Color Management

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liquidrliquidr
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Ok, just blew the last of my dough on a Epson 3200. Is there anywhere I can find a shareware color management program that is accurate??



I've Googled Color Management and found cheap programs for Mac, but in Classic mode only, does this help when I'm running PhotoShop 7 in OS X?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    dark seraphdark seraph Posts: 104member
    I'm a little unsure of what you mean by Color Management support for your Epson 3200. The osx system and photoshop/illustrator all have color management/profiles built into the os. Its just a matter of getting your first print out and then going to your monitor calibration settings to calibrate you screen to match your printings, creating a color profile, and using it. At least thats the way that I do it with my 1270. And fyi, pdfs are the wave of the future for printing (not better than a RIP) but by far more cost efficient.



    hope that helps
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  • Reply 2 of 7
    gardenofearthlydelightsgardenofearthlydelights Posts: 963member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by LiquidR

    Ok, just blew the last of my dough on a Epson 3200. Is there anywhere I can find a shareware color management program that is accurate??



    I've Googled Color Management and found cheap programs for Mac, but in Classic mode only, does this help when I'm running PhotoShop 7 in OS X?



    Accurate? Cheap? I thought you were asking about color management, which are neither of these two.



    To answer your question about Classic and Photoshop 7: no.



    The cheapest way to go is to use Apple's built-in ColorSync system, and adjust the colors in Photoshop as you see fit. This issue is so unbelievely complex, you could end up pulling out hairs the rest of your life. Just go with ColorSync for now.



    For what it's worth, I'm planning on getting a Color Spyder Pro from Pantone. It includes hardware for calibrating a monitor, but it's about $400.
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  • Reply 3 of 7
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    i work at a photography studio and if there is one thing i've noticed is that we have calibration things for all of our monitors 3 CRT and 1LCD...the LCD is impossible to get it to look life like, it always seems to be more vivid...well i'd say brighter then the CRT's look (and the CRTs look like the print will)



    i'm not sure what to do because if u take the brightness down too far it looses the ability to show contrast





    but color wise the LCD is right on
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  • Reply 4 of 7
    running with scissorsrunning with scissors Posts: 1,124member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by GardenOfEarthlyDelights

    For what it's worth, I'm planning on getting a Color Spyder Pro from Pantone. It includes hardware for calibrating a monitor, but it's about $400.



    waste of money. i've yet to see any hardware/software system work worth a shit.
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  • Reply 5 of 7
    dark seraphdark seraph Posts: 104member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ast3r3x



    but color wise the LCD is right on



    I don't mean to be questioning your authority as you do have more posts than I do, nor do I mean to be challenging you. But I question the validity of LCD's when doing my own print work (rather sit infront of a CRT) since when you move at any angle the color shifts significantly.



    I've found the best way to deal with color management when it comes to getting the results that I want with my printer or press is to be familiar with my printer comparably have a good relationship with my pre-press team.



    to each his own (I don't intend on stepping on anyones toes)
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  • Reply 6 of 7
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Dark Seraph

    I don't mean to be questioning your authority as you do have more posts than I do, nor do I mean to be challenging you. But I question the validity of LCD's when doing my own print work (rather sit infront of a CRT) since when you move at any angle the color shifts significantly.



    I've found the best way to deal with color management when it comes to getting the results that I want with my printer or press is to be familiar with my printer comparably have a good relationship with my pre-press team.



    to each his own (I don't intend on stepping on anyones toes)



    no i know what you mean man..i do work on sittign strait on when at my computer but ur right slightly different movements will affect it



    we normally send the files over to a CRT comptuer before we send them out because of things like that (plus the density of the picture is off due to brightness like i said)





    the best way to go is to have some things printed, adjust ur monitor so urs looks like the prints and do taht every month or so
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  • Reply 7 of 7
    gardenofearthlydelightsgardenofearthlydelights Posts: 963member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by running with scissors

    waste of money. i've yet to see any hardware/software system work worth a shit.



    Probably. Like I said, I've been pulling my hair out, and this is just for personal stuff.



    Do you of anything that is even marginally useful? Without getting into the >$2k range? I don't need professional quality stuff.



    I know www.dpreview.com uses the Color Spyder, and I like their effort at getting things correct color-wise.
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