Damien Symonds

Does it do this if you crop the WHOLE photo? I mean, draw the crop marquee so it reaches every edge, thereby not actually cropping at all?

Ok, there are a few things wrong here. The first is that you're viewing at 111%. Only view at 100% when judging stuff like edges, noise, sharpness, etc. The second is that you're cropping at 2:3 shape. I can't think of a single reason why you'd do that. Can you explain your purpose for doing so? The third is that you don't have "Delete Cropped Pixels" checked in the Crop Tool options bar. That must always be checked. The fourth is that you don't have Document Profile turned on. https://www.damiensymonds.net/art_tscs000.html

I think you need to add some broad soft shadowing to the child's back, because I reckon the light would be dimmer inside the helmet.

Yeah, much better.

It sure does. Why is there such a white glow? It looks like your masking was nowhere near precise enough.

Ok, this sounds promising. Maybe calibrate again at 90? I need you to describe the problem. First, complete this sentence for me: "The screen is _______________ (cooler/warmer) than the prints".

ALL prints need sharpening, not just big ones. You'll learn about that in the sharpening class. Sharpness has NOTHING to do with calibration. Put it out of your mind.

Yeah, I find shadows really difficult too. May I see the "before"? I mean, the photo with the Hue/Sat layer turned off?

The fact that you had to play with Gamma and Brightness so aggressively tells us that the brightness was NOT right. Yes, please start over.

To ask the question another way ... at the bottom of this page, under "How is your calibration?", which link did you choose?

Let's break this down to simpler terms. After normal calibration (before you messed with SpyderTune) your screen was brighter than your prints?

Ok, but it seems that 80 was not a good match for your prints?

During the normal calibration process, what was your Brightness target?

Gosh Kim, I don't know, I'm so sorry. Are your photos on your internal drive?

The first thing to do is unclip that layer. Clipping is not necessary here. Then it's time to add some shadow for realism. In between the two layers you have there, add a Hue/Saturation layer, and lower the Lightness slider to about -60. Then invert its mask, then start painting on some shadows under the arm and hand, with a very low opacity brush.

Please please PLEASE find the emails. If they went to junk, mark them as not junk so you don't miss any more. Yep, you've done the layers perfectly, well done.

What about the ones in February, about the Sharpening Class?

Oh gee, now I'm nervous. Didn't you get my email about it, around the 8th or 9th of April?

How long since you've read through the Layers & Masks Class?

I don't know what rubbish tutorial you're looking at. There should NOT be two helmet layers.

Ok, try the troubleshooting section near the bottom of the Spyder 5 Pro instructions page.

From what I'm reading, this is a very common problem, with no reliable solution. Did you see this page? Also, do you have any older versions of Elements still installed on your computer? I can't help giving you a big fat "I told you so". Organizer has always been a terrible feature, and NOBODY should use it. If you're ready to make the change, watch this then this.

Which Spyder do you have?

Shows fine for me. I forgot to ask - does Windows show you the thumbnail?

No, they're not. Your prints are what they are. Your screen is too bright and too contrasty. Were you following my instructions here?