Calibration problems on new monitor

[wolfie]

My wife has just presented me with a new monitor an HP 24" widescreen. I have calibrated the monitor using a spyder and also tried using the HPs built in software.

Photos look pretty good on screen, but when uploaded they look over saturated, would love some feedback.

[yelvertoft]

Looks pretty good to me. Not over saturated to my eye.

You say you've used a spyder AND the HP software, I hope not at the same time. I'd get rid of the HP software completely and rely on the spyder. If you're using Vista, check in the colour management settings in the control panel that the system is using the monitor profile generated from the spyder. Also, check you haven't got Adobe Gamma running in the "startup" programs as this can conflict with other monitor adjustment programs.

I'm viewing using Firefox 3 with color (sic) management enabled.

D.

[miketoll]

Trouble is judging what is OK is very subjective and also depends on all our set ups too. I would follow Duncan's advice and accept what the Spyder gives you.

[wolfie]

Yes I'm running the Spyder profile. The HP profiler is built into the monitor, so cannot uninstall it, maybe it's me that needs to get used to the new monitor.

I'm still on Firefox v2.0.0.17.

Thqanks for the input.

Harry

[nirofo]

The Spyder profile is installed when windows is in the final stages of booting into your desktop, so should not be affected by your Hp Profiler as that would be set up in your monitor itself and will be overridden by the Spyder Profile. Make sure your graphics card is not trying to set a different profile, if you look in your profiles list make sure the Spyder profile is set to default). You dont say what image software you are using, if it is Photoshop or similar then you need to set it's colour management settings to your Spyder monitor profile in order to obtain correct colour!!! If you have each step of the imaging procedure using different profiles then you will never obtain correct colour in your final image.

Remember, when you post images onto a web page they are automatically converted to SRGB and may look slightly different to your monitor profile, although the difference should be very slight if you have set up your colour management profiles correctly.

nirofo.

[Gidders]

Originally Posted by nirofo

Remember, when you post images onto a web page they are automatically converted to SRGB and may look slightly different to your monitor profile, although the difference should be very slight if you have set up your colour management profiles correctly.

My understanding is that using the the photoshop "save for web" option mealy strips out the exif data (including the ICC profile), but doesn't convert it to sRGB. You have to do that manually before you save otherwise, depending on your working colour space, if you work in Adobe RGB, your images will look flat on screen

[wolfie]

Thanks guys. Yes the Spyder profile is the default setting. Mike I'm using Lightroom to process my raw files and CS3 for resizing and any further editing that I may want to do. Since v2.1 of Lightroom CS3 is not used a great deal. All images for web use are sRGB.

"If it is Photoshop or similar then you need to set it's colour management settings to your Spyder monitor profile in order to obtain correct colour!!! If you have each step of the imaging procedure using different profiles then you will never obtain correct colour in your final image".

Are you saying that in Photoshop, Preferences, Colour Settings I should use the Spyder Profile and not the sRGB setting?

Have just recalibrated using the Spyder and have used this setting in Photoshop.
The embedded image which I've just converted in ACR looks ok to me, so many thanks.

Harry

Originally Posted by wolfie

I'm still on Firefox v2.0.0.17.

Harry

Hi Harry,

I would upgrade to FF3; unlike upgrades within FF2, it will not however automatically take in the colour (color management 0.4) add-on as that was originally a beta trial and is now full. It also needs tuning to whatever your 'home' profile you end up with.

I am wondering whether to borrow a Spyder from local camera club, but I find that with my built-in calibration (macBook pro), in the end it is subjective, it varies according to what the ambient light is in the room (ie I actually have 2 or 3 stored and flip between them to get grey greyest)

It might help if your do a trial post of something a bit different, as there is very evidently a divergence of opinion as to how far saturation should be tweaked that goes right across the range of photographers. The sky colour suggests you have upped the saturation, so maybe slightly less?

Your Louth shot looks better pulled off the browser - I will stick my neck out and guess this is the real colour rather than sRGB, which is a good compromise for bad systems, but doesn't do full justice to colour (dives for cover before Clive sees this).

[wolfie]

Hi Chris, there was a reason why I did not update Firefox, but to be quite honest I cannot remember what it was. This was on the recommendation of some of the members over on the PCadsvisor forum, no doubt this minor problem has now been resolved, so will probably update this evening.

On the Louth shot Saturation was not boosted in anyway, apart from using the Canon landscape profile within lightroom, which does boost the colours as against using such as the Camera Faithful profile.

I guess you are still a DDP user? if so you may not be conversant with Lightroom, although ACR in CS3 uses the same profiles.

The end result was as you surmised the result of the Spyder profile so was not output as sRGB, though to be quite honest there was very little to choose between the two.

Harry

[nirofo]

Originally Posted by Gidders

My understanding is that using the the photoshop "save for web" option mealy strips out the exif data (including the ICC profile), but doesn't convert it to sRGB. You have to do that manually before you save otherwise, depending on your working colour space, if you work in Adobe RGB, your images will look flat on screen

Regardless of what colour profile you use when you save for web, when the image is uploaded to the web it is converted to SRGB, when you view the downloaded web image on your monitor you see the SRGB image via your own monitor profile colour, this may or may not appear the same. So if your main interest is uploading and viewing web images then your monitor profile should be set up as SRGB, using Colour Calibration software if possible. This same profile should be set up in your Photoshop/Lightroom or similar colour management settings as your custom monitor profile. If you have different profiles for monitor and graphics software and then save for web, then everything will be different!

nirofo.