I keep messing up brightness/contrast

"JK" wrote in message

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I don’t know if there’s an answer, other than go back to a conventional screen. The flatscreen, even the really good ones, do not accurately represent the image’s appearance when printed. You’ll get used to it, though, and find yourself knowing how to produce the effect that you want, although it won’t look like that on-screen.

"JK" wrote in message

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

Hi.

The answer to your problem is Colour Management. It is not a very easy subject, but it is not rocket science either.

Have a look, first of all, in PS Help files. For much, much, more detailed info look at www.computer-darkroom.com.

You need to Calibrate and Profile your screen, so that it shows the Image with the correct density, contrast and colour. For most Flat Screens this requires the use of a hardware device, such as an Eye One or a Spyder. Then Print using the correct ICC Profile for your Printer, Paper and Ink combination.

For a very rough fix, you could use Ps’s Soft Proof to view how your Print would look after Printing, and use one of the editing options to get the sort of brightness and contrast you need. You would, first of all, have to set-up Proof to use your Printer ICC Profile, or better Printer and Specific Paper Profile.

Remember if you save the settings you make while Proof is on, your File will have been changed, and its normal On-screen appearance might well be wrong.

Roy G

Thank you for some very useful and succinct advice.

Nice to know not entirely my fault.

Thank you again gentlemen

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:25:20 +0100, JK wrote:

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

In order to calibrate your monitor with a device like the Spyder you need to set it to the factory defaults and leave them there.
The calibration devices can do a good job of mapping the colors of your LCD monitor but in practice are unable to compensate for the surface of the sun brightness of LCD panels compared to the brightness of CRTs, which more closely match the reflectivity/brightness of glossy paper. In other word even after calibration it is very likely your prints will seem way too dark, although color should be reasonably accurate. A simple way to approach this is to find an arbitrary setting of the CS3 brightness control, used as a non-destructive adjustment layer, that yields prints that more closely match what you have in mind. Some people adjust contrast in the same way.
Do not adjust the brightness of the LCD panel. In order to get reproducible results LCD panels, except for very high end dedicated graphics panels ($1500 and up), have to shine out at the default factory setting. I have a good, not great, wide panel I got after my last CRT died. While I like the wide screen I would trash it in a second for a decent CRT (or, if I could afford it, a dedicated graphics LCD).

"babaloo" wrote:

<snip>

I have a good, not great, wide panel I got after my last CRT died. While I like the wide screen I would trash it in a second for a decent CRT (or, if I could afford it, a dedicated graphics LCD).

Same here, I don’t have problem getting average 22" LCD (like Samsung or similar), but because I work with very small detail (skin texture) so I still using CRT. I read some top-notch LCD monitor costs around $2000-4000 a pop which is little too spicy for me.

Waterspider wrote:

"JK" wrote in message

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I don’t know if there’s an answer, other than go back to a conventional screen. The flatscreen, even the really good ones, do not accurately represent the image’s appearance when printed. You’ll get used to it, though, and find yourself knowing how to produce the effect that you want, although it won’t look like that on-screen.

Not entirely true.
If you buy a decent flatscreen, and spend time calibrating it, then the result can be a pretty accurate match.
I have a Xerox LCD, and an HP printer, and my screen display matches my printer output perfectly.
And it didn’t take long to do, or require expensive hardware and software. Just set the monitor to default settings, print out a photo with a good spread of colours from across the spectrum, and then play with the display adaptor settings until the image on the screen matches the piece of paper you’re holding beside it.

—
http://www.norfolklupus.co.uk
http://www.thebooknook.co.uk
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40919519@N00/

Fat Sam wrote:

Waterspider wrote:

"JK" wrote in message

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I don’t know if there’s an answer, other than go back to a conventional screen. The flatscreen, even the really good ones, do not accurately represent the image’s appearance when printed. You’ll get used to it, though, and find yourself knowing how to produce the effect that you want, although it won’t look like that on-screen.

Not entirely true.
If you buy a decent flatscreen, and spend time calibrating it, then the result can be a pretty accurate match.
I have a Xerox LCD, and an HP printer, and my screen display matches my printer output perfectly.
And it didn’t take long to do, or require expensive hardware and software. Just set the monitor to default settings, print out a photo with a good spread of colours from across the spectrum, and then play with the display adaptor settings until the image on the screen matches the piece of paper you’re holding beside it.

I should add that you’ll probably need to do this every time you change ink, or switch to a different brand of paper, but it doesn’t take too long, and is pretty easy to do.

—
http://www.norfolklupus.co.uk
http://www.thebooknook.co.uk
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40919519@N00/

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:25:20 +0100, JK wrote:

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I will assume that you are not a professional and that 100% accurate colour reproduction is not really that important for you.

I say that because although I have a good eye for comparing colours ( I work in the dyestuff industry) I, as with 99.99% of the population, do not have a good colour memory and that is the important bit. Take the print away from the screen and if it looks OK then that is all you want. You do not need to have an exact match with what is on the screen. If you are a professional this does not apply.

I have never used a calibration tool other than my eye and do not have high end equipment. A 2 year old Samsung flat screen and a 4 colour printer. Nobody I have shown my printed photos to has ever commented on the colours looking wrong and these include many of my workmates who are colour experts..

So what did I do. Basically nothing. The screen came with an install program which put a profile for the monitor onto my PC. I have this set up in the Photoshop RGB workspace. All the other colour management is turned off. Including the Epson printer. I printed a test picture which had a slight colour bias and was a bit dark. By trial and error, which took 5 prints, I altered the settings in the Epson software unltill I was happy (+15 brightness, -8 magenta and -15 yellow, I have no idea what the units are but I do not need to). I have never changed them since.

I would suggest that you give it a try.

John

"Fat Sam" wrote in message

Waterspider wrote:

"JK" wrote in message

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I don’t know if there’s an answer, other than go back to a conventional screen. The flatscreen, even the really good ones, do not accurately represent the image’s appearance when printed. You’ll get used to it, though, and find yourself knowing how to produce the effect that you want, although it won’t look like that on-screen.

Not entirely true.
If you buy a decent flatscreen, and spend time calibrating it, then the result can be a pretty accurate match.
I have a Xerox LCD, and an HP printer, and my screen display matches my printer output perfectly.
And it didn’t take long to do, or require expensive hardware and software. Just set the monitor to default settings, print out a photo with a good spread of colours from across the spectrum, and then play with the display adaptor settings until the image on the screen matches the piece of paper you’re holding beside it.

What kind of paper do you use to get that brightness?
<evil grin>

Thanks, Sam. I do have a good monitor. Need to work more with the calibration.

Waterspider

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:55:37 GMT, John wrote:

I will assume that you are not a professional and that 100% accurate colour reproduction is not really that important for you.
I say that because although I have a good eye for comparing colours ( I work in the dyestuff industry) I, as with 99.99% of the population, do not have a good colour memory and that is the important bit. Take the print away from the screen and if it looks OK then that is all you want. You do not need to have an exact match with what is on the screen. If you are a professional this does not apply.

I have never used a calibration tool other than my eye and do not have high end equipment. A 2 year old Samsung flat screen and a 4 colour printer. Nobody I have shown my printed photos to has ever commented on the colours looking wrong and these include many of my workmates who are colour experts..

So what did I do. Basically nothing. The screen came with an install program which put a profile for the monitor onto my PC. I have this set up in the Photoshop RGB workspace. All the other colour management is turned off. Including the Epson printer. I printed a test picture which had a slight colour bias and was a bit dark. By trial and error, which took 5 prints, I altered the settings in the Epson software unltill I was happy (+15 brightness, -8 magenta and -15 yellow, I have no idea what the units are but I do not need to). I have never changed them since.

I would suggest that you give it a try.

John

What John says here makes more sense than would many like to believe. This is a good description of the way I go since I replaced my monitor for an LCD Screen (Acer 19").

Dave

Waterspider wrote:

"Fat Sam" wrote in message

Waterspider wrote:

"JK" wrote in message

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I don’t know if there’s an answer, other than go back to a conventional screen. The flatscreen, even the really good ones, do not accurately represent the image’s appearance when printed. You’ll get used to it, though, and find yourself knowing how to produce the effect that you want, although it won’t look like that on-screen.

Not entirely true.
If you buy a decent flatscreen, and spend time calibrating it, then the result can be a pretty accurate match.
I have a Xerox LCD, and an HP printer, and my screen display matches my printer output perfectly.
And it didn’t take long to do, or require expensive hardware and software. Just set the monitor to default settings, print out a photo with a good spread of colours from across the spectrum, and then play with the display adaptor settings until the image on the screen matches the piece of paper you’re holding beside it.

What kind of paper do you use to get that brightness?
<evil grin>

Jut shine a torch through from behind it 😉

"John" wrote in message

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:25:20 +0100, JK wrote:

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I will assume that you are not a professional and that 100% accurate colour reproduction is not really that important for you.
I say that because although I have a good eye for comparing colours ( I work in the dyestuff industry) I, as with 99.99% of the population, do not have a good colour memory and that is the important bit. Take the print away from the screen and if it looks OK then that is all you want. You do not need to have an exact match with what is on the screen. If you are a professional this does not apply.

I have never used a calibration tool other than my eye and do not have high end equipment. A 2 year old Samsung flat screen and a 4 colour printer. Nobody I have shown my printed photos to has ever commented on the colours looking wrong and these include many of my workmates who are colour experts..

So what did I do. Basically nothing. The screen came with an install program which put a profile for the monitor onto my PC. I have this set up in the Photoshop RGB workspace. All the other colour management is turned off. Including the Epson printer. I printed a test picture which had a slight colour bias and was a bit dark. By trial and error, which took 5 prints, I altered the settings in the Epson software unltill I was happy (+15 brightness, -8 magenta and -15 yellow, I have no idea what the units are but I do not need to). I have never changed them since.

I would suggest that you give it a try.

John’s approach is a remarkably sensible one for someone interested in improving the match between screen and printer in the context of a home system.

Get the screen about right – in the OP’s case a bit lower in brightness would be a good start. Then adjust the printer systematically to minimize any color cast, and get the overall brightness reasonably close. With a systematic approach, and the correctly shaped test strip, this can be done with a minimum of ink and paper.

http://curvemeister.com/downloads/TestStrip/digital_test_str ip.htm —
Mike Russell – www.curvemeister.com

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 06:10:19 GMT, "Mike Russell" wrote:

"John" wrote in message

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:25:20 +0100, JK wrote:

My LG flat screen has setting for movies, photos, User etc. In my ignorance I set it to Photo.

When I print a photo I find it problematic to adjust the image so that the print has sufficient brightness etc. Although on the scree it looks very bright, the printed image is darker than I would want and possibly the contrast not right.

Is there a way to guage the brightness of the screen image nedded to produce abrighter printed image.

I am a relative newbie but have noticed this problem since I had the new screen.

I will assume that you are not a professional and that 100% accurate colour reproduction is not really that important for you.
I say that because although I have a good eye for comparing colours ( I work in the dyestuff industry) I, as with 99.99% of the population, do not have a good colour memory and that is the important bit. Take the print away from the screen and if it looks OK then that is all you want. You do not need to have an exact match with what is on the screen. If you are a professional this does not apply.

I have never used a calibration tool other than my eye and do not have high end equipment. A 2 year old Samsung flat screen and a 4 colour printer. Nobody I have shown my printed photos to has ever commented on the colours looking wrong and these include many of my workmates who are colour experts..

So what did I do. Basically nothing. The screen came with an install program which put a profile for the monitor onto my PC. I have this set up in the Photoshop RGB workspace. All the other colour management is turned off. Including the Epson printer. I printed a test picture which had a slight colour bias and was a bit dark. By trial and error, which took 5 prints, I altered the settings in the Epson software unltill I was happy (+15 brightness, -8 magenta and -15 yellow, I have no idea what the units are but I do not need to). I have never changed them since.

I would suggest that you give it a try.

John’s approach is a remarkably sensible one for someone interested in improving the match between screen and printer in the context of a home system.

Get the screen about right – in the OP’s case a bit lower in brightness would be a good start. Then adjust the printer systematically to minimize any color cast, and get the overall brightness reasonably close. With a systematic approach, and the correctly shaped test strip, this can be done with a minimum of ink and paper.

http://curvemeister.com/downloads/TestStrip/digital_test_str ip.htm

When I purchased my ViewSonic flat moniter, I also bought a Huey calibrator and use it with an Epson Printer. Very satisfactory results. I also use daylight bulbs in my computer room.

Regards
Terry