Photograph Brightness?

Calibrate your monitor. Best you can do. You can't control other's monitors, and FAA will print what you upload.

as said, calibrate the screen, and keep the lighting the same.

---Mike Savad

If you're using Windows, here's a simple calibration tool that can help -

http://calibrize.com/

Catherine,

I calibrate, then I set my monitor slightly dimmer. Im at 100 candella by my calibration software.

Most people have their monitors jacked up in brightness and contrast. In my testing a printer prints 15-20% darker. By setting my monitor dimmer, then processing a little brighter, It works out that the actual print is what the average buyer sees on their uncalibrated, and cheap monitor.

Its basically compensating for the lack of knowledge of the average net surfer. I know how my prints look, but they (the buyer) has no clue. I do the behind the scenes fudging so "hopefuly" they recieve what they see on their monitor when they order.

--Brad

I have a fool proof test that you can use. Order one of your own prints, frame it and put it on the wall where you can see it from your work station. If you are totally happy with the brightness of that print as it looks on your wall turn your monitor brightness down until it matches what you see on the wall. I mess with the brightness settings often and can always go back to the print on the wall to match the brightness at any time.
Alternately you could order one of my prints and rights to a digital copy and use those in your test. Act fast and I will send you a discount code for the print and digital copy. ;-)

You can not control what it looks like on other people's monitors but at least you can make sure the prints going out look right to the buyer.

sometimes i double check with my phone, most seem to be about the same colorwise, you could get second opinion that way.

---Mike Savad

Thank you all so much! I've calibrated my monitor and will try the other suggestions :)

Catherine,

From your images posted, looks like your monitor is pretty close. An easy way to see for your self, is take an image to a Sam's, Costco,Walmart,etc. and ask for a small print. You just need to remember to ask them to turn off the "auto-enhancer" or what ever they have that "adjusts" everybody's images automactially and they all have this. If it looks good, it's fine for FAA,

Rich

The image histograms on your camera and Photoshops levels and curves are also a very good way to see the brightness levels of your images, whether they are over or underexposed etc. A quick google will give you plenty of tutorials on how to use them

I have my monitor calibrated, but I still can't get it to exactly match my epson 3880 printer, I do know that I still have to "brighten" the image by +15 in photoshop before I print. When I want to print bigger than 17X22, (for local customers, within, say, 25 miles of my house) I use a company that will let you self print in their offices, that have the same epson printers that FAA uses. (They charge $3.00 a square foot for the paper and ink, so it's a good deal) I have to do the exact opposite. I have to "darken" by -15 before I print. I run several small test prints on any printer before I use them for the first time. I would hope that the printers at FAA would make some adjustments knowing that we all use different calibration methods and are sending in literally hundreds of different levels of brightness. As far as customers who view our work online, I have looked at all my work on my wife's and kids laptops and none of them are calibrated, but the pictures always look good, so they must all have some sort of automatic system that optimizes the view.

Les

The angle of your monitor screen has an effect on the relative brightness of any image viewed.

@Les -- I always brighten for online prints, too, and have done so since testing my very first online print service, years ago. I've found this step to be necessary, no matter what printer I'm using, or how carefully calibrated my monitors might be.

Now, I'm off to seek out a local 'self-print' service. I love that idea -- sometimes, when dealing with local clients, I need to get my hands on a print in a hurry. It doesn't happen often, but a self-print options would be a great back-up plan! :-)

Walter - you are so right! The angle of the monitor makes such a difference. I went through the calibrating steps and I couldn't even see the differences of the two extremes I was supposed to - until I played with the angle so I could see them at the two ends. Turns out what I already had was just right ----- or right for the angle that I adjusted to. So maybe that is a good way to tell, but now I'll have to remember where that is when I open my laptop!

Les - "the same Epson printer FAA uses" - do you know what that is? Can we find that out somewhere?

Les,

Is Photoshop controlling your print outputs or the printer,3880? You have to make sure that Photoshop is controlling the output. If the printer is in charge, then you'll get weird stuff! By the way, EVERY imaget that I work on,especially the cars that are run through a filter or Topaz, the last thing I do, is adjust the brightness and contrast, up! take an image with some light and dark and duplicate it and then run the duplicate through Photoshop and then see how it looses brightness.

If your image looks good on your screen desktop monitor, but needs to be darkened for all your prints, then either the calibration is off or your screen is too bright, but you don't notice it.

Wendy,Les,

Again, you can use Sam's, which most now have an Epson Large Format (7800) in the store and/or a Fuji Printer for small(8x12" prints to 4x6") and get accurate prints made. I can only talk about Sam's,because that's where I go. When you upload your files, you need to remember to turn off the "Auto-Enhancer" feature,usually on the bottom of the screen and it will come out EXACTLY like what your monitor is showing! I've doen ALL kinds of tests and the only time it doesn't work, is if I forget to turn off the Auto Enhancer! I use this service for all my car shots that are smallish and the clients only want a print.

For the small stuff the Fuji uses Fuji roll paper, but the Epson uses Epson papers and inks,so the prints are archival too! And CHEAP!

You don't need no stinkin' self-print shop and $3/sq.ft!

Find an image,especially something with neutral grays in it and get a print and see for yourself,

Rich

Andrea,

Are you talking about a laptop screen or a desktop monitor?

Rich

Rich - the laptop -
the desktop is stationary and that only varies by whether or not I slouch at my desk or not!

Rich,

I was thinking something like my local LightJet lab. I'd love the opportunity to run in, use professional equipment, and print to my own specifications!

I've never thought of Sam's or CostCo -- though I've heard positive reports on Costco. And no -- I've never used AutoEnhance or AutoCorrect with any print service. Guess I need to schedule some test prints.

Wendy,

Costco may have the same system as Sam's. The "auto-enhance" is the default and you have to turn it off,otherwise all the prints get adjusted the way that Fuji thinks they should be adjusted.

The epson printer that all Sam's have and probably Costco too,prints up to 24" wide,so you can get really great prints from it. They use Epson papers and inks,so it really is a good deal. If you go, I would ask them to print a smaller print,first on the Fuji printer with the Auto Enhance off and see how you like the output and then ask them to print a larger print on the Epson and to match the Fuji,if they don't,then you won't have to pay for it,but I found they will work with you and get it right.

Andrea, I personally would never use a laptop screen for any important editing. I've got an HP Pavillion,17" and a nice laptop,but useless for final color,contrast,etc. If I'm traveling and I have to use the laptop, I'll do my fixin' on the laptop and then wait to get home to do the final color stuff.

Rich

Rich,
I have photoshop control the print outputs, so I can duplicate the output when using the big commercial printer, when people want something over a 17x22. My monitor acually looks dark to me, but I have it that way so I get an idea what the printed output will look like. (even being that dark, it still is not dark enough, to duplicate the print. I still need to brighten before sending it to the printer. Now, the monitor at the commercial printer I use, is not calibrated at all, according to the guy who runs the shop, and there is actually a huge difference between that and my home setup. Where I have to brighten +15 at home, at the printer's I have to darken -15. So there is a difference of 30 in photoshop brightness between the two systems.

Rich and Andrea,
I do believer the printer for FAA is using the 11 cartridge 44" epson 7900 which is what I use at my printer's for my big prints.(Assuming they are within 25 miles of my house. Anything further and I just refer them to my website here. FAA makes it much easier, not just for shipping, but for charging the customer, returns, etc.) Actually the $3 a square foot is really good. I get to use whatever paper I want, so I tend to use the epson cold press natural, or hot press bright, which are fantastic museum grade papers. I am about to start using the commercial printer even for my 17x22 prints. Here is why. I piece of epson cold press natural runs me 5.00 a sheet (125 a box of 25 sheets) + 3.65 for the ink.(2.60 square feet X 1.40) for a total of $8.65 per print. If I use the big printer they take 3 ft (2 ft wide, by 1 1/2 ft long) X 3.00 and I only have a charge of $9.00 a print. For the extra .35 cents a print I get much richer and truer colors because the 7900 uses 11 inks, and my 3880 only uses 9 inks.

Rich - you are absolutely right. I actually only use the desktop when I work with the photographs. I only look at and read discussions, enter contest, and that type of stuff here on FAA on my laptop. I just looked at the calibration of the laptop now because of this conversation and realized what you said was the reason I sometimes thought my images, looking at it on the laptop, looked a little different than how I uploaded them.
Sorry for the confusion - but I really appreciate all the information here.

Les - thank you for the info on the printer, and your calculations, and the 11 inks vs. for other printers..... Good to know.

This very issue of brightness just came up for me for a metal print I want to order myself for a show - but that is a whole different problem.......

Les.

Try this little tool. Look at the first few samples of gray scale and also the contrast etc. I'm betting that your "calibrated" screen is out of calibration! Anyway, this is a very quick way to see if your monitor is in fact calibrated or not,

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/monitor-calibration.htm

Rich

Rich, I will do that tomorrow morning. Thanks for tip.