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Damien Symonds

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Posts posted by Damien Symonds

  1. I have mine running in the background.  I've never noticed it's a particular drag on my computer.  But if you were managing an older computer, you might choose to turn this off.

  2. This black screen thing is the key to it:

    screenthing.thumb.jpg.af24999c76e11c472afb53105fa7fdc5.jpg

    Add a Levels adjustment layer, then choose the little black eyedropper in the levels panel, and click on that screen to force it to be black.  (This will make the whole photo crazy black)

    Then invert the mask.  Then use a big 10% white brush to broadly paint over the hazy area, to apply a gentle amount of the blackness that you need.

  3. On 2/16/2024 at 9:05 AM, StudioPopJess said:

    I have a bunch of these, I know you hate Lightroom , but I do use it and did dehaze.... don't hate me and yell at me please lol 

    8P5A3247.jpg

     

    On 2/29/2024 at 4:39 AM, StudioPopJess said:

    color is better, but the haze is still there ... is that the best that can be done?

    Lexi and Riley 0846-2.jpg

    Flick between the two, and see the different crop.

  4. I gave you very precise numbers based on the exact image you'd given me.  This one:

    On 2/16/2024 at 9:05 AM, StudioPopJess said:

    I have a bunch of these, I know you hate Lightroom , but I do use it and did dehaze.... don't hate me and yell at me please lol 

    8P5A3247.jpg

    But the image you applied my numbers to was different.  A different crop, and a different edit.  That's why my numbers didn't work for you.

  5. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Colour and brightness not right

    Please never underestimate the impact your surrounding light has on this calibration/comparison process. If your light is too dim or too yellow (both VERY common problems) it will always make your prints seem darker and/or yellower than they really are, and cause you to think that your screen is too bright and/or cold.

    If you think, or even suspect, that your light is the culprit, take steps to rectify it. Get brighter/whiter bulbs if you can, or at least try assessing your prints in daylight. I would hate to be wasting your time with all of these calibration adjustments if the calibration wasn’t actually the problem.

    If you’re sure the light is ok, read on …

    Let’s try again.

    At the top of the screen hit "4. Settings" ...

    j2.thumb.png.06cc66817650d741e4ca446f03af199e.png

    ... to come back to this screen:

    401.thumb.png.b3cc50193ec54ee0010bf723d07d7972.png

    First, white temperature:

    To correct the colour, so it's time to choose a different white point target from this menu:

    j3.thumb.png.df18b9862f9140f96a46c22732ed69d9.png

    What setting to choose

    • If your previous calibration was too warm, choose the next highest number.
    • If your previous calibration was too cold, choose the next lowest number.
    • If none of those darn numbers are quite right, choose "Other" then type your own Kelvin value:

    j5.thumb.png.41fbf8f526a375d18987e3a8646202b7.png

    Next, brightness:

    k1.thumb.png.e27e11756f79917658fe31986d79fdab.png

    What setting to choose

    • If your screen is too dark, choose a higher number.
    • If your screen is too bright, choose a lower number.
    • If a lower number isn't available, choose "Other" then type your own:

    k2.thumb.png.46b37a842e44b1b52b8942e85a4410d9.png

    Note: If you find you need to go lower than 70, please, I beg you, consider the light that you’re in. 70 should be as low as you ever need to go if your light is good.  If it's not low enough for you, your room light is too dim.

    Once you’ve chosen your new targets, press “Next“ and continue with the new calibration.

    Follow the instructions again >>

  6. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Brightness not right

    Please never underestimate the impact your surrounding light has on this calibration/comparison process. If your light is too dim (which is a very common problem) it will always make your prints seem darker than they really are, and cause you to think that your screen is too bright.

    If you think, or even suspect, that your light is the culprit, take steps to rectify it. Get brighter bulbs if you can, or at least try assessing your prints in daylight. I would hate to be wasting your time with all of these calibration adjustments if the calibration wasn’t actually the problem.

    If you’re sure the light is ok, read on …

    Let’s try again.

    At the top of the screen hit "4. Settings" ...

    j2.thumb.png.06cc66817650d741e4ca446f03af199e.png

    ... to come back to this screen:

    401.thumb.png.b3cc50193ec54ee0010bf723d07d7972.png

    We're here to choose a different brightness target from this menu:

    k1.thumb.png.e27e11756f79917658fe31986d79fdab.png

    What setting to choose

    • If your screen is too dark, choose a higher number.
    • If your screen is too bright, choose a lower number.
    • If a lower number isn't available, choose "Other" then type your own:

    k2.thumb.png.46b37a842e44b1b52b8942e85a4410d9.png

    Note: If you find you need to go lower than 70, please, I beg you, consider the light that you’re in. 70 should be as low as you ever need to go if your light is good.  If it's not low enough for you, your room light is too dim.

    Once you’ve chosen your new target, press “Next“ and continue with the new calibration.

    Follow the instructions again >>

  7. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Colour not right

    I know I’ve said this before, but I have to hammer it home again. NEVER underestimate the effect your surrounding light has on the way your photos appear. You’re on this page because your screen and prints differ in colour. Before proceeding, I need you to make a frank appraisal of the light in your room. If it’s too yellow (which is the most common problem) it will make your prints appear yellow, and therefore cause you to conclude that your screen’s calibration is too cold.

    If you think, or even suspect, that your light is the culprit, take steps to rectify it. Get whiter bulbs if you can, or at least try assessing your prints in daylight. I would hate to be wasting your time with all of these calibration adjustments if the calibration wasn’t actually the problem.

    If you’re sure the light is ok, read on …

    Let’s try again.

    At the top of the screen hit "4. Settings" ...

    j2.thumb.png.06cc66817650d741e4ca446f03af199e.png

    ... to come back to this screen:

    401.thumb.png.b3cc50193ec54ee0010bf723d07d7972.png

    We're here to correct the colour, so it's time to choose a different white point target from this menu:

    j3.thumb.png.df18b9862f9140f96a46c22732ed69d9.png

    What setting to choose

    • If your previous calibration was too warm, choose the next highest number.
    • If your previous calibration was too cold, choose the next lowest number.
    • If none of those darn numbers are quite right, choose "Other" then type your own Kelvin value:

    j5.thumb.png.41fbf8f526a375d18987e3a8646202b7.png

    Once you’ve chosen your new target, press “Next“ and continue with the new calibration.

    Follow the instructions again >>

  8. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    SpyderTune

    Since you’ve decided that your colour is pretty darn close, but could benefit from some slight tweaking, it’s time to explore the feature which sets the SpyderElite apart from its cheaper siblings:

    i1.thumb.png.c38ed29dd2337a3c0747310c0e510fef.png

    The SpyderTune screen gives you sliders which allow you to make small adjustments to the colour of your screen:

    i3.thumb.png.2572acb5e7c68e2f0a2b9d379f04355f.png

    Those sliders behave similarly (although not identically) to the Temperature and Tint sliders you’re probably familiar with in your raw processing program. So if you have some experience with raw editing, I expect you’ll find these sliders fairly intuitive.

    PLEASE DON’T RUSH THIS. Take your time, opening your test print files one at a time, making tweaks to those sliders, then opening the next image to see how it fared, make more tiny tweaks as necessary, and so on. I expect you’ll open all five of your files at least three times each, while you satisfy yourself about your modifications.

    I’d love to tell you that you’ll be able to make all five files match their prints exactly. Alas, it won’t happen. Your goal is to find settings that give a tolerable average match across the set. That is the nature of calibration in general.

    The other sliders

    You’ll see there are two other sliders – “Gamma” and “Brightness“. By clicking the link to come to this page, you’ve already decided that your brightness was ok, so I hope you won’t need to touch that slider. However, some tiny tweaks to the Gamma slider might be ok, if you find it essential. Not too much, though!

    The buttons

    i4.thumb.png.27df939dd6899c2fba0cd3e5e35c6233.png

    If you’ve moved the sliders too much, and made a mess, that’s not a problem. Just hit the “Reset” button and start over. Don’t worry, it won’t undo your whole calibration, just these SpyderTune sliders.

    Once you’re happy that the sliders are perfect, press the “Save Adjustments” button to embed those tweaks in the monitor profile. Then press the “Next” button to complete the process.

    Finish >>

  9. Monthly recalibration

    When the month has rolled around, your computer will notify you that it’s time to recalibrate. If you’re like me, you’ll ignore it for a few days because you’re busy. But don’t ignore it too long.

    Provided nothing has changed with your setup since last month (new hard drive or graphics card or anything like that), recalibration is fast and easy.

    Of course, before recalibrating, make sure your screen has been on for half an hour to warm up and stabilise.

    When you launch, you can hit "Next" through the first couple of familiar screens, then pause here to make sure all the information is still correct:

    l1.thumb.png.7ee56070bc5aa704a2766d85ce90bdec.png

    (Generally it's very good at remembering your settings from last time, but never assume - always check.)

    Then on the next screen, make sure this is still set to "FullCAL":

    c1.thumb.png.48add9201fc95966df879978700b3c94.png

    (Yes, there's a ReCAL option, but it's half-assed.  Let's do it properly.)

    Make sure all your settings are correct on the rest of that page:

    c2.thumb.png.6aa6851242411cd9465cce195f3d909f.png

    I'm sure you remember what to do here.  It should be all the same as last month.

    1. Consult your notes to check that the White Point you used last month is still entered correctly.
    2. Consult your notes to check that the Brightness you used last month is still entered correctly.
    3. Make sure Gray Balance is still set to "Better".

    Then go ahead and run the calibration, then compare against your prints to make sure everything is still fine.  If so, get back to work.

    If for some reason it's not fine, go to the results page to revisit your options.

  10. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Write down your settings

    Next month, when you launch the Spyder software to recalibrate, it should remember the settings you used.  But never take that for granted.  I strongly recommend writing down your settings (eg 6500 and 80, or whatever) so you can refer to it next month.

    You're done!

    That's calibration taken care of for this month. Press "Quit":

    h2.thumb.png.fd57d7e688052b1145348db2f2a634cb.png

    You can get on with editing your images.  Next month you can go to the beginning of my instructions then jump straight ahead to the recalibration instructions.  Recalibration is fast and easy, I promise.

    Did I help?

    If you've found these instructions useful, you might feel like buying me a beer. There's a blue "Donate" button at the very bottom of this page.

    However, beer is not good for me, and buying me beer is certainly not good for you.  Instead, I hope you'll consider my editing classes.  They'll rock your world, I promise.

  11. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Successful calibration!

    Hooray! Your job is done. Press “Next” …

    c5.thumb.png.4576db543a31f56e51f4ac3fbb125684.png

    … and you’ll come to the final screen:

    702.thumb.png.638a16a10f0b86392ca3e9228c7b7eed.png

    This screen is fun for curiosity’s sake, but has no particular importance. You can see my Dell shows 96% of the sRGB gamut, which is nice.  You can compare your screen's gamut with Adobe RGB and other outrageous colour profiles.  None of it really matters - only the print matching matters.

    However, if you're curious to see even more information about your profile, I recommend this.

    Note your settings >>

  12. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Troubleshooting

    If you’ve ended up at this page, you must be frustrated, and I don’t blame you. Calibration should be a straightforward process, but for a small unlucky minority, it’s a PITA. Something must be wrong somewhere.

    Here are a few things to consider …

    • I know I've already said this multiple times, but I must say it again.  The light around your computer is so critical.  Sometimes even changing the location of your computer in the same room is enough to fix problems.
    • It's time to ask yourself if your screen is good enough for editing. If it was advertised as a gaming screen it'll be great for gaming, but might be poor for imaging.  Or maybe it's just plain old.
    • Are you sure you chose the correct “Display Technology”?  If you chose “Standard” but your screen is really “Wide”, for example, that will throw things off.

    Even if it isn’t a very good screen, let’s not run out to the computer store straight away …

    • Is there another computer in your house you can try calibrating? It would be good to check that the calibrator itself is ok. Heck, even if you have to drive over to your BFF’s house and try calibrating their computer, it’s worth the drive. Have a wine and a gossip while you’re there.
    • Is there another screen in your house you can plug in to your computer and try calibrating? If a different screen gave the same bad results, it might point to the problem being in your computer itself.
    • It might be your graphics card. Have you checked for updates to your graphics card drivers?
    • Maybe it’s the cable you’re using to connect computer to monitor? If you’re still using an old VGA cable, that sure can affect things. Your screen and computer should have DVI, HDMI or Display ports, so make sure you’re using them.
    • Contact Datacolor. They’re the experts, after all. Hopefully they’ll be able to identify your glitch and straighten it out.

    Please feel free to comment below, or post in Ask Damien, and I'll help you if I can.

  13. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Analysis

    Here, Datacolor gives us a grid of images to assess the calibration. It’s a completely pointless grid, because we don’t have those prints, do we? To assess the calibration, we need images that we can compare to prints. So immediately press the “Open Custom” button ...

    g1.thumb.png.2347cfb6a06adffe539ccd23f756e1f4.png

    … and one at a time, you can open their files and compare the screen to the prints. Here are a couple of examples of photos I used:

    g2.thumb.jpg.0b5649ebc26c5505cbab332b9c46749f.jpg  g3.thumb.jpg.802582d1ae3cda23efd8a951cae24343.jpg

    I wish there was a way to flick between your five files more quickly – unfortunately, I haven’t found one. So allow a few minutes to go through all your files a few times, while holding their corresponding prints out to the side, and assess the result of the calibration. Don’t rush this part – take your time.

    I have found, however, that you can drag-and-drop your image files from their folder onto the Spyder screen, which does speed things up a bit.

    Note 1:

    Remember that if any of your photos have extremely vivid colours in them (eg a bright turquoise dress, or a glowing orange sunset) those colours might be unprintable, and should be ignored when assessing calibration. Concentrate on the “normal/everyday” range of colours instead.

    Note 2:

    On the right-hand side of the screen, make sure the switch remains on "Calibrated":

    g5.png.a066ed46869bf1568b6d7e5387113541.png

    Don't bother turning this off and on, it's meaningless.

    Note 3:

    Full screen mode is useful to get a bigger view of your images.

    Dark mode is about equally as useless as the default white mode.  What we really need is a Medium Grey mode.  But since Dark Mode is more similar to the modern Photoshop interface, you might prefer to use it.

    g4.thumb.png.e3f38c718142603aa95ad9ca3f8f6072.png

    Note 4:

    If you want, you can ignore this whole screen, and instead view your photos in Photoshop or Bridge.

     

    How is your calibration? >>

  14. < Go back to the previous step    << Go back to the beginning

    Name and save the profile

    701.thumb.png.f7f074ea6a99c2c2e656327b690e9665.png

    Naming convention is up to you, but I strongly advise naming it with the White Point and Brightness targets you used, and the month. And if you have multiple screens like I do, include the screen name as well.

    In this example, my White Point target was "6500" and my Brightness Target was 80.  And it's February. Therefore, my profile name is "Dell S2209W-6500-80-Feb24".  If your targets are different for whatever reason, name your profile appropriately.  Then press the red "Save" button.

    f2.thumb.png.c4edbd64ada8f4a1dbc956df9c505726.png

    Recalibration reminder

    f3.thumb.png.481a4de8cb1249fb4bdc7bed555ef6f5.png

    Once a month is the usual time period for calibration. If you are particularly geeky about colour (or if you suspect your screen is dying) choose a shorter period.  If you are a very casual photographer, you might prefer six-monthly.

    Press "Next".

    Analysis >>

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