Color calibration questions

[media kat]

I want to get accurate color from my Mac to ensure my photos print the way I want them. Besides color calibrating my display, what else do I need to do? Do I just need the color profile from the place I am planning to print with?

Thanks.

[TheDigitalDog · Accepted solution]

You want pleasing (and matching) color. Yes, you need to calibrate and profile the display for some desired results, like maybe matching a print. You need good ICC output profiles if you're going to make prints or have them made which along with the display calibration and profile will aid in soft proofing. You may wish to examine making custom camera profiles for Lightroom. Easy to do and useful again, to provide pleasing color. Color accurate images are often not very nice to look at! We can go into this more or you can examine this article:

http://www.color.org/ICC_white_paper_20_Digital_photography_color_management_basics.pdf

In terms of camera profiles:

Everything you thought you wanted to know about DNG camera profiles:

All about In this 30 minute video, we’ll look into the creation and use of DNG camera profiles in three raw converters. The video covers:

What are DNG camera profiles, how do they differ from ICC camera profiles.

Misconceptions about DNG camera profiles.

Just when, and why do you need to build custom DNG camera profiles?

How to build custom DNG camera profiles using the X-rite Passport software.

The role of various illuminants on camera sensors and DNG camera profiles.

Dual Illuminant DNG camera profiles.

Examples of usage of DNG camera profiles in Lightroom, ACR, and Iridient Developer.

Low Rez (YouTube):

http://youtu.be/_fikTm8XIt4

High Rez (download):

http://www.digitaldog.net/files/DNG%20Camera%20profile%20video.mov