That's normal: You will always see a difference between a color managed and a non-colormanaged application. Using sRGB is the best option, as it gives the least difference on a "normal" monitor. If you embed the profile, the image will also be displayed correctly in Safari for instance.

"Save for web" can show you what the image will look like on your computer: http://www.getcolormanaged.com/color-management/saveforweb/

If colors change inside PS when you use "Convert to profile", something is very wrong.

A bit more on the PS "Color settings": http://www.getcolormanaged.com/color-management/pscolorsettings/

[gator soup]

Your response is much appreciated.

The response is presumptuous because we don't know what operating system you are using.

Most Windows browsers should not shift sRGB color at all BECAUSE Windows Defaults/Assigns/Applies/Assumes sRGB when files are untagged (or unmanaged), so BOTH tagged and untagged sRGB should look identical in Windows (at least in Vista).

The Mac is 'different' BECAUSE it Defaults/Assigns/Applies/Assumes MonitorRGB when files are untagged (or unmanaged) — this means OSX will display tagged and untagged sRGB differently in color-managed apps.

In Mac unmanaged applications, OSX will display tagged and untagged sRGB identically BECAUSE the same default monitor profile is being Assigned/Applied/Assumed.

In Photoshop, if we strip the profile, Photoshop (in essence) Defaults/Assigns/Applies/Assumes its Working RGB.

If colormanaged applications like Photoshop and Safari are displaying tagged sRGB with a yellow color cast — you probably have a bad monitor profile to rule out...