I know its weird replying 4 months later, but I happen to be looking around for a calibrator to calibrate my macbook pro screen as well as an external monitor linked to it. 

Do you happen to know, if I were to calibrate my both my macbook pro and my external monitor, and I send it to a professional printing lab, would the colours be accurate? I’m confused as to whether calibrating would be of use if I’m printing it at labs, where they might not necessarily have calibrated to match my monitor.

Thank you (:

Best Regards,

ZY

watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW6cAeg5mRs&feature=relmfu

In this new dimension of digital photography, I firmly believe, from all that I am exposed, color management is a vital aspect in the advancement and growth of a career. There are many sectors of commercial photography where this is crucial and from my own experience, the less work that one forces on the AD or Graphic Design Studio, the more work a particular photographer is going to be contracted for. Professional’s prefer to work with professionals, merited by their business design and culture. Dismissing color management importance is similar to achieving an MBA and showing up for job interviews in bermuda shorts and sandals, IMO.

Granted, lap top monitors, at best, may cover slightly more than the sRGB Gamut but it is where this sample of color falls, within the total gamut, that is most important. Reports are crucial, as they allow the user to read exactly where the current monitor gamut falls inside of the proper target gamut. Just because a monitor has been calibrated does not mean that it is accurate, a report may show that the triangle is off of the target and due to this, there will be color shifts; one sRGB monitor may show a huge variance from another properly calibrated sRGB monitor. Calibrate and generate a report to provide the data of target ~vs~ actual, it more than justifies the price of a good color management system and discipline.

If a person combs their hair before they go out, I don’t understand why they would not also want to make sure that their work is also properly manicured, “accurately” before submitting it for public and/or private view.

Patrick, I have great admiration towards you and Lee for learning how to set the camera, so correctly that you both nail your shots in JPEG; that really is a great achievement! I can’t help but feel that your discipline and dedication, as professionals, to your craft will benefit from the same attention to color management. As great as your photography currently is, I think that you both will be excited with the end results of a RAW file converted via a properly managed color management system, just don’t forget the color cards as they help tremendously. :)

And frankly, most casual photo clients don’t give a rat’s ass about the nuances of accurate colour. They just want something that looks cool. Tons of photography isn’t anywhere close to accurate, look at the “vintage” styled shoots that are huge right now. Everything looks like it’s being viewed through a glass of piss. 

It’s really easy to get carried away with colour management and get super anal about it all. I think it’s a best practice to start with a calibrated monitor and make sure that your photos are how you want them to be. So that when you have a client that has a calibrated monitor and does care about colour that client is seeing what you want them to see.