first of many PS questions...

[EandSphotography]

Hi everyone. i've been playing around with all my new stuff and while i think i'm pretty computer literate, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed so i was hoping for some help. First off , let me tell you exactly what i have so that may help in telling me what to do. I have a Canon 50d, a Canon pro 9000 markII printer and an HP dv7 laptop. I'm the type of person who likes to get the most out of what i have and like to know how to use ALL the features of the different settings on each piece of equipment.
So , here's what i've got. In PS6, i opened up a photo to edit and did a few minor corrections. I dont think that this is an important fact but the picture wasnt taken with the 50d, it was just one that i had on the laptop i had taken in the past with a p&s. So anyway, I want the printer to match what the monitor looks like, (as close as possible, i realize). After reading thru the different guides that came with PS and my printer i just felt more confused. So, now I am still in PS. Go to File, then Print. Under the box that says Color management I've changed the color handling option to " photoshop manages color.
The next line says : source space : Adobe RGB (1998)
I somehow converted the original image from whatever it was, Srgb, to adobe rgb.
Now , the next line is where i'm getting lost. It asks " did you remember to disable color management in the printer preferences dialog"
When clicking on the printer preference box it brings up the printer properties box.
on the "page setup" option right below where you can change how many copies you want i see a print options box.
clicking on that gives me these options
1) prevent loss of print data
2)disabel ICM required from the application software
3)disable the color profile setting of the app. software
4)disable the paper source setting of the app software

So which do i choose? so that photoshop has control of the printer?
I guess what's confusing me is that #3 sounds like it would be the right one but why would i disable from the app. software? isn't that what i'm trying to use is the app software (ps6?)

Hope I explained that well enough so somebody can understand what i'm talking about cause i'm wondering if i even do!!!

I just feel that i have decent equipment and want to get the most out of it.

Thanks,
Erik

 

[RancerDS]

Not sure if you are really needing 100% calibration of software to printer for best results, but your monitor is affected by your current lighting. In other words, if you are viewing the images under florescent versus incandescent light, your monitor's display would actually seem different.

I have used a push-on/peel-off "template" and associated software before. It was called Colorific. The company is out of business, but there is probably similiar products available. Seen something along the same lines used with the old Radius monitors on MacIntosh computers. My suggestion would be to print a color chart AND a broad ranged photo to compare how it looks on print and screen. Having said all this...

If you take an image file to a photography processing center, it should look nearly identical for your prints done there versus your prints done at home on your printer (providing it is a high-quality photo printer using photo-paper). In my experience, the prints always seem less exposed using glossy paper, so you may want to try matte for comparison.

Am sure someone could express this more clearly from here.

 

[Big Mike]

As mentioned, a laptop isn't the best tool for consistently accurate photo editing because your position & viewing angle probably isn't going to be consistent, not to mention the different places you might be...with different lighting.

Whether you're using a laptop or a desktop monitor, the first step is to properly calibrate your monitor, which requires a hardware device. Look up the Spyder III.

If your monitor isn't calibrated...all that other stuff really doesn't matter much.