Colour Printing Problem using profiles

[Jonathan]

Hi
I am attempting to print via lightroom 1.3.1 a shot (canon CR2 file) both in develop and print it looks fine.I had previously printed this shot with no probs using a HP 13' design jet onto hp preimium plus, it printed just like the screen.
I am now trying to use epson 129's(128's in US) with Brilliant supereme matt paper (Calumet)
Followed all the steps, downloaded and installed paper profile, switched off managed by printer in printer dialog box.
Print is coming out with a magenta cast.
In print module looks fine on screen (using compaq p92' which is a diamondtron tube profiled with colorsync by eye).
But in softproof appears magenta then more magenta when profile tick box is checked similar to outputted print.
What am I doing wrong please!
Thanks
J
Mac 2.3 G5, Os1'.5.2,Lightroom 1.3.1

 

[Denis de Gannes]

I think it is advisable to upgrade to v1.4.1, which addressed some printing issues, and see if it helps.

 

[shootmyphoto]

Also, you are using a generic profile... color still varies from printer to printer. I found years ago the only good solution was to make or have made custom profiles.

Last year I finally bought my own equipment to do profiles since the best good profile I could find was $75/ea.

Now I make profiles for a few locals and some other photogs on sportsshooter.com

If you are getting the same colour cast printing with management from PS then it is the profile/paper/ink combo.

If you want to do a profile, I can email you the targets to print... send me a message.

 

[wblink]

Last year I finally bought my own equipment to do profiles since the best good profile I could find was $75/ea.

Now I make profiles for a few locals and some other photogs on sportsshooter.com

If you are getting the same colour cast printing with management from PS then it is the profile/paper/ink combo.

If you want to do a profile, I can email you the targets to print... send me a message.

Hi,

I did the same thing. Could not get my pitures right on my Cannon i995' with Photopaper Pro. Finally bought Spider to calibrate things and with the profile produces by this tool the prints are almost perfect. I think they will get better when I do more (or extended really) (very tedious work) measurements.

 

[Jonathan]

Colour Problems with profiles

Hi
Thanks for the replies
But as I said in the original post I am in fact getting in the print what is shown at the soft proofing stage but not in lightroom develop or print modules.
Is the generic profile so far from the true color or is it just a problem with cheap media. Brilliant Paper or an out of date printer! I have in the past printed very acceptable results with this printer/paper combo but thinking about it by NOT using the profile but the general settings in the printer dialog box.
J

 

[Denis Pagé]

Hi
I am attempting to print via lightroom 1.3.1 a shot (canon CR2 file) both in develop and print it looks fine.I had previously printed this shot with no probs using a HP 13' design jet onto hp preimium plus, it printed just like the screen.
I am now trying to use epson 129's(128's in US) with Brilliant supereme matt paper (Calumet)
Followed all the steps, downloaded and installed paper profile, switched off managed by printer in printer dialog box.
Print is coming out with a magenta cast.
In print module looks fine on screen (using compaq p92' which is a diamondtron tube profiled with colorsync by eye).
But in softproof appears magenta then more magenta when profile tick box is checked similar to outputted print.
What am I doing wrong please!
Thanks
J
Mac 2.3 G5, Os1'.5.2,Lightroom 1.3.1

The 128' is a nice printer. Outdated? No. Just a little older so, the problem is not there. All this seem to be a problem of double color management. When you say that you "switched off managed by printer in printer dialog box", I think it wasn't the printer's dialog box but Lightroom's isn't it? From there you also choose the printer profile for this paper...

But what you also NEED to do is to turn off color management in the 128' Printer's driver dialog box! Because you told Lightroom to manage it.

 

[Ian Farlow]

There are several steps to proper color management if you want repeatable, controlled results from edit to print. Bear in mind that I am no expert with this stuff, but here goes:

1. You must properly calibrate your monitor using a hardware calibration tool such as the X-Rite i1 Display 2.
2. You must properly set your environment lighting as per ISO specifications.
3. You must either use prepared ICC profiles for your paper/printer combination or make your own using a hardware printer profiler.

See here for a detailed article covering everything listed above: Kevin Mills Photo article on office lighting. Granted, some people, such as myself, don't follow this to the letter. For example, I don't custom profile my printer as I use prepared ICC profiles for my paper/printer combination, but I do custom profile my monitor, and I somewhat follow the lighting guidelines. I will be redoing the lighting in the near future as I redo my office, and I will likely get into custom printer profiles at that point.

As a result, my output very closely matches my monitor, and I expect as I get into better lighting and custom printer profiles, my output will be spot on.

So, to answer your question... the better the printer, monitor profile, and paper/printer profile, the better the result. Cheap media can be made acceptable, I expect, if you make custom ICC profiles for that paper with your printer. For my current needs, I find it easier with better results to just buy paper from a trusted source that provides ICC profiles for my printer.

For example, I use Red River Paper, and they supply the ICC profiles for the paper I use on my printer.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jonathan]

Colour Problems with profiles

Hi
Thank-you for all your suggestions.
Guess what!
I discarded the profile and used the printer managed colour and it worked a lot better
In the preview it looked very similar to the print!
Seems like the brilliant profiles are less than accurate!
Thanks again
Jonathan

 

[wblink]

NX2 prints are ok!

Oh boy,

I don't like this at all! I wanted to try out Capture NX2 (Nikon) and you know what: the prints are just fine using the standard Canon driverfiles. There are some other minor advantages too using Nikon Software for Nikon Camera.
The main thing to me is that LR has problems reading yhe NEF's OR has problems reading the ICC's OR does some sort of miscalculating.

What I DON't like is that I will have to loose the nice Exif/IPCT features of LR, the sorting and searching and the nice interface.

Most important: I will miss you all, this is the finest group I have ever seen, so I think I will keep using LR a little, just to have an excuse to read, write and be in this community.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

The main thing to me is that LR has problems reading yhe NEF's OR has problems reading the ICC's OR does some sort of miscalculating.

It's not that LR has a problem reading the NEF's or the ICC profiles... it's just rendering the raw data differently. Looooooads of threads on that. That said, some very good things have been hinted at for version 2, so definitely stick around Willem... it'll be worth the wait!

 

[wblink]

It's not that LR has a problem reading the NEF's or the ICC profiles... it's just rendering the raw data differently. Looooooads of threads on that. That said, some very good things have been hinted at for version 2, so definitely stick around Willem... it'll be worth the wait!

I really want that.
Some questions though:
No need to create LR-ICC profiles for LR2? (LR141 is the ONLY program that needs them)?
Can I shoot NEF only and get the jpeg out of the NEF in LR2?

Update: I tried in LRBETA2: same colormismatch as in LR141. Are the corrections on it's way or is it still "a problem"?

As I look upon it now: my best way is to use LR as cataloging program only and do developing/printing in NCX2. Too bad LR does not show my correction from NX2 (same way around: NCX2 does not show correcion made in LR).

I may sound a bit "harsh" (you call it in your language that way I think), but I have spend many hour trying to solve the colors in the printing, with the only solution: make my own ICC profiles (had to buy the spider just for that). Colors are fine when using PSE or NX(2) to print with just the standard Canon ICC profiles. Why, what is the difference?

Using NX I discovered I can shoot NEF and let NX do the jpg conversion same as on the camera (because NX KNOWS and LR has to guess). Nikons fault (like any other camerabrand) but it is what I have to face.
UNTIL THEY ALL USE DNG, but I think I won't live to see that happen: too much money involved.


Now, I am NOT a very demanding user: just an amateur, having fun doing this as good as I can. So LR should be more than enough for me. (Cataloging most important, developing second). BUt when it comes to printing LR lets me loose.

Well, nuff said. I will hang on to LR (even the beta) but for now I am switching to NX2 for working ( YET another prgm to learn how to use). Surely hope to be able to switch back some day.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Can I shoot NEF only and get the jpeg out of the NEF in LR2?

Not in 1.4.1 or the LR 2 Beta. That doesn't mean the situation won't change for final release though.

Update: I tried in LRBETA2: same colormismatch as in LR141. Are the corrections on it's way or is it still "a problem"?

LR Beta 2 - yeah, the hinted changes are NOT in the beta. Wait for the final release - you'll find long threads on the official beta forum if you want to know any more.

As I look upon it now: my best way is to use LR as cataloging program only and do developing/printing in NCX2. Too bad LR does not show my correction from NX2 (same way around: NCX2 does not show correcion made in LR).

Stick with that for now and re-assess the situation when 2.' is released properly.