Please help.

[SarahJT]

I am new to Photography and having a bit of trouble when printing my photos. I generally do portraits of people and edit them on my laptop but when I print the photos out the people look orange! They look perfectly fine on the laptop monitor. I was thinking it may be my editing that is the problem.. If anyone could give me any suggestions I would be very grateful.

 

[tirediron]

Almost certainly your monitor needs to be calibrated. Laptops are NOT the best editing platform, but will do as long as you ensure that the display is calibrated and viewed at the correct angle. Something like this will resolve many of your issues. Of course you still need to ensure that your printer is profiled correctly too...

 

[SarahJT]

Thank you, I have just calibrated my laptop today after searching the Internet for answers and I go to a printing shop to print them out which probably doesn't help. It's all new and confusing.

 

[photo1x1.com]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Tirediron has probably given you the best advice already. But to be sure you can upload a sample here so we can sort out if it is really the monitor or something else.

 

[SarahJT]

Thanks you I really appreciate it.

Perhaps I'm not using the right settings when taking the photos.

 

[table1349]

This is not monitor calibration: Monitor Calibration or this: Display Calibration - Free online computer monitor calibration. Calibrate for brightness, contrast, color depth and resolution.

This is monitor calibration: ColorMunki Photo - Camera, Monitor, Projector, Printer Calibration: Photo&Video To calibrate your monitor you need to invest in hardware to do so. As stated above laptop monitors are not good for editing. You should use a static monitor in a static location under the same lighting conditions at the same angle and distance every time you edit.

 

[SarahJT]

Right OK, I'll have to invest in one of those then. Do you have any recommendations for editing programs? I'm using GIMP at the minute.

 

[Designer]

.. I go to a printing shop to print them out ..

Your print shop should be able to "print proof" them and adjust the colors if necessary. Might have to pay a little more, though. Get it as close as you can by color-calibrating your computer display, and then ask the shop to print proof them.

 

[KmH]

First you want to make sure you're not causing problems while editing:
The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop (2nd Edition)
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

Second you'll want to make sure you prepare the file properly for printing by using the appropriate file type, color space, profile, rendering intent and more for the type of print you want made for you - C-Print, Inkjet, Canvas, Metallic paper, On metal (usually aluminum) or on Acrylic.
The Digital Print: Preparing Images in Lightroom and Photoshop for Printing

 

[vintagesnaps]

To me the skin tone seems orange-ish; then I noticed the blanket seems bluish. Of course I don't know if it's white but it looks like it is white and the shadow could have a bluish tint, but way too much of it. Makes me think something might be off with the editing or white balance if the magentas, blues, and yellows (I think of it in art terms.) or RGB is all off. Maybe the color is all too saturated?? If you think the color looks OK then maybe you do need to check your monitor since the skin tone looks as you described as too orange to me on my monitor.

 

[SarahJT]

The blanket is a pale blue. I think you're right about the to much saturation because when I export my photos onto the laptop they look really dull so then I edit them to look brighter.

 

[Derrel]

I think this photo is a bit too bright. I would reduce the brightness about 1 EV or so.

 

[Designer]

Thanks you I really appreciate it.

Perhaps I'm not using the right settings when taking the photos.

I brought this photo into Aperture and tried to make the child's sclera white, but couldn't get it to be white, then I saw this on Wikipedia: "In children, it is thinner and shows some of the underlying pigment, appearing slightly blue."

I'll be a monkey's uncle. I learn something every day.

On my display your shot looks pretty good. I would say the skin tone is probably accurate. If it looks a bit too reddish as is, the reason could be that the child is "head down" allowing more blood near the surface. If the child would stand, and you take another photo, I'm guessing that the skin tone would be slightly different.

Since we're talking about the color as perceived on your computer display, send/take your photographs to a friend's house and look at them on a different display.

Another test would be to take/send your photograph to a different lab. I suspect that there is something going on between your computer and the lab that is creating the wrong colors.

 

[KmH]

Are you using a DSLR camera?

 

[dennybeall]

My laptop must be off the same way as hers as the picture looks right on my screen. Interesting...