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Photography Question 

Mary J. Lobmeyer
 

getting prints with good/accurate color


I have been having problems with getting a print to look as good on paper as it does on screen. I have been using photoshop to adjust brightness, and change white balance. I then send them online to walmart photo center where I can pick them up, but what I get back sometimes looks horrible. Sometimes the images are green toned, sometimes to dark, sometimes blown out. They look nothing like what I sent to the store. Do I have to do something differently to stop this from happening? Any additional tips for printing at home. I live in a smaller community that has no photography stores. Any advice would be appreciated, getting a little frustrated.


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June 04, 2009

 

Jeffrey R. Whitmoyer
  There isn't much any of us can do to help the issues that may be caused by the photocenter. Their interest is in producing prints for the masses rather than for the more discerning eye.
What you can do to be more certain of the images you send is to invest in a monitor calibrator such as the Spyder Express. You might also look at someone like MPIX for your printing, you can send them the files and in about 3 or 4 days have your prints, at very competitive pricing for the quality achieved. Costco also does a good job if you have one close to home, and you can download the ICC profiles for each Costco photo center. Also, if you are sending out for printing make certain that you have your files in the SRGB color space as there is a difference in how they look if you are working in Adobe RGB. The printers are set up for SRGB so don't have as a wide a gamut as Adobe RGB.
Hope this helps.
Jeff


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June 04, 2009

 

Gretchen J. Gilkey
  I will not use Wal-mart photo center any longer. I did learn that if you use them - you need to use their on-line editing (which is VERY basic) if you are ordering prints. I also live in a very small community - and for fast, reasonably priced images - I use Snapfish. You do have to pay S&H - but for where I live, paying S&H is cheaper than paying gas! MPIX is a bit more expensive - but quality is excellent! ...and they will also get your images to you very fast!
Hope this helps!
gretchen :o)


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June 04, 2009

 
- Dennis Flanagan

BetterPhoto Member
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  You should look into a Huey or other comperable color calibration devices that work with room lighting conditions.

I use MPIX as well. They have a very fast turnaround. When ordering through MPIX you can ask for color correction at no extra cost. I'm sure there are other companies that provide the same service.


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June 05, 2009

 

Mary J. Lobmeyer
  Thank you to everyone who responded. I ordered from mpix, and was very happy with the results. The paper was excellent quality, color was good, and they even printed the img # of photo on back, and my name. I ordered the prints on a wednesday, and had them back by Friday. was also very affordable. thanks again. I will be using mpix again in the future.


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June 13, 2009

 
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