This is a topic that comes up often, and one that people really seem to fluster over. They really want their work to look great, and just aren’t sure how to handle their color. It and understandable concern, but there are fairly simple precautions to take to make sure you get accurate color, and make those photo’s look their very best.
The first and foremost thing to remember is to make sure you monitor is calibrated. Computer monitors vary quite a lot, and actually change the color they display over time. Even when just sitting on your desk.
For this reason you need to calibrate your motor fairly regularly. I try to do it once every month or two, and more often will certainly not hurt. Even if you get the pictures to look great on your screen, you may be unpleasantly surprised at how they look when you, (or a client) get them back from the lab and find that the vivid glory that graced your image is suddenly gone.
“picking up a color calibration unit will help you not only have peace of mind about your color. It will help you get truly better quality work”
What do you need? Well you do need hardware for a real color calibration. There are methods sometimes used to correct color, without a color correction device. But chances are it will be a huge hassle, and won’t really be all that accurate. A color calibration device works by placing a small optical sensor over your screen. It’s connected to the computer, and the software that comes with the device displays information to the hardware, and the hardware in return determines what the software needs to change to make the color spot on accurate.
Yes getting hardware means money, and it may not sound like the most exciting thing to spend your hard earned cash on. The good news however is that while you “can” spend a small fortune on color calibration, you don’t need to. Various manufacturers make color calibration units for prices that won’t likely break the bank. For around 100 bucks the Spyder2
is actually what I use, and though it’s not fancy it’s done a great job for me. The Pantone Huey at under 70 bucks is another popular choice. There are other options that range anywhere from 100 dollars, to the nearly 3000 dollar McBeth Eye One. While I’m sure expensive units have their place, I have found that a simple unit generally does the job just fine. The main thing is to make sure you have some sort of calibration hardware in your kit. It’s an essential tool the the enthusiast, and the pro alike.
Though there may be various standards, color profiles, and the like. I have found that at then end of the day, a monitor calibrated with a hardware unit should get great results back from any good lab, and maybe even some of the not so good ones.
It certainly can’t hurt to ask your lab of they have any suggestions to make sure that what you see is what you get. But picking up a color calibration unit will help you not only have peace of mind about your color. It will help you get truly better quality work. And we can’t have to much of that.
The next big question in the color wagon is how to get your images properly adjusted to the color that their supposed to be. Don;t go far. More on that next time in part 2
Gavin Seim
www.seimphotography.com
www.seimdesign.com