Lost in need of some directions

General Color & Graphics Monitor Calibration & Soft Proofing
1

Hi everybody,

I am Arandel, a new member of this forum. Quite recently, I started reading up on professional color management, as part of my artistic evolution. My specialization is in postprocessing, and after thorough research, I decided to order a i1 monitor callibration tool. Since Amazon, along with several other vendors, wouldn’t ship it outside the States, I was fortunate enough to find Chromix, who would. They delivered it promptly (a big thanks to the entire staff!), and I immediatly started callibrating. At first, it all seemed wonderful, but then I began noticing how the representation of color varied between different software. Adobe Photoshop - I use version seven, was the worst, displaying extremely dominant yellows and red. My Canon ZoomBrowser was more somber, as was Windows Viewer. Internet Explorer appeared to honor my earlier profile perfectly…

Prior to the i2, I used Adobe Gamma for callibration. My computer is a LG laptop with a 17" widescreen, on which I run Windows XP. I also used the i2 on my boyfriend’s 17" LCD, hoping to be able to conform the two screens. Unfortunately, a brightness adjustment, was the only difference achieved. Additionally, I have a question regarding dark colors, where the blacks appear translucent/inverted: is anybody familar with that type of problem and how to resolve it?

Any input would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Arandel
alleviation.org/
flickr.com/photos/arandel
alleviation.org/arandel/ - Blog

2

Hi Arandel,
Here are a few ideas to start with:
Do you still have Adobe Gamma in place? (Here’s how to check/remove it:)

  1. Right-click the Start menu, and choose ‘Open’.
  2. Double-click Programs, then Startup.
  3. Delete Adobe Gamma or Adobe Gamma Loader.exe if present.
  4. Repeat steps 1 - 3, choosing ‘Open All Users’ in Step 1.
  5. Close the Startup window to return to the main screen.
    Please note: this procedure does not delete Adobe Gamma from your system. It merely removes the shortcut to the startup file to prevent Adobe Gamma from loading its calibration in place of the monitor calibration solution you are currently using. You want only one product to be doing your monitor correction, and in your case, it would be the i1 Match software.

If your blacks are not appearing as truly black as they should be, and you’ve already taken care of the Adobe Gamma issue above, try making a new profile with the lights off in the room. Too much ambient light can throw a calibration off. Some people even put a dark bag over the screen when it’s going through its big calibration work.