[biz-engineer]

I've tried some A4 (only) prints out of the K1, 800 ISO. Woww, the definition is incredible, and at that size, grain is totally absent. But... looks like all prints are underexposed, I don't really know by how much, 0.3ev? 0.5ev? When printing , how much did you have to correct the exposure?

[biz-engineer]

It varies by lab. You will want to calibrate your monitor and use icc profiles provided by the lab. If you are talking home prints, use the icc profile provided by your manufacturer.

Thanks for the advice.

[stevebrot]

When printing , how much did you have to correct the exposure?

It is not your camera. Most people report overly dark prints when home printing and most end up burning a lot of cash trying to get it right through manual printer adjustments.

It varies by lab. You will want to calibrate your monitor and use icc profiles provided by the lab.

If you are talking home prints, use the icc profile provided by your manufacturer.

What he said ^ ^ ^

This question has been asked a lot lately. To expand a little on dcshooter's advice:

• If you have not already done so, reduce the brightness of your monitor
• Find a good resource for implementing a color-managed workflow. I usually refer people to the tutorials on the Cambridge In Colour Web site:

  Color Management and Printing

• As noted above, printing to a target color (icc) profile is important:
  • If working with a lab, consult with them for instructions on how to process your images for best results
  • Icc profiles for printing are specific for printer/ink/paper and are often available for download from the paper maker's Web site. Instructions on use is often included with the printer documentation or from the paper maker.
  • If your processing software supports printing from that interface, the software documentation often includes instructions on using color profiles for output
  • If your processing software includes a "soft proof" feature, learn how to use it to edit to the characteristics of the target icc profile

That last point provides the most direct means to save time and money on paper and ink.


Steve

[skierd]

The difference between print and screens that prints aren't backlit (typically). I think your estimate of needing +0.3-0.5ev is pretty close to correct, but it depends on your printer. One reason I like adoramapix is they make great prints from my files edited for screen.

[lithedreamer]

I've tried some A4 (only) prints out of the K1, 800 ISO. Woww, the definition is incredible, and at that size, grain is totally absent. But... looks like all prints are underexposed, I don't really know by how much, 0.3ev? 0.5ev? When printing , how much did you have to correct the exposure?

I had to set the brightness on my MacBook Pro (Late 2013 model if it helps anyone) to its very lowest setting to correct for that underexposure.

[following.eric]

Out of curiosity would you edit two lots of photos. One for print where you would lower screen brightness and edit to that as well as a second one edited for screen and internet use?

I had experience with free prints online from a website. Got 60 free 5x7 prints and first lot came back all underexposed. Second lot came back better after I increased exposure and reduced contrast. Trial and error and experience I expect.

I also get a problem for example editing on my Macbook and plugging it in onto my large hdtv I get colour changes and under exposed /cobtrasty images compared to the Mac screen.

Any threads on proper Mac screen set up for proper editing. Since most of my work is online I edit at full brightness. Sometimes I have colour changes depending if my images are viewed on the tv or cellphone. Colour profile issue maybe. Surprisingly my free prints were spot on colour profile wise to my Mac screen. Got printed what I saw on my screen. Issue seems to be with cellphone and tv colour changes.

Thanks guys

[narual]

Using lightroom? Try soft proofing with paper simulated, using the ICC profile for the printer and paper combination you're using. (it's a checkbox to soft proof, another one to simulate paper, and a button to choose an ICC profile. You'll probably have to install one unless you're using a paper type your printer is preprogrammed to support, like epson papers on an epson or canon paper on a canon)

[reeftool]

What Steve said.

My monitor is still brighter than paper at even the lowest settings. My normal work around is to add some brightness in the print module in Lightroom which is a nice feature because it only brightens the print, not the normal viewing of your shot a the screen.

[lithedreamer]

What Steve said.

My monitor is still brighter than paper at even the lowest settings. My normal work around is to add some brightness in the print module in Lightroom which is a nice feature because it only brightens the print, not the normal viewing of your shot a the screen.

It only works when you're doing the printing, and you can't see any preview of what image might look like, in my experience.

[reeftool]

It only works when you're doing the printing, and you can't see any preview of what image might look like, in my experience.

No, you can't because most monitors are way too bright, even at their lowest settings. Lightrooms brightness slider is a guess but if you print a lot, you get a pretty good feel for where you need to adjust the setting.

[lithedreamer]

No, you can't because most monitors are way too bright, even at their lowest settings. Lightrooms brightness slider is a guess but if you print a lot, you get a pretty good feel for where you need to adjust the setting.

That seems like a huge pain if you're using a lab (does the brightness slider even carry over if you're sending the photo to a lab?). It works if you have a printer nearby though.

Anyway, I've compared, and my monitor on its lowest brightness setting is dim enough to simulate a print.

[following.eric]

How do you brighten an image on lightroom and then export without using the exposure slider. I don't have a brightness slider. Only in the print option I can add or remove brightness.
If I sent off an image and it printed to dark, whats the best way to increase the brightness of the image as a whole and send a new export file back?

[stevebrot]

How do you brighten an image on lightroom and then export without using the exposure slider.

Whoaaa...big question. The short answer is to "soft proof" to a virtual copy using the lab's icc profile and edit that to match your edits for your screen. Export that to send to the lab. I put my "soft proof" copies in collections dedicated to that lab or paper type. I also put keywords and descriptions on the copy indicating its purpose.

I had no idea about this stuff until I got Martin Evening's Lightroom book. He gives step-by-step instructions.


Steve

[following.eric]

Whoaaa...big question. The short answer is to "soft proof" to a virtual copy using the lab's icc profile and edit that to match your edits for your screen. Export that to send to the lab. I put my "soft proof" copies in collections dedicated to that lab or paper type. I also put keywords and descriptions on the copy indicating its purpose.

I had no idea about this stuff until I got Martin Evening's Lightroom book. He gives step-by-step instructions.


Steve

I figure it's no different than any other aspect to photography. Trial and error, loads of research and reading and edits....and trying again haha. I haven't dove down the printing path yet, but like my journey in photography I think things are coming around. Want to learn film and start to print shots. Complete my vision from shot to print to wall...

[reeftool]

I figure it's no different than any other aspect to photography. Trial and error, loads of research and reading and edits....and trying again haha. I haven't dove down the printing path yet, but like my journey in photography I think things are coming around. Want to learn film and start to print shots. Complete my vision from shot to print to wall...

Not as much as you might think. If your shot is properly exposed in the camera and the camera's histogram is looking good, you will probably get a good print. The problems arise because we load our shots to computers and view them on a screen. Unless that screen is calibrated and adjusted to a standard, it could really make your photos look bad if you just adjusted your shots to look good on your monitor. Imagine editing photos with a laptop outside on a sunny day with the screen brightness turned all the way up. Sounds silly but some people do it. I have made prints at the drugstore machines when on vacation but just putting my SD card in the machine and using the default settings and they came out looking quite nice.