Frustrated by the fact that your photographic prints don’t look like your monitor, and vice versa?  

You’ve got a “Color Management” issue!

 

Ah, do the words “Color Management” instantly give you a headache?  They shouldn’t.
  
Read on…your color is to manage easier than you think.

Important Note: If you have not read Part 1 of this article, Click Here to read it.  I discuss Color Management’s purpose, as well as Steps 1 and 2 of the “4 Successful Steps to Color Management”.
 

 

Step 3 - Assure that you have proper Lighting Conditions and Perception

 

It has been my experience that of the 4 steps to Color Management, this one is the most overlooked.  I want to prove my point on Perception.

Have you ever walked inside a building after being outside in bright sunlight, and had to wait for your eyes to adjust to the inside lighting conditions?  Our eyes adjust to the environment around us, which is why, when you are working on your images on your monitor, it is important to:

1.) Change monitor screen theme colors to neutral gray
I love my grandkids too as my desktop background, but they distract my eyes: start with a neutral color when doing critical adjustments – you’ll be surprised at the difference!

2.) Reduce room lighting
Your room lighting should be subdued, but not completely dark.

3.) Avoid “loud” wall colors
The best colors, of course, are grey and white.

4.) Be conscious of the color of your clothes
Wear neutral grays and black, not a colorful Hawaiian shirt.

If you take care of these properly, it makes interpreting what you see on your monitor easier.
 

 

Use a Proper Light Source for Viewing your Prints:

Your light source should ideally be 5000°K, or “D50”.  The light fixture should be placed off to the side of your monitor, fairly close, but not so close that it causes major glare on your monitor screen.

There are many sources for 5000°K/D50 bulbs and fixtures.  I would suggest a search on the internet or a visit to your local hardware store or office supply store.  I personally like the Solux products or the Ott Lites.  A good inexpensive and readily available alternative would be to buy GE Chroma50 or similar 5000°K fluorescent bulbs on the internet or your local hardware store.

Our eyes are miracles, but....!  Do not underestimate how easily our eyes (and by extension, our brain) can be tricked.  Magicians make a living exploiting this fact all the time.

Take a look at these websites for proof that “Perception is not always Reality”:
www.michaelbach.de/ot
www.colorwiki.com/wiki/Image:Pink_green_dots.gif

Bottom Line: You may not be seeing what you think you are seeing!  Give yourself an “edge” and eliminate as many variables as possible.