AshleyKirkland Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 Hi. I currently use a spyder 5 elite and my monitor is a viewsonic. The labs I print from are Millers, Bayphoto, and CG pro. I don't feel like I am getting the best results with the monitor and calibrator I use. So I have decided that I need to upgrade. My prints are not up to par (and maybe that's the lab, or maybe it's just me), but I have tried everything I can with what I currently have to work with. My images look completely different on social media and on phones than they do on my computer. The majority of clients view facebook and websites from their phones. So I want my images to be accurate across the board and social media images to represent my actual work and not look off.. I calibrate my white point to 5000k because that's what my labs say to do. However, I tried to set it to 6500k like you recommend, but my monitor won't even calibrate to that. It gives an error message each time. So, my question is, what should I look for in a monitor and calibrator? And do you have any other suggestions on how I can improve this issue? I have read forums and blogs on this, but I still can't find the answers I'm searching for. Thank you so much. Ashley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: Hi. I currently use a spyder 5 elite and my monitor is a viewsonic. The labs I print from are Millers, Bayphoto, and CG pro. I don't feel like I am getting the best results with the monitor and calibrator I use. So I have decided that I need to upgrade. You can't upgrade from the Spyder5Elite. It's the best there is. But yes, the monitor could be better. 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: My prints are not up to par (and maybe that's the lab, or maybe it's just me) Can you elaborate on this? What's wrong with them, exactly? 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: I have tried everything I can with what I currently have to work with. You mean these instructions? 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: My images look completely different on social media Please do this. Follow it all the way to the end. Let me know the outcome. 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: and on phones than they do on my computer. The majority of clients view facebook and websites from their phones. So I want my images to be accurate across the board and social media images to represent my actual work and not look off. Sorry, it's impossible. Even if it was possible to calibrate a phone screen (it's not), you couldn't possibly visit the homes of every single person who visits your social media, to calibrate their phones for them. All you can do is make sure you've followed best practice for web photos, and then chill out. 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: I calibrate my white point to 5000k because that's what my labs say to do. However, I tried to set it to 6500k like you recommend, but my monitor won't even calibrate to that. It gives an error message each time. Can you tell me about this error message? Or even better, screenshot it for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 3, 2017 Author Share Posted March 3, 2017 What specifics do I need to look for in a monitor? My prints always tend to come back to dull, in my opinion. The reds are usually brown-ish.. And skin tones are dull even if they look great on my computer. I've tried so many labs. I have used Millers from a long time until I've recently started switching to Bayphoto. Millers can sometimes be inconsistent, I've noticed. After I calibrate, I compare prints. Always. But I'm still not getting the results to be happy with. And, yes, I have read and followed those instructions on calibrating. But I think I must still be doing something wrong. I will try the troubleshooter in just a bit for my facebook images. I will let you know if that works. I will screenshot the error message in just a bit. I'll run another calibration to get it to pop up again. It does say something about the display curve and the gamma.. But it only does this when I try to set the white point to 6500k. Another question, if my labs use 5000k, and I'm set to 6500k, will that matter? Thank you so much for your help. Ashley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 3, 2017 Author Share Posted March 3, 2017 Here is the error message I receive when calibrating to 6500k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 Could you post one of your photos? That you've sent to the lab and you think has printed dull? 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: What specifics do I need to look for in a monitor? https://www.damiensymonds.net/art_monitor.html But don't buy one yet. I haven't yet seen enough evidence that this is a monitor problem. 2 hours ago, AshleyKirkland said: Another question, if my labs use 5000k You should avoid any lab that uses 5000K. Millers is shit for this reason. Only use labs that use 6500K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 Here are a few images that I have either posted to fb or printed recently. All of these look so warm and rich in color on my monitor. But on facebook, they are so dull and even washed out looking. Even when I print them, they are darker and duller in print. The image of the two boys in the leaves was actually one that I just received from the lab the other day. It printed the leaves brown, whereas they look nice and red on my screen. The boys' skin tone was green-ish in the print. And then the one of the family, I received it as a canvas from a different lab and it looked fine. The senior portrait I did, actually printed perfectly. So I don't know what I'm doing differently in the other images that are coming out dull... I really do feel that it's my monitor and it's not showing me accurate colors. I see one thing, but the lab and everyone else is seeing something else. I really feel that the times they turn out right, I'm just getting lucky... I'm not sure though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 I would love to find a great lab. But the fact that my current monitor won't even let me calibrate it to 6500k without giving me an error message, makes me believe that I just have a shitty monitor. And that I could be getting so much better results with something better. It's like having an amazing camera, but shooting in auto and not using it to it's full potential.. That's what I feel like at least... That I could be doing so much better, but something stupid is just holding me back, and I can't figure out exactly what it is. Whether it be my monitor or just a flaw in my editing.. If that all makes any sense. I'm just getting frustrated with poor results. I want people to see what I'm seeing on my computer screen. It's just not coming out that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Do you have any other computers in the house you could try calibrating? So we can rule out a faulty calibrator? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 The only other one is my laptop screen. I edit on an external monitor next to it. I've tried calibrating my laptop screen, but even when I try, it looks completely different than the external. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Oh!!!!! I didn't know this! I should have looked at your sidebar, and I would have figured it out. Can you confirm you have the external screen set to "Extend" not "Duplicate" in the Display Control Panel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 I just checked and it is set to "extend". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Ok, phew. Great. 16 minutes ago, AshleyKirkland said: I've tried calibrating my laptop screen, but even when I try, it looks completely different than the external. You say this like it's a bad thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Well, if calibrate both of them, shouldn't they look the same? I mean, the light and everything is different. I can't seem to get the laptop to match prints because no matter what I do, it has a blue tint. I don't even edit on my laptop screen though. Just always on the external. Edited March 7, 2017 by AshleyKirkland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Well, if your external screen was perfect, then yes, you'd want them to match Since it's not perfect, I held high hopes for the laptop one Let's go back to that 6500 error thing. I need you to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 I uninstalled the software, and then reinstalled it. It's still doing the same thing. Now even when I try to calibrate to 5000k, it gives me the error message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 In a way, that's good news, and as I expected. It was never a problem with 6500K specifically. It's a problem in the system. Can you do this for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 I have a PC laptop running Windows 7 and Photoshop CC. It is over 2 years old, and has 12GB of RAM. Its hard drive has 697GB free out of 925GB. The last time I shut down was just before posting this thread. I rarely run a cleanup program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 I urge you to run a cleanup program once a month. However, in general terms, all of those specs sound fine. Do you happen to know if the error message arises when you calibrate the laptop screen? Or is it only the external? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 It let me go all of the way through the calibration on my laptop. However, my laptop doesn't let me adjust the color to match prints. Right now it's looking pretty close to my external though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 You're following my laptop directions for the laptop, right? You're not trying to use the same desktop instructions as for the external? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyKirkland Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 I believe so. Unless there's something I missed and just don't realize it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Ok, so what about the SpyderTune step? Are you saying that doesn't work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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