Why doesn't my picture print out the way it looks on screen?

[kasiakoz]

Hi,
I'm a complete beginner in the realm of post processing software. I downloaded a trial of Lightroom 3 and have been messing around with it, got an image to where I wanted to print but when it came out it was much higher contrast than it looked on screen and the colors looked less vibrant. Any ideas how to fix this?

[RichardTaylor]

Your monitor is probably not calibrated.
This may help.
Monitor calibration and setup for photography and printing

or this
Monitor Calibration: Is Your Monitor Calibrated?

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

Your monitor is probably not calibrated.
This may help.
Monitor calibration and setup for photography and printing

or this
Monitor Calibration: Is Your Monitor Calibrated?

What Richard said.

[Photologyst]

Have you properly set up the print job in the LR Print Module, chosen your specific printer profile, etc.?

[teaking]

I think everyones given great advice already all I can add is dont double your colour corrections, if you have light room set to handle colour then make sure its turned off in your printer driver too or your printer will change colours from what you edited in lightroom.

[candidrachel]

How can you tell if your monitor is calibrated? When I asked my husband he says you don't need to calibrate it.

[RichardTaylor]

Follow the links in my post. They will give you an idea.

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by candidrachel

How can you tell if your monitor is calibrated? When I asked my husband he says you don't need to calibrate it.

Your monitor is not calibrated. You need to either use a calibration tool like Spyder or follow some directions to try to do it manually. Tools like Spyder Express start at<$100 bucks and go up from there

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by candidrachel

How can you tell if your monitor is calibrated? When I asked my husband he says you don't need to calibrate it.

How would he know this? Did he calibrate it already? Unless he's a photographer or enough of a computer geek to calibrate it just for the hell of it then your monitor is not calibrated.

[candidrachel]

I have this arguement with my husband all the time. The last time he said (his words) "You don't have to calibrate it its a load of bollocks". He works in the computer industry so I just trust his judgement HOWEVER in all the photography books I have it says to calibrate the monitor.

I'll ask him at the weekend to see if we can get a calibration device or whatever they're called.

He's away in Irelend til November 5 (fireworks night) here in the UK and the children keep asking me when the fireworks start and I shall say "when Daddy calibrates my monitor lol!"