Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Lightroom Printing - poor colours  (Read 5023 times)

mikecookson

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« on: August 29, 2007, 05:24:10 pm »

Hi

Can anyone advise me? If I print an image from LR to an Epson R2400 using the Epson driver, Epson ink and paper, the colours are muddy and dull. If I print the same image from CS2, everything is fine.

Some complications - I have the color space in LR set to ProPhotoRGB, however, if I reset it to AdobeRGB it seems to make no difference to the print, it's still poor quality. In CS2, I have found that I have to convert the color space to AdobeRGB before printing or else I will still encounter the same muddy printing problem.

In a nutshell then, CS2 + AdobeRGB seems to work fine. Neither ProPhotoRGB or AdobeRGB in LR1.1 seem to deliver acceptable results. Can anyone suggest how I can set things up to produce acceptable colour prints from LR 1.1? (I'm using Windows XP as the operating system).

Thanks

Mike
Lightseeker
Logged

vandevanterSH

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 625
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2007, 06:07:41 pm »

Quote
Hi

Can anyone advise me? If I print an image from LR to an Epson R2400 using the Epson driver, Epson ink and paper, the colours are muddy and dull. If I print the same image from CS2, everything is fine.

Some complications - I have the color space in LR set to ProPhotoRGB, however, if I reset it to AdobeRGB it seems to make no difference to the print, it's still poor quality. In CS2, I have found that I have to convert the color space to AdobeRGB before printing or else I will still encounter the same muddy printing problem.

In a nutshell then, CS2 + AdobeRGB seems to work fine. Neither ProPhotoRGB or AdobeRGB in LR1.1 seem to deliver acceptable results. Can anyone suggest how I can set things up to produce acceptable colour prints from LR 1.1? (I'm using Windows XP as the operating system).

Thanks

Mike
Lightseeker
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136253\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Are you turning off the printer color management?

Steve
Logged

mikecookson

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2007, 07:40:12 am »

Hi Steve

I'm selecting printer color management in LR and also using the correct settings in the Epson driver.  The issue that I am having is that the same image with identical print settings prints correctly from CS2 and incorrectly from LR - the only thing that varies between the two print jobs is the software used, LR or CS2.

Thanks

Mike
Logged

picnic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2007, 09:00:40 am »

Quote
Hi Steve

I'm selecting printer color management in LR and also using the correct settings in the Epson driver.  The issue that I am having is that the same image with identical print settings prints correctly from CS2 and incorrectly from LR - the only thing that varies between the two print jobs is the software used, LR or CS2.

Thanks

Mike
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136351\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Mike, you mean you are not using paper/printer profiles but selecting to let the printer make the print decisions---where it says color management you are choosing 'managed by printer" in PS and LR?  Most people would choose color management and choose paper/printer profiles in both--in PS you would choose 'photoshop manages color'--(in LR you just choose your paper/printer profile where it says 'profile').  Then you would select the proper profile for your paper/printer, etc. from your list, choose correct media and quality---otherwise it appears to me that there could be variables--different input profile (working space--what working space is your PS set for?---LR uses Prophoto RGB), etc.    I haven't printed from LR yet, but many others have and I've seen noone discussing a difference.  They are both color managed if you choose those settings--otherwise, you lose control IMO.  

Perhaps one of those that prints a lot from LR and has long experience with printing from PS can jump in.  I am planning to print for the first time with LR today--I've printed for a long time from PS.  I am not expecting any differences if I use color managed settings as I do from PS.  The only differences I am concerned about are those of sharpening---and I won't have any option to softproof--but with same paper, same profiles, etc.---I don't expect a difference there.  I have never printed with any of my Epsons using 'managed by printer' though.

One question---where are you resetting the working color space in LR??

Diane
« Last Edit: August 30, 2007, 09:04:21 am by picnic »
Logged

vandevanterSH

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 625
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2007, 09:37:20 am »

Quote
Hi Steve

I'm selecting printer color management in LR and also using the correct settings in the Epson driver.  The issue that I am having is that the same image with identical print settings prints correctly from CS2 and incorrectly from LR - the only thing that varies between the two print jobs is the software used, LR or CS2.

Thanks

Mike
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136351\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I am pretty new at this..but using the profiles and color mgt in LR and turning off the printer color mgt seems to be the way to go. I print both from CS3 and LR to a 3800 but prefer LR for the ease of use. My output is low so the lack of soft proofing is not an issue..output sharp is done in CS3+PKS then back to LR.

Steve
Logged

digitaldog

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20630
  • Andrew Rodney
    • http://www.digitaldog.net/
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2007, 09:42:43 am »

Quote
I am pretty new at this..but using the profiles and color mgt in LR and turning off the printer color mgt seems to be the way to go. I print both from CS3 and LR to a 3800 but prefer LR for the ease of use. My output is low so the lack of soft proofing is not an issue..output sharp is done in CS3+PKS then back to LR.

Steve
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136367\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Exactly correct. You must use the printer profiles, do not use Managed by Printer.

For me, identical results to a 3800 using a Mac when printing from LR or PS.
Logged
http://www.digitaldog.net/
Author "Color Management for Photographers".

picnic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2007, 02:43:42 pm »

Just a post  note--I did print from LR and PS today--exactly the same with proper color management and they are basically the same print.  I did ouput sharpening in PS with PKS and used medium sharpening in LR.  However---I really did miss softproof and realize that I will have to either do a round trip for softproof or just print from PS.  

As I was doing this, I found I had a question also--printing from LR is just crazy easy---BUT---I'm wondering how it resizes/resamples.  I print anywhere from 8 x 10 to 16 x 24 from my 5D and thus have to do the resizing (and occasionally resampling) myself in PS.  I have used Qimage over the years and wonder if LR is working similarly.  Having just printed one (on matte--and I always feel a need to softproof on fineart matte) so haven't tried much else--but its obvious this is extremely easy to do other sizes, etc.

I do wonder, even though I've heard it mentioned that softproofing 'could' be implemented in LR--just how would one 'correct' for it--as I use layers, masks, etc.  I don't see those features being implemented.  So--maybe we could softproof, but I'm wondering what benefit that would give us.

Diane
Logged

Jon Meddings

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2007, 02:56:12 pm »

Quote
Just a post  note--I did print from LR and PS today--exactly the same with proper color management and they are basically the same print.  I did ouput sharpening in PS with PKS and used medium sharpening in LR.  However---I really did miss softproof and realize that I will have to either do a round trip for softproof or just print from PS. 

As I was doing this, I found I had a question also--printing from LR is just crazy easy---BUT---I'm wondering how it resizes/resamples.  I print anywhere from 8 x 10 to 16 x 24 from my 5D and thus have to do the resizing (and occasionally resampling) myself in PS.  I have used Qimage over the years and wonder if LR is working similarly.  Having just printed one (on matte--and I always feel a need to softproof on fineart matte) so haven't tried much else--but its obvious this is extremely easy to do other sizes, etc.

I do wonder, even though I've heard it mentioned that softproofing 'could' be implemented in LR--just how would one 'correct' for it--as I use layers, masks, etc.  I don't see those features being implemented.  So--maybe we could softproof, but I'm wondering what benefit that would give us.

Diane
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136415\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Interesting thread!  Couple of comments from my experience with LR, PS and Qimage. I print on an Epson 7800 from a 1DII.

First, as Andrew states I have no difficulty with the color between printing programs. So long as you use the correct profiles and let the application manage the color conversions (not the printer) then the prints are identical in color.

Secondly, I agree with many of the points here that printing is more convenient from within LR. I now do 90% of my stuff in LR and enjoy the print module. However, I do have some issues with it.

My major one is the size limitation of LR. Let me explain.

I've compared the printed output (20x30 or a pan) of an image done either from LR or from a copy exported to PS, upressed and sharpened with PS and PKS and then printed with Qimage (my old workflow). To me and others I've shown the prints to there is a noticeable difference in the prints with the clear advantage going to the Qimage workflow. Most of the difference is in the fine detail.

In theory I could take the large image and print from LR along with my smaller images but this is made difficult by the image size restrictions of LR.

So, what I would like to see in LR is the ability to do good print upressing and something akin to PKS output sharpening as the image spools to the printer. In that way I could then do 95% of my stuff in LR!
Logged

picnic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 574
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2007, 03:18:30 pm »

Quote
I've compared the printed output (20x30 or a pan) of an image done either from LR or from a copy exported to PS, upressed and sharpened with PS and PKS and then printed with Qimage (my old workflow). To me and others I've shown the prints to there is a noticeable difference in the prints with the clear advantage going to the Qimage workflow. Most of the difference is in the fine detail.

[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136419\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Could you tell me why you did the uprez and sharpening in PS and then printed it with Qimage--rather than using Qimage to uprez/sharpen (well I do understand the PKS sharpening as I do really like it best)--or was that simply the easiest workflow incorporating both?  The largest I've printed (had printed) was 2 x 3 and after doing full crops in both Qimage and PSCS2 (at that time), I ended up uprezzing in Qimagewhich seemed to hold a small advantage for uprezzing, saving to print and then finishing format conversion, sharpening in PS to send the file to my graphics lab--we had discussed the best way and they were always comfortable with my giving them a ready to print file.

I didn't realize there was a size restriction in LR--but I only printed 8 x 10 today for my own demo.  Or perhaps it won't affect me as I only print myself up to 16 x 24.

Diane
« Last Edit: August 30, 2007, 03:19:35 pm by picnic »
Logged

Jon Meddings

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2007, 09:55:05 pm »

Quote
Could you tell me why you did the uprez and sharpening in PS and then printed it with Qimage--rather than using Qimage to uprez/sharpen (well I do understand the PKS sharpening as I do really like it best)--or was that simply the easiest workflow incorporating both? 
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136423\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


Sure Diane - you got it. It was just easier enlarging to final output size in PS, then doing PKS output sharpening and then back to print in Qimage. I suspect Qimage would have enlarged a bit better and I could have printed the same from PS but I've never liked the print function in earlier versions of PS and so have never gotten into the habit of printing from PS. I've used and loved Qimage now for at least 5 years...
Logged

mikecookson

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2007, 03:21:57 am »

Thanks to everyone who has posted. I'm away for the next few days but I will try the suggestions out next week and post some feedback on how I got on.

Many thanks

Mike
Logged

mikecookson

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22
Lightroom Printing - poor colours
« Reply #11 on: September 04, 2007, 01:29:01 pm »

I've now had a chance to test the suggestions provided and can confirm that providing you don't select "Profile:Managed by Printer", you can produce identical results printing from Lightroom and Photoshop.

Thanks to all

Mike

Lightseeker
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up