Damien Symonds

Oh gee, is that all you've got? Please tell me you've got some other prints too? With more range of colours?

That's right, choose the next warmest setting and give it a shot. Sadly your calibrator gives you no control over magentaness. So we have to cross our fingers and hope that the warming helps. Slap! Do you understand our goal here? We have to make your screen match your prints, so that you can see exactly what your prints are going to look like BEFORE you print them. So that you no longer have prints that you don't like.

No they bloody DON'T!!!!!!!!!!! When are you going to purge this from your head? If the prints are more magenta than your screen, it's not because the prints have too much magenta, it's because the screen doesn't have enough magenta. The prints are what they are. They are your benchmark. (If you say "But I don't like the prints" I'm going to reach through the screen and slap you so damn hard.) NO THEY'RE FUCKING NOT. The prints are the prints. The screen is not orange enough. From this we can deduce that the screen is too cool. So, calibrate again, making it a little warmer.

Earlier you said that the screen is too green compared to the prints. Is that still the case?

I don't care about the cheeks and forehead. I want to know about the OVERALL photo brightness.

https://www.damiensymonds.net/desktop-monitor-brightness

Then the Brightness isn't low enough yet.

The brightness is close? How about the other issues?

Yep.

Concentrate on the brightness first. Fix that, then we'll talk about the rest.

Hooray! And what are they telling you?

Download PSD Using this method: https://www.damiensymonds.net/preventing-banding-in-backdrops/

You're right, this is just a lack of contrast. A normal Levels adjustment will fix it.

That's wonderful news. Breathe easier, my friend.

So it all pretty much comes down to this - how is the focus? Did you nail 'em? Your culling process will be vital. Don't be lax with it, because if you are it will bite you on the ass later. Be ruthless. If there are any that you're uncertain about, feel free to post in this area for my help.

No. The PPI number is completely meaningless, I assure you. https://www.damiensymonds.net/art_resolution.html https://www.damiensymonds.net/2011/11/why-ppi-doesnt-matter-yet-another.html

2560x3840 is 9.8 megapixels. So as long as they're well-focused, and don't require very much cropping at all, you'll be fine. https://www.damiensymonds.net/2014/03/how-aggressively-can-i-crop.html Do NOT use this shit. Photoshop does a perfectly good job.

Ehh ... it's probably ok.

Only just. What size brush were you using to mask around the handles; and at what zoom were you viewing when doing so? (Hint: The answers should be (1) No bigger than 6px, and (2) No less than 400%.)

Your masking around the handles is completely terrible.

It doesn't matter a bit, don't worry. Your calibrated profile will override it anyway.

Just you wait. In the Levels Class you'll learn amazing stuff with gradients and masks.

Yes, using the gradient tool.

That's wonderful. You won't regret it.

You're welcome. It's great fun, isn't it?