subject: Calibrating And Profiling Your Monitor. [print this page] So you've come to the conclusion that your product range is just too exciting to be promoted with drab amateurish photography, and you've called in a commercial commercial photographer to catch your products at their best and help develop your brand image.
The images are back and look sensational, with a little 'enhancement' in Photoshop they'll be ready for the printer and you're new product brochure will be landing on your desk before you know it.
Your brochure comes back from the print house but all is not well! The photography looks nothing like it did on your monitor and now your products are wearing a rather ugly blue caste.
This is an really widespread problem and one I hear clients agonize about on a frequent basis. The natural reaction would seem to be, 'blame the photographer', after all they supplied the original image files. But in truth it is most likely to one of or a mixture of the following troubles:
1. Severe Image Editing. Inexperienced or incompetent Photoshop retouchers will often perform needless and damaging image manipulation procedures that will often result in very poor quality printing. Amateurs will often unwittingly destroy much of the fine tonal information that is held within the image file.
2. Conversion to CYMK. The picture files your photographer supplies you with are normally in a RGB colour space and will require conversion to a applicable CYMK colour profile before printing. The picture files will necessitate careful colour conversion and ideally proofing if precise colour accuracy is desired.
3. Poor Monitor Calibration. This is the major issue and the one that I feel creates the most displeasure and problems. If your monitor isn't accurately calibrated or rather you simply use the manufacturers canned factory settings, there is a good likelihood that your monitor is misleading you!
It is this third matter that I will illustrate further. Your computers monitor is your largest mate if set-up properly or your greatest enemy if set-up incorrectly or badly. It should enable you to relatively accurately proof your images and view how they will appear once printed. But if set-up badly then your photos may vary wildly from the way they look onscreen to the way they actually print. Deep blacks may look a muddy flat grey, whites may clip and lack any detail and most awful of all that bright red London bus may well look a nauseous shade of pink once printed!
Monitor Calibration is the technique of altering your monitors controls to achieve the most neutral display possible, including changing its luminance (brightness), white point (colour temperature) and gamma settings. If you deal with professional photographs on a recurring basis or you don't hire the services of a graphic designer or some other pre-press professional then I strongly advocate that you invest in some simple monitor calibration software and apparatus. You will not have to invest thousands, indeed for the price of a full set of inkjet cartridges you'll be able to get a basic calibration device, but it will radically change your digital workflow and give you the final results you deserve. If you do use hire a graphic designer or pre-press house that fully comprehends the significance or colour management then you may just be happy to manually set-up your monitor, however remember not to change the picture files in any way as what you observe on your screen will differ to what your designer and printer sees!
The calibrator will effectively calculate your monitors imperfections and in combination with the software will work out a profile that is unique to your screen. Think of this profile as a 'filter' or 'mask' that once employed to your screen will remove any flaws and will give you a perfectly neutral view.
In conclusion, Monitor calibration and profiling is vital when preparing professional photography for print. It is a small yet critical part of a professional digital workflow that when overlooked, can cause untold discontentment and problems. Why spend good money on getting your photos shot professionally only to later botch them by editing on an improperly calibrated monitor?
