recommendation for color management

[kiig]

Hi all. I'm asking you guy's because you at least face the same issues as I have, regarding 'hardware'...

I photograph, - a lot, - just as a hobby, - and I normally only do images for web presentations, - or if someone want's one of my images they have a prepress bureau or similar to do the images (I shoot motorsport, - in the Danish Touringcar Championship series and the sponsors for the Team I work for usually use the images for brochure's or similar, - printed in heatset, - large volume, - so they normally have a agency to do this for me.)

Last week I ran through 150 images, - adjusted every one, - had it printed on 15x20 cm. paper at the local shop and everything looked pale, - no contrast, - no good Obviously my monitor was not showing me the real life, - and I hadn't thought it could be a problem (on external Sony G420 at the time).

so, - I've purchaced a GretagMacbeth screen color calibrator (well, - yeah, - a *serious* hobby it is ), -and with that I can get the colours I want.

Now for the trouble... I use my A31p on the track, - adjusting 'press-images' that get's uploaded on the spot, - each raceday. At home I have a Sony G420 attached to a dock and at work a LG 2200 (non-trinitron) on another dock

So I neded all 3 displays to be calibrated... and I've read that the software that comes with my screen-calibrator should recognise the attached monitor and switch icc profile accordingly... well it doesn't.

My XP SP2 reports "(multiple monitors) on FireGL 7800 something", - and not the specific monitor's attached. (also when it's undocked)

If I remove the two "Default monitor"'s I have in the Control Panel / System they come back as "Default monitor" after reboot.

If I change the driver for one of the "Default monitor's" to say the Sony, - then the name changes allright, - but XP usually just point's to the top of the list of displays and thinks that's the one I'm using.

All this could explain why the software isn't changing profiles.


But... if I change the profile manually, - I can't see any change... ? (ICC specific question, - so feel free to ignore it


If I calibrate the LCD, - that looks fine, - but the external monitor is a bit off. If I afterwards calibrate the external monitor, - that ones obviously snaps into place, - but my lcd is 'off' after that....

Is there a secret sequence to this, - or alternate 'color management' switchers ?

or should I forget about it and calibrate ONE of the combinations and leave the rest as is ( which is what I'll do eventually...)

I thought calibrating the lcd, - and afterwards the external monitor, - would enable me to adjust on the monitor itself (changing the RGB channels individually), - in hardware and leave the well-adjusted lcd in place, - but it also changes Gamme (and maybe contrast and brightness I think) directly in the graphics adapter, - so it won't work ...

Any ideas ?

Thanx.

Kim Igel

[shadowlight]

Only some thougts...

Save different profiles (I mean name the profile as the used monitor) and change them manually.

If I change profiles in Windows, I can see the different results on the screen.
If I change the embedded profile in Photoshop to the Monitor profile or the Printer profile I can't see any changes on the screen, but the printed results are totally different...

I thougt GmB is not able to calibrate an other monitor than your primary one, so I have no idea how it works in your dock.

Hope, this could be helpful
Regards
Jens

[kiig]

thanx Jens, - but it seems as if I need to change more than the icc profile manually (some more gamma settings in the graphics card)...
1)I calibrate the Sony, -save profile as Sony
2) I calibrate the LCD, - save profile as LCD

if I afterwards boots on the Sony (it loads the last know icc profile : LCD), - change the profile to Sony, - the result is not right....

but still, - I may simply choose to carry the device in the photobag and calibrate on the spot when I need to, - it doesn't take long.

[FrankK-F]

I too have an A31p and do photography (more as a hobby but also for promo pics and documentation pics in my business). I am running W-XP-Pro, 2GB memory and 2GH CPU. My external display is IBM ThinkVision L200p .. and use Pantone ColorVision SpectroSuite.

Maybe I can help with your question. If you have two monitors active while editing your images ... ONLY one of the monitors can be running under the calibrated ICC profile, and the other will be on default profile. This has to do with the limitations of the video card of the TP.

A couple years ago this topic has been addressed on an original Thinkpads.com thread. As I recall the work around to your question is to have the internal monitor on the calibrated profile for that monitor ... and then use a docking station with a second video card to drive the external monitor with its own calibrated profile.

Since I have not tried this approach .. I don't know if it is readily implementable.

Hope this helps

Frank

[kiig]

thanx Frank.

I've read about the 'problem' you mention so I'm aware of it, - unfortunately I'm only using one monitor, - and Windows does assign it as the primary monitor..

but thanx for the input

kim.