Prints are darker...please advise if you can.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

05/16/2010 10:47:55 PM · #1

Hello,

I managed to pull off two or three of my best "off camera" lighting shots I've ever seen IMO. However, when I print with my Canon IP5000 (which I've had for years), the photo is darker and less appealing overall. The colors seem right but just "plain" and "darker".

I think I'm noticing this now because I moved on to portraits with new lighting techniques and want the print to look like the screen.

Any advice? New Printer?

Oh...monitor is calibrated with Spyder. I also just sent a photo out to be printed. I want to see if there is a difference.

Thanks

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

05/16/2010 10:50:24 PM · #2

~~Is your monitor calibrated?~~

What does the histogram look like?

Are you using the right profile for the paper/ink?

What software are you using to print?

If PS, are you letting PS manage colours or the printer?

Message edited by author 2010-05-16 22:50:52.

Zeissman

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

05/16/2010 10:55:19 PM · #3

LCD monitors are way brighter than printers print, so this isn't uncommon on an uncal'd monitor.

05/16/2010 11:07:51 PM · #4

I check around on the "profile" tip. I had the wrong profile picked.
2nd print is much better...mainly in the "darks". However, it still doesn't look as bright and vibrant as on the monitor.

I'll compare it to the "ordered" print !

Thanks !

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

05/16/2010 11:13:48 PM · #5

Here is the print. Can you tell me how it looks on your monitor (anyone).

Thanks,

Here

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

05/16/2010 11:36:37 PM · #6

Ken, it looks fine on my monitor, but I'm not looking at the print, I'm looking at an image on a computer screen, and that's good for 2 stops more luminosity than a normal print, which is the issue you have to deal with when preparing to print. So I can't speak to how well that's working for you...

R.

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

05/16/2010 11:43:18 PM · #7

Bear...

Are you saying that my screen will always look 2 stops brighter than my prints unless I adjust before printing?

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

05/16/2010 11:49:43 PM · #8

Originally posted by kenskid:

Bear...

Are you saying that my screen will always look 2 stops brighter than my prints unless I adjust before printing?

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Ken, it looks fine on my monitor, but I'm not looking at the print, I'm looking at an image on a computer screen, and that's good for 2 stops more luminosity than a normal print, which is the issue you have to deal with when preparing to print. So I can't speak to how well that's working for you...

R.

No, that's not the point. Look, do you remember color slides? How they always looked wonderful projected on the screen? And when you had a print made from the slide, it always looked somehow *dingy* compared to the slide? And the slides looked way better if projected on a screen of lenticular glass microbeads instead of on a painted white wall?

It's a matter of *luminosity*, and the print is capable of displaying a narrower range of tones than the screen, it's the difference between projected and reflected light.

The was not so much of a noticeable issue for you until you got better lighting; but the characteristic of the better lighting is that your images becoem more luminous, for the most part, and the more luminous they are the harder it is to render them into the print medium.

Many issues come into play, and I am NOT an expert at it, far from it, but brand of printer, color profiles used, the surface of the paper itself, all have an effect. As you become more experienced, you'll learn how to compensate for this.

But, in general, if you have a high-end type flat screen monitor, like and Apple cinema display, for example, you are displaying images in a way that you cannot replicate in printing. You actually need to tone DOWN your display in order to accurately see what you are going to get.

R.