So what’s Colour Management or 'Calibration'?
Not exactly a
word that’s used everyday unless you’re in printing or
mechanical engineering. Put simply, it involves matching
your computer monitors colour to a standard so your end
result (in the case of photography, a print) is as close to
the original as possible.
Because every camera and every monitor interprets colour values differently
and every environment has different ambient light, what our eyes perceive
when adjusting an image for printing can vary a great deal. Eg: blue in an
image has the potential to appear green if viewed under a very yellow light
source such as a household tungsten bulb. If you were to spend hours pouring
your efforts into creating a would-be masterpiece you might be very disappointed
when you collect your enlargement from the lab.With expenses involved in the
hobby (and the profession) of photography, it can be hard to reconcile the additional
cost of a colour management device such as a Spyder Pro monitor calibrator or
even white balancing devices such as Cool Disc or Spyder Cube type products.
However unattractive the extra cost, calibrating your computer monitor can still
be the difference between a print that exhibits mediocrity and a great piece of art
you’ll be proud to show your friends and family. The images below demonstrate
potential differences between printing from an image that’s been adjusted on a calibrated
monitor and a non-calibrated monitor. It may have looked fine in your editing
software at home but because you were not seeing it on a properly calibrated
monitor the print has much to be desired.
Before Calibration After Calibration
The difference is easiest to see if you look at the sky. The blue looks muddy
in the image on the left where on the right it is crisp and better represents
the scene when the photograph was taken.
The preceding text is from our September 2009 e-News Letter. If you wish to receive these monthly articles, simply
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