> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ken > Durling > > Paul's recent situation reminded me of some questions I've been > meaning to pose regarding sophisticated color management systems. My > current system consists of no more than the Adobe Gamma adjustment > that I think is native to Windows, although PS may have put it there?
> It doesn't really manage color per se, but contrast, it seems to me. > > Now since I want to produce a series of prints in an attempt to > produce a show, however informal, I've been considering upgrading my > whole system. I think for a couple grand worth. Something like an > Epson 2200, LaCie monitor, Minolta 5400 and a spider-based CM system. > My big question, before even beginning to spend that kind of money, is > - does it work? I'd be very curious to hear first-hand accounts from > people who have gone this route or similar. How dramatic is the > difference, how accurate the match? What is the learning > curve/workflow like? Ken, You probably don't need to buy a new monitor. Rather spend the money on some HW calibration tools or other photo equipment. In any case, if you are concerned about colors and get what you see there is no way around a well calibrated system. That does not only include the monitor but also the printer. After doing quite some research (investment goal <=$500) I have bought the Spider and was quite satisfied with it. With this device, as with many others, there is a pre-calibration stage before the actual color calibration. If your monitor has a hard time passing this pre-calibration then it's probably time to replace the monitor. Of course a better monitor is always good but I think you can more by investing in HW calibration. Unfortunately, as I soon found out calibrating the monitor only does not bring you much further. You also need to calibrate the printer. If you use only a few papers then the cheapest solution is probably to buy some profiles for that particular paper and ink. If there is no profile available there are services to get it done. If you use lots of different papers and/or ink then you might be better of buying a HW printer calibration tool. While I have not used a SW calibration tool (Monaco and such) I heard quite a lot of horror stories about them. The problem is that it's hard to get all colors right and you have an additional variable which is the scanner. In the past I have used the Eye-One. It did do a great job for profiling my printer, especially for the greens. What was just a smudge of green before suddenly had much better separations of the green. Also other colors where much closer to what I saw on the screen. If you can afford it I can highly recommend this tool. Robert * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
