For photographers, working with a properly calibrated and profiled display is by far the most important factor in maintaining accurate color. You need to be able to trust what you see on the screen!

For many years I’ve been using and recommending the line of color management products from X-Rite. (And frankly, you don’t need to look at any other brands for color management …)

X-Rite has been announcing many new and updated products over the past several months. Of particular interest to photographers are the brand new ColorMunki Display and i1Display Pro, both of which are getting rave reviews.

More exciting is the fact that X-Rite is offering rebates when you trade in your old profiling solution. Details on the trade-in program are here.

I’m trading in my trusty old i1Display 2 for the i1Display Pro. If you’re a photographer, I strongly recommend you consider the excellent new monitor profiling solutions from X-Rite as well.

When you’re ready to buy, you can use these links to purchase at B&H:

i1Display Pro

ColorMunki Display

If you print your photos from Lightroom, you may notice that with different papers, the color and tonal output varies, even if printing on the same printer.

This is because all different printer/paper/ink combinations result in varying range of colors and tones that can be accurately reproduced.

In other words, if you print the same photo from Lightroom (or any other program, for that matter) on glossy photo paper, cotton rag art paper and canvas, each print will look different.

So what’s a photographer to do?

The answer is simple, but the implementation is not: you need to make adjustments to the photo for each substrate prior to printing. Read more…

These days I’m doing a lot of “giclee” reproductions of original fine art in a variety of media including pastels, watercolor and oils.

I’ve found that Lightroom is an ideal environment in which to work up my master images. In particular, the HSL panel is an extremely useful tool when it comes to matching colors in the original paintings.

I begin with a digital capture, either a raw image from a Canon 1Ds Mark III or a scan of a transparency (from  my Epson 750M Pro). Whether working with a raw capture or a TIF scan, I’ve found that I can match colors much more easily in Lightroom than in Photoshop.

For color management on my Mac, I use a LaCie 319 display, X-Rite EyeOne and Pulse. I’ve found that I really can trust what I see in Lightroom to match the print (of course, this also involves soft-proofing for the chosen media in Photoshop prior to printing.)

If you do fine art reproductions, consider integrating Lightroom into your workflow. It’s made a world of difference in mine.

*I will be publishing a white paper on Fine Art Reproduction with Lightroom this summer… stay tuned!

An industry group has published an excellent – and FREE – resource detailing current Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines (UPDIG). A must read!

Download PDF

Many people ask about soft-proofing in Lightroom. The simple answer: there isn’t any. At least not yet.

However, Lightroom is a color-managed application. So if your monitor is properly calibrated, you can trust what you see on screen – that is, until you need to preview the printed output for a specific printer/paper combination.

For this, you still need to go into Photoshop. My workflow:

1. Perfect the image as much as possible in Lightroom

2. Select the “Edit in photoshop CS3…” command from the Photo menu.

3. In Photoshop, perform sharpening, soft-proofing and make any necessary adjustments for print.

You can then either print the image from Photoshop or go back into Lightroom for printing.

Tip: when you’re done editing the file in Photoshop, make sure to use the Save… command and not Save As… This will update the linked file in the Lightroom database.

1. Capture – digital camera (or film scan)
- For D-SLR, capture in RAW if possible
- If capturing JPG be sure quality, color space and white balance settings are optimal
- Ensure correct exposure and focus – bracket as necessary

2. Ingest – transfer files to computer
- Automate as much as possible
- Adobe Lightroom, Photo Downloader, Bridge etc.
- Rename files on ingestion
- Convert Camera RAW files to Adobe DNG (optional but highly recommended)
- Make a backup immediately
- Reformat card in the camera after confirming transfer and backup

3. Add Metadata
- During ingestion if possible; enhance during editing
- Copyright notice and keywords at minimum
- Camera RAW files will use sidecar files for metadata
- DNG, JPG, PSD and TIF metadata is embedded in the file

4. Review/Edit
- Lightroom, Bridge, Expression Media, iView Media Pro, Elements Organizer
- Sort and compare
- Flagging, Rating, Labeling etc.
- Enhance custom metadata as appropriate
- Make Collections

5. Process Selects
- RAW/DNG converter – do as much processing as possible before conversion
- For JPG originals: Save As PSD before working on the file (never resave over a JPG)
- save Master File (TIF or PSD) at native resolution

6. Work the Master File
- Work on file at native resolution – no resampling until print time
- Crop (if necessary)
- Capture sharpen
- Adjustment Layers: Levels, Curves, Hue & Saturation etc.
- Dodge and burn
- Creative sharpening
- Retouching

7. Prepare for Printing
- Soft-proof and make adjustments – save in Master file
- Resize for print
- Sharpen for Print

8. Print
- Print from Photoshop or Lightroom with color management disabled in printer driver
- Photoshop (or Lightroom) Manages Color; use the same rendering intent used during soft-proofing
- Use correct ICC profile for selected printer/paper combination
- View finished prints in controlled lighting conditions – SoLux bulbs
- Apply protective coating – PremierArt Print Shield
- For canvas prints apply Breathing Color Glamour II Giclee Veneer
- Store prints in poly bags
- Keep out of direct sunlight

9. Share
- Generate slideshows and web galleries using Lightroom or Bridge

10. Backup and Archive
- Keep multiple copies; store permanent archives offsite
- Backups are routinely updated (synchronized); archives are permanent

Using color management is a critical element of getting your digital photos from capture through print. If you want your prints to look their best you should establish and follow a color-managed workflow.

Color management refers to a system of computer hardware and software working together to translate color from one device to another in a controlled way.

A digital image file contains a defined range of colors, described mathematically. In Photoshop, this is referred to as the file’s Working Space. The most common working spaces are sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998) and ProPhoto (I prefer the latter). Read more…

When soft proofing an image, it’s best to use a black background to surround both your working file and your reference image. In Photoshop, the only way to do this is to change the color of your desktop to black, and use the standard window mode to position your work and reference images side by side.