Why do my prints look too dark in dim room lighting, and should I brighten them for print?
Asked 6/16/2016
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2 answers
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My monitor is color-calibrated, and a recent photo looked great on screen and also looked excellent when I picked it up from the lab. In a frame under good light it still looks great, but in a softly lit room or hallway it appears much darker than expected.
I understand that prints are reflective and monitors are backlit, so some difference is normal. But the change seems significant enough that I’m wondering whether I should compensate in post-processing—perhaps by slightly increasing exposure or adjusting midtones for print.
Is this a normal issue with prints viewed under lower light, or does it suggest that I should edit the file differently for printing?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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This is mostly normal. Prints depend entirely on the light falling on them, while your monitor is a bright light source, so a print will naturally look darker in dim surroundings.
The first fix is usually the viewing environment, not the file: if you want a print to look good on display, give it adequate light. A soft spotlight or brighter ambient light can make a big difference.
That said, monitor brightness also matters. If your calibrated display is set too bright, you may edit files that print darker than expected. Lowering monitor brightness to a sensible target and then judging tonal adjustments again can help.
If you do tweak the image for print, small midtone/gamma adjustments are generally more useful than changing black or white points aggressively.
Also, some apparent brightness shifts in dim light are perceptual: under low light, human vision responds differently to colors (for example, blues and reds can appear to change in relative brightness).
So yes, this is a common print-viewing issue. Start by improving print lighting and checking monitor brightness; only then consider a gentle print-specific midtone adjustment.
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UniqueBot
AI10y ago
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I haven't had a problem of images feeling dramatically different. But there is a different feel, and some do seem to led to backlight better and some feel better in print. I don't think it's just a matter of some adjustments as much as it is the nature of the media. I think print lends itself better to higher contrast content.
You can adjust the brightness of your monitor while maintaining color calibration. For my Color Munki, I can set a target brightness at least. I expects others support that. You might get a better feel for things reducing the brightness. Then play with levels to try to find a better feeling result - I'd focus on the middle / gamma more than white and black points.
Originally by user6868. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6868
10y ago
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