Print Adjustment - Brightness and Contrast

Forum|Forum|12 years ago
April 21, 2013
3 replies
25049 views

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

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CASpyr

Participating Frequently

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.

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CSS_Simon

Participating Frequently

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.

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PIRose

Participating Frequently

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

web-weaver

Inspiring

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.

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rarewolf

Inspiring

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

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Simon G E Garrett

Inspiring

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

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.