Print Adjustment - Brightness and Contrast

[COMDASC]

Lightroom 5 has a new adjustment in the print module (new feature from LR 3).  At the bottom of the print options the Print Module has a section Print Adjustment.  I really like this new feature. 

Problem:  It is sometimes difficult to get the print to match the image displayed on my monitor.  I was able to adjust the brightness control in the develop module when I wanted to print the picture to compensate for the difference but then had to adjust the brightness to restore my on screen image.  Also, I find that the amount I needed to adjust the brightness varies with the media type (example from Glossy paper to Canvas media). 

Solution that Lightroom provides:  When I print on paper I can adjust the brightness control in the print module to 25 to obtain a print image that matches my display image and when I print on canvas I can change the print adjustment to 40 to obtain the correct brightness for my canvas print.  Once I establish a value for each printer and each media type I feel that I can produce consistant print products without experimenting with test copies.

This is an extremely valuable feature that will save me a lot of wasted photo paper and canvas.

Thank you

[Jeff Schewe]

Not new to LR5, it was introduced in LR4.

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

[moved to the main Lightroom forum]

[web-weaver]

COMDASC, The two sliders in the Print Module are best left alone, i.e. best not used at all. The reason for this is very simple: The adjustments with the sliders are not visible in Lr, so you have no feedback of how much your print will be affected.

The correct way to match a print to what you see on screen (or better worded: to match your screen to the print) is to calibrate the monitor and set it to the correct value for brightness (intensity). The tonality (brightness/darkness) and the colors of a digital image are determined by the color numbers. For each pixel there are three numerical values that determine the tone and color of this pixel. The printer prints the image according to the color numbers. But uncalibrated monitors cannot be trusted to display the image according to the color numbers. Most uncalibrated monitors are to bright (because they are set for brightly lit offices) and they have a color bias (too much red, or too much blue, or too much green). Color calibration is done with a piece of hardware called a spectrometer and accompanying software. Brand names are Spyder, ColorMunki, GretaghMacbeth. The software lets you select a target for White Balance (6,500 K is the industry standard) and for brightness (intensity) of the monitor. Select a brightness of about 110 cd/m2 to match the brightness of your monitor to your print.

And when your monitor is calibrated and set to correct brightness you don't have to adjust for the various media. Then it's WYSIWYG - What You See  IS What You GET in print.

[rarewolf]

I can understand why these print adjusters should be left alone, why my monitor should be calibrated and why I should rely on Lr's color management.  However, my monitor is calibrated and the Lr softproof is relatively accurate ... but for photo rag paper and my printer, the ICC does predict significant loss of brightness and saturation in tone-mapped images, and I'd like to compensate for it as much as possible.  It would seem my situation is exactly why these print adjustment were provided(?)

Is there a systematic approach for anticipating how much these adjusters will change the print?  For example, it would be nice if I could turn on softproofing in the print module and use the sliders to view the compensation I want(?)  Otherwise, I wonder if the same adjusters in the develop module can predict how much the print module would apply(?)

TIA 

[web-weaver]

rarewolf wrote:

... but for photo rag paper and my printer, the ICC does predict significant loss of brightness and saturation in tone-mapped images, and I'd like to compensate for it as much as possible.  It would seem my situation is exactly why these print adjustment were provided(?)

If your icc profile predicts the loss of brightness & saturation, and if Lr displays that correctly (which it should) my advice would be still not to use the sliders in the Print Module because they don't give any feedback, i.e. what you do with the sliders is not displayed din Lr.

Rather I would do this: I'd create a Virtual Copy specific for that purpose and (in the Library Module) call the copy (not the file!) "Photo Rag" (in the Metadata panel / Copy name) so that I know in future what that VC is for. Then in the Develop Module with softproofing adjust the VC until it displays the brightness and saturation that I want. Then print without any adjustments in the Print Module.

rarewolf wrote:

Is there a systematic approach for anticipating how much these adjusters will change the print?  For example, it would be nice if I could turn on softproofing in the print module and use the sliders to view the compensation I want(?) 

Unfortunately, no. The sliders in the Print Module work only in the "trial-and-error" mode. There's no feedback and no system, unless you create your own system by trial and error.

[rarewolf]

Thanks web-weaver!  The virtual copy would seem a viable work-around.  I decided to use an adjustment layer in photoshop, but that did create an extra file.

Cheerios 

[Simon G E Garrett]

Clearly if all prints are too dark it suggests that the monitor is too bright, or monitor or printer profiles are off.  However, because of the different nature of screen and print, images don't always look the same on both.  I find that some images look fine on the screen but need up to +10 on the printer brightness slider. 

Personally I don't use virtual copies, but use the brighten slider in the print module. 

[rarewolf]

Simon G E Garrett wrote:

Clearly if all prints are too dark it suggests that the monitor is too bright, or monitor or printer profiles are off.  ....

Not if the softproof reliably predicts the print.  Rather, it indicates all is working as it should, except that I'm expecting too much from my printer for these tone-mapped images.

[Optimistic_Cascade15A8]

rarewolf wrote:

Not if the softproof reliably predicts the print.  Rather, it indicates all is working as it should, except that I'm expecting too much from my printer for these tone-mapped images.

Softproof shows you the colors and saturation that you will see in the print. As for brightness, well...keep in mind that you are still looking at an image on your monitor. If the monitor is too bright, the print will look dark(er) than what you see on th monitor.

[web-weaver]

The softproof feature in Lr can predict the print only

a) if your monitor is calibrated, i.e. if the white point is set to the industry standard of 6500 K (sometimes called D65).

and

b) if your monitor is set to the correct intensity (brightness).

I mention these as two requirements because with some calibration software the default target for intensity (brightness) is too high.

For instance my former calibration software recommended an intensity of 140 cd/m2. When I followed this advice my prints would come out too dark.

Therefore, if you just accept this default target your monitor will be too bright even if you calibrate it regularly, and your prints will be too dark.

The remedy is to change the default setting for intensity (brightness) in your calibration software to a value between 100 to 110 cd/m2.

Even with a correct monitor setting there will also be differences between the image on screen and in print.

These differences result from the facts that

- on screen the image is backlit while in a print the light is reflected;

- prints should be (but mostly are not) viewed under controlled lighting, i.e.in a viewing booth;

- the screen colors of Red, Green, and Blue are "translated" into the print colors of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black.

[CASpyr]

I would strongly recommend to read a bit about the softproofing function that is part of Lightroom since V4. This function should take care of the differences you see between screen and print in a predictable way (you can compare the softproof version to your master photo side-by-side). This of course requires the calibration/profiling of your monitor, as web-weaver pointed out.

[CSS_Simon]

I agree about calibrating and profiling monitor and printer.  However, I find that, even with monitors calibrated to under 100 cd/m2, I still get best results on some images with about +10 on brightness in the print module. 

[PIRose]

I use (IMHO) a well-calibrated monitor with luminance set close to 90 cd/m2, yet the prints (from my Epson 2200 or as done by Mpix service) tend to be as described by CSS Simon--i.e., they often could benefit from a small "bump" in brightness. I think perhaps my using a too-dark background while working in Lr's develop module contributes to this (even the medium or light-gray is probably throwing "off" my editing). Another contributor would be the use of a viewing light with only mediocre intensity

Phil

[COMDASC]

I want to thank you all for your comments.  I have tried monitor calibration but still found that my prints were slightly darker than what is displayed on my monitor.  The print adjustment was not part of my LR 3 version and is a feature worth upgrading to LR 5. 

If I know that I need to bump up the print adjustment brightness 10 for glossy paper on my Epson printer and brightness up to 20 for when I print canvas to get a print that matches my displayed image that is better than adjusting the brightness in the develop module and having a screen image that is too light. (now is it too light because I last printed paper or canvas?) No just handle it with the print adjustment for the small adjustment necessary at print time.

Again thanks for the good information from your experience.