Calibration FAQ
We have addressed the most commonly asked questions about calibration here. If you have a question you think should be added here, speak to your FP representative.
My photos look bad because my monitor is not calibrated... what do I do?
Most people are surprised to learn the color settings of the monitor do not affect the scan at all, at least not directly. Yes, a display that is out of whack will tempt you to adjust your scans poorly, but the most common cause of poor scans is not understanding color as it relates to scanning and printing. The monitor has no direct effect on the data in a scan.
The first PMT scanners had no monitor at all! Numbers were typed in, and out came the film. Certainly there was no monitor in the days when color separations were made on a process camera, with film and various filters. A favorite trick of one Prepress guru is to bet people he can adjust a quality scan... with the monitor set to black and white. He wins every time. How? An understanding of color, and going by the numbers, rather than relying on the display.
That being said, even the experts like the monitor to look like the final printed image. That's how Barco sells those $10,000 color reference monitors. Since most of us will be adjusting our scans on a monitor that goes for around $300 to $800, we need to understand that it will never - ever - be an exact match for the printed page. Luckily, it doesn't really have to be.
If you have access to a spectrophotometer that will read both your monitor and printed samples, you may be able to devise a true calibration method. Note that pressing the “calibrate” button on your Mac, or fiddling with the “gamma” control panel is not calibration, not to a known reference standard. But, by all means adjust your monitor.
Book with a Good Reference Image on CD:
The Photoshop Artistry 7 book, ISBN 0-7357-1240-9
Have a service you trust generate a set of film separations and a laminate color proof of the calibration image from the book's CD. Whatever adjustments you make to the monitor, the goal is to make the display on the screen look like the proof in your hand.
What adjustments are available?
That depends on your hardware, but several common ones can be outlined here.
Color Temperature:This is usually adjusted right on your monitor. Color Temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin, and usually ranges from 5000K to 9300K. Most monitors come set to 9300K, which is too blue.
Daylight is 5000K, and most monitors have a 5500K setting which is good. This will look really dingy at first, and on some hardware 6500K will make an OK compromise. The goal is to have grays (neutrals) free of a color cast. This is harder than it sounds because your eyes adapt to color temperature changes very quickly. An ideal approach is to obtain a Kodak Gray Card (available at any well-stocked photographic supply). Compare this to your monitor to establish a neutral gray.
Video Card Adjustments:The video drivers of many PC video cards include a color adjustment capability. If you have one of these, access the color settings by right clicking on your desktop, and selecting properties. The interface is generally not good, and such adjustments are not precise.
Adobe Gamma:This utility ships with Adobe Products to generate color profiles which can be used with Colorsync on the Mac, or ICM on Windows. Follow the instructions in the step-by-step wizard (the above mentioned gray card helps). On Windows, make sure you add the color profile to your monitor settings (under the “advanced” option button).
Brightness and Contrast: These are adjusted on the front of your monitor, and should have been set while going through the Adobe Gamma wizard.
I adjusted my monitor last week, and now it looks out of whack. What's up?
Monitors change over time. Many shops perform a weekly recalibration. Be sure that the room lights are not too bright. In the days of really high-end color sep work, the walls were painted neutral gray, and the operator wore a black smock-like garment to keep reflections from influencing the color. Make sure nothing has changed in your environment (curtains open, new paint, etc).
What inexpensive items are available to help?
Kodak Gray Card: Great for calibrating color temperature.
Monitor Hood: A simple device that is dark gray or black. It fits over the top and sides of the monitor, preventing reflections from influencing color. A must have item.
Photoshop Artistry 7: The CD included with this book contains calibration images.
Any other tips?
Keep the desktop pattern gray on your machines that scan. Other colors influence the way scans look. Remember, the eyes adjust quickly, and if you are staring at a wildly colored desktop, it will affect your vision.
Consider finding someone to administer the Munsell Color Test, consisting of a series of colored ceramic tiles which must be arranged in order by color. Everyone sees color a little differently, even people who pass colorblindness tests. Knowing the quirks of your own vision can be an asset.
Where can I get more information on advanced color topics?
Check out these links:
ICC homepage:
http://www.color.org/index.html
Apple Computer
http://www.apple.com/colorsync/
CIE homepage