Proofs using icc profile in Photoshop are Flat and Dull

[barbatobox]

I recently added an icc profile to the mix for ezprints, since I am planning on using them for printing. What is the best way to add that to my workflow?

I adjust my photos in Photoshop to look fine. Then when I proof them with the ezprints.icc profile, they are really flat and dull.

If I make corrections to make the the ezprints proof look better, it messes with my original version, which looks much better on screen.

I want them to look good online, but I also want them to look good when I order prints. Is there a balance? Can anyone offer advice?

 

[Digital Matt]

What is your default color space, and what is the color space from ezprints? If you are using Adobe RGB 1998, it might make sense to convert to sRGB as an intermediate step to converting to the ezprints color profile.

 

[barbatobox]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I am using Adobe RGB (1998). I see on ezprints support page that they recommend sRGB too.
http://ezprints.mye-pix.com/help/IccProfileHelp.asp

I just tried, and there was not a huge difference btwn sRGB and Adobe RGB (1998).

 

[Digital Matt]

There is actually a pretty big difference between Adobe RGB and sRGB, but you aren't seeing it, because your monitor isn't capable of displaying that wide a range of colors. Convert from Adobe to sRGB in photoshop using the Adobe Engine and Perceptual, and you should be ok. Images displayed on the web should be in sRGB anyway, because the majority of browsers use this color profile to display images.

 

[barbatobox]

Thanks again.

Regardless of the profile I use for the screen, what would you do about the printer profile? Would you try to reach a happy medium? Or would you create two separate versions?

 

[Digital Matt]

I save convert from raw to tiff, and all of my tiffs are saved in Adobe RGB 1998. When I convert them to the web or for print, I save them as a jpg in sRGB. I have a folder of just jpg print files.