Why do my landscape photos look less vibrant in print, and how can I match the print better?
Asked 12/13/2011
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I edit landscape photos in Photoshop Elements and they look vibrant on my laptop/desktop, but prints from a local photo lab come back looking flatter and less moody. The lab owner said prints can’t fully match the color you see on modern screens, and mentioned software that can simulate how different printers will render an image. Is this normal? How can I prepare images so the final print looks closer to what I see on screen?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
8
Have you calibrated your monitor? Out of the box, you get a lot more brightness and contrast on a screen than you can possible get from a piece of paper unless the light level in the room is uncomfortably high. That can really skew your expectations.
"Calibration" in this sense can, but doesn't have to, involve a separate hardware calibration device. You can get close enough for most purposes by adjusting your brightness so that white on the screen is about the same as the white of a piece of photo paper, or at least isn't that much brighter. Remember -- paper isn't backlit; the blank areas of a sheet of paper is as bright as it can get. Having the screen brightness turned way up means that you can only get the same effect on a screen or using a lightbox transparency.
Real calibration of your monitor will give you the best results, but it can be a bit pricey. And if you're using the same computer for entertainment, you might find that it gives you less exciting results when playing video or gaming if you use your "photo profile". But if prints are important, take a look at ColorVision's Spyder 3 system or Xrite's ColorMunki -- they're around the $200 mark for a basic setup that will get you as close on-screen to the finished print as you can get.
Originally by user2719. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2719
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is a common issue. A monitor is backlit, so it usually looks brighter and more contrasty than a print, which can make prints seem less vibrant by comparison.
The first step is monitor calibration. Even a basic adjustment helps: lower your screen brightness so that white on screen is closer to the white of photo paper. If your display is very bright, your edits may be too dark or too punchy for print.
Better still, use proper monitor calibration if possible. Then ask the lab for the ICC/printer color profile for their printer/paper combination. That profile can be used for “soft proofing,” which is the software preview the lab owner mentioned—it simulates on your screen how the print is likely to look.
If the lab can’t provide profiles or consistent results, their setup may simply not be aimed at finely tuned exhibition-style printing. In that case, try a higher-end print lab or, if printing is important to you, consider a quality photo printer at home with the correct profiles and calibration.
So: calibrate your monitor, reduce screen brightness, soft-proof with the lab’s printer profile, and use a better print service if needed.
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