I'm coming unglued - calibration issues

[slugger]

I got a new computer and monitor - and just got my first print order back and it looks HORRIBLE. Grey, underexposed, orange, just absolutely aweful. I'm so embarrased and I actually have provided clients with discs of images (that didn't order prints) - and now I'm sooooo worried about the quality of those images when they open them up on their computer or - heaven forbid - they order prints.
Obviously I will have to contact them and send them a new disc with the properly edited photos - but how do I fix them? I mean one of them was a wedding - so there are a ton of photos that I've already edited.
So my question is - if I buy a monitor calibrating device - then what do I do? Do I have to open each photo in Photoshop (I have Elements 7) - and save them with a new color profile? I'm not very techy in the abstract way of thinking, and I can't wrap my mind around how this works.

[kcoppock]

It could just be that your files are set up in the Adobe RGB profile, and the printer you sent them to printed without converting to sRGB. Can you post an example image here that looks good to you? We can make some observations and see if it's something like that, possibly.

[slugger]

Sure - in this picture - as a print - they all look ill. Their skin looks greyish, and on my screen they look nice and, well normal.

[slugger]

Also - you talk about the RGB profile. When I look up information from the lab about callibration, it mentions to open photoshop and select "Convert to working RGB"
Well PSE7 doesn't have those options, the options are:
No Color Management
Always Optimize Colors for Computer Screens (mentions sRGB)
Always Optimize for Printing (mentions something about Adobe RGB colorspace)
Allow me to Choose

So I'm assuming I want the 2nd one? Optimizing for computer screens?
Also - what about photos that I don't open in Photoshop? Are they going to print okay?
Somehow all this printing stuff just got incredibly difficult, and I'm not sure why.

[ArmySoldier777]

sRGB is the one you want. Most Printing companies use sRGB for their prints, but a lot of them just expect you to send them in with that color profile, so they won't convert them for you. The easiest way that I know of to edit the color profile is with the Raw Editor in Photoshop. When viewing the images on your computer, you probably won't ever see the difference between Adobe RGB and sRGB. However, if you upload a photo online, the photo looks horrible. The same goes with printing Adobe RGB photos, they look horrible and nothing like your edit.


David

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by slugger

if I buy a monitor calibrating device - then what do I do? Do I have to open each photo in Photoshop (I have Elements 7) - and save them with a new color profile?

If the problem was that your monitor was out of calibration, you've edited your photos all wrong. You'll see that when you re-open them in PSE with the calibrated monitor: the photos will look like your prints (at least, that's the way it should work).

So you'll have to go back and re-edit all of your photos to make them look right. No, it's not fun.

A note to other folks: never edit photos on an uncalibrated monitor. You may be making them worse instead of better.

[tonyselby]

I have been using colour management for the past 12 months and would recommend that avail of the link I have listed below.I hope that this is of use to you.
Please let me know how you get on
tonyselby
Spyder 2 Pro - get your display right

[kcoppock]

To me, that picture does look a bit on the cool side of the white balance spectrum. It could simply that the white balance on your monitor is set to too warm of a temperature. Granted, calibrating is the ideal solution, but failing that, you could see if your monitor has a white balance adjustment, and set it to a cooler temperature (I believe 6500K is the usual standard).

[lunathea]

Slugger, I just went through a similar experience except I was calibrating with the Spyder 3 and getting my prints from Mpix. They came back underexposed, orange and a bit dull. After recalibrating around a million times Steve pointed out that I may not have saved the images in the sRGB color space (like David said) lo and behold that was it. My prints now match my monitor almost to a T. I found out though that I cannot have my kitchen light on when editting I have to use farther away ambient light due to the cast of the tungsten light on the screen or my prints.

Here is the link to the thread.

Incredibly frustrated, please help

And a before and after example of my calibration and file conversion (this first calibration was with that kitchen light on the monitor, resulting in it looking great on my screen, until I recalibrated and saw the crazy green color cast everyone was talking about).

Mum and son, calibrated right!

[ArmySoldier777]

Originally Posted by lunathea

Slugger, I just went through a similar experience except I was calibrating with the Spyder 3 and getting my prints from Mpix. They came back underexposed, orange and a bit dull. After recalibrating around a million times Steve pointed out that I may not have saved the images in the sRGB color space (like David said) lo and behold that was it. My prints now match my monitor almost to a T. I found out though that I cannot have my kitchen light on when editting I have to use farther away ambient light due to the cast of the tungsten light on the screen or my prints.

Here is the link to the thread.

Incredibly frustrated, please help

And a before and after example of my calibration and file conversion (this first calibration was with that kitchen light on the monitor, resulting in it looking great on my screen, until I recalibrated and saw the crazy green color cast everyone was talking about).

Mum and son, calibrated right!

Hey Luna, just curious here.. but the After shot is first right? lol. Because if the second photo is the After, then I need some SERIOUS calibration :P


David