Michelle Gifford

I also wonder if I should go the Mac mini route with a nice monitor🤔

Looking at getting a new iMac. What specs should I look for? Going to wait on the mirrorless for now. I need the computer worse. 

please tell me I can fix this. Remember I have a late 2012 iMac...so I am needing to run the adaptive wide angle filter, but it seems that maybe my processor isn't up to par to do this?? I used a wide angle lens on this shoot, and it severely distorted some of my images. I did correct it in ACR, but this guy needs more...and I've already made a bunch of edits and would prefer not to have to start over with my raw file. Break it to me easy lol.

How can I view how many files are in folders on my iMac? I have a group of folders inside one folder and I want to know how many files they all contain.

These are the instructions given by WHCC lab. Am I fixing to screw things up? I swear on my life this is getting way more complicated than I can deal with right now. 

I am requesting test prints from WHCC now, since reading about Miller’s. I’ll update once I get them. I did send the red family for a test print in addition to the same ones I sent to Miller’s for comparison. 

5 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

What?  I thought you said you had prints with reds in them?  Reds that had turned dark?

https://www.damiensymonds.net/2014/07/proof-setup-working-cmyk-not-really.html

So it should be turned off?

3 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

What?  I thought you said you had prints with reds in them?  Reds that had turned dark?

https://www.damiensymonds.net/2014/07/proof-setup-working-cmyk-not-really.html

No, just that the PROFILE showed yucky reds...no actual prints in red yet from them.

1 hour ago, Damien Symonds said:

Did the lab specifically tell you to use Perceptual?

NEVER use working CMYK.

What profile should I be working in?

22 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

Anyway, the important question is, does soft-proofing make the reds look more like the print?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/askdamien/posts/4143619009031601/

I haven't tested any reds from them yet, but am sending some asap.

I thought you had no opinion on labs lol. now the one I picked and am happy with, you hate😆

23 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

Did the lab specifically tell you to use Perceptual?

NEVER use working CMYK.

They did. The ICC profile came with PDF instructions. I can't remember what I was working in before I swapped the profile for soft proofing. What should it be?

Some photos it looks fine and others it sucks. Why does it affect the reds so badly? Screenshots in working CMYK and Miller's Perceptual.

I got test prints from Miller's. They sent color-corrected ones and also some straight from my file to their printer. They look the same except very subtle differences. What am I missing? The blue is gone thank goodness, but I was thinking that the prints would look different for some reason if my calibration is off. Maybe it was just those few prints from the other lab and my calibration is good??

Anyway, my question is, in soft-proofing, the monitor doesn't look good at all (with the ICC profiles that Miller's sent), but the prints are good. What's that mean?

56 minutes ago, Brian said:

Hopefully they can fix it and you can put it to good use to get cash.

Definitely need all the cash…

17 hours ago, Damien Symonds said:

I agree.  It sucks.  You need to find the best middle ground.

I contacted another lab, Miller's. I have sent for some test prints (4 of the ones I sent to Meridian). They also allowed me to have their ICC profiles. They instructed me to wait on my test prints and then adjust my calibration to fit their profiles. Do you have some instruction or feedback about this? If I change my current calibration to fit their profile, won't it be incorrect??

When I installed their profiles and did the soft proofing thing, my images looked really yellow (especially the one that looked really blue from Meridian). Thoughts?

Rendering intents...this blows my mind. They told me to view at Perceptual. This was when it went really yellow. The Relative Colorimetric isn't that yellow. Please explain or direct me to something to read. My brain hurts.

Let me vent a bit, if that's allowed. So I am a member of several photography groups, many of which have photogs making $$$$ off their prints. When I mention calibration, they don't do it, and they allow labs to color correct. I also spoke to a few friend photographers here where I am. How is this the case that they are successful and produce great images if the right way to go is to accurately calibrate and do not allow the lab to color correct (which I agree with)? I mean why adjust WB or color at all if you're just going to allow the lab to decide what your prints look like? How are their prints beautiful if they are not calibrating? I'm beyond frustrated and really do not know where to go from here. I'm sitting here in tears over this.

Geeze. Looks like I'm in the market for a whole new lab. These people don't even offer their ICC profile anymore and suggested that I just allow them to color correct my images. Holy crap.

On 12/4/2021 at 10:23 PM, Brian said:

That's smart. No sense in forking out $4500+ without being 100% sure. Of course, gear that is rented is usually beaten to hell, so keep that in mind.

 

I just wanted to update you. So remember my sigma 70-200 that is almost 13 years old? Well I contacted Sigma and they are going to clean and calibrate it if they think it can be saved. They said they’ll let me know their thoughts on it’s potential before they operate. I decided to try this to help me limp by until I can afford to go mirrorless and buy a new RF telephoto too. I figure if this works, it will help me save some money since I’m basically going to have to have a new computer soon too and a monitor with my senior citizen iMac (in the other thread). I’ve got to somehow get my telephoto one way or another and get to making money before I start spending into an oblivion. 

Thank you. 

I may have to change labs. Any recommendation? This is the only one I've ever used.

7 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

NEVER allow the lab to colour correct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't find it anywhere on their site?

Not that I can see...it must be unavailable or hidden well.

6 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

I agree.  It sucks.  You need to find the best middle ground.

Would middle ground right now for the red gallery to allow the lab to color correct, or just try the profile? I'm in tears right now over this red. It's more stressful than the blue! I did over 1000 Santa photos last week (which you know includes red) that I have to get out as well.

11 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

Have you got your lab's soft-proofing profile?

I don't because I didn't know that was a thing, but I will be on the phone with them first thing in the AM.

1 hour ago, Damien Symonds said:

That's the WORST, isn't it?  Are they all from exactly the same print batch?

That's likely to be a soft-proofing issue, not a calibration one.  I'd ignore that print at this stage.

I just read the soft-proofing thing. Why doesn't everyone do this from the start so they know what they are getting? Am I missing something? I didn't know this existed. How do I fix reds?? This gallery contains an older gentleman with terminal brain cancer, so I have to get this gallery out ASAP. 

this second image is a photo of the print. See the maroon?