Display Color Calibration on a MAC

* If you are working in web and print remember to change your monitor calibration settings each time you switch between web and print so that your images look as close as they can to the final distribution.


On a PC: go to specific Display Calibration on a PC


On a MAC:
Create a display color calibration profile for a specific printer:
(For example > if you are going to be printing on ICARUS, print the Print Safe Colors Image on ICARUS > then follow the guidelines and title your calibration on your monitor ICARUS (with the Date)

• Print the Print Safe Colors Image
on your specific printer (ICARUS, LEONARDO, your inkjet printer, Epson 9600 on 3rd floor, or an outsource printer)

• Print with the specific substrate you will be using (color copy paper, regular paper, canvas, Epson watercolor paper

*All calibrations will be different, for each printer and substrate or any combination.

 
• Keep the file image on your screen and compare it to your print

• Go to System Preferences > Displays > Color >

•  Choose the display mode that is standard for your display (Start with Color LCD for laptops, IMAC for Imac, Dell_____ for the Dell Monitors, etc)

• Click Calibrate

• Check Expert Mode.

• Follow the steps in the calibration menu paying specific attention to white tempurature to Match the display to the printed image.

• As you continue through each toned apple - the dark apple will help you color match the dark tones- so move the gray slider up or down to match the tone move the color slider around to match the colors.

• The light apples will help you color match for the light colors, so move the gray slider up or down to match the tone move the color slider around to match the colors.

• Target Gamma - Mac Standard is generally lighter in the white point and PC Standard is darker in the white point - Uncheck Use native gamma -try moving the toggle to in between Mac and PC or all the way to PC- this might be a closer match to a non reflective substrate.

• Select Target White Point - If your whites and lights are more red in your print move the white point towards the red, if more blue towards the blue etc.

• Save the color profile with the specific printer name that you are matching ie: Icarus 10/12/09

• In system preferences keep Automatically adjust brightness as ambient light changes unchecked

* Understand that the brightness toggle on your display or computer keyboard will effect the brightness and contrast expeceted in your print as well. Do not adjust them once you have set up your calbibration.

* If you are using extended monitors there are two approaches:
       • keep the extended monitor (Dell) profiled for web. (This will enable you to look at your image in both web and print settings by moving the image from monitor to monitor)

OR
       • make the extended monitor (Dell) profiled for print. (This will enable you to look at your image in both monitors set for print by moving the image from monitor to monitor)

Now you should be working with a darker looking screen, when you toggle between your printer named calibration and your native web calibration the print one should look darker.

You will probably still have to make adjustments to your file after you print your first proof but this will get ou




Change a display color calibration profile to web:

• Go to System Preferences > Displays > Color >
Apple Studio Display (for the Mac Desktops)
or
Dell 1780FP(for the schools extended monitors and a better PC color proof)
or
Color LCD (for Mac Laptops)

*You should choose the standard setting that came with your display, this is however a moving target and is not perfect, displays will all be different. The goal is for your image to look good on all of these display settings. This is one of the reasons why extended monitors work well because it give you a PC and a Mac web preview.

Print - CMYK Pallet for Calibrating your Monitor to Offset Commercial Litho Printer

Ask you printer to print this file to then follow the directions for Calibrating your monitor to their printer.

Download the Color Match Guide for CMYK

Display Color Calibration on a PC

This came from people running XP Windows on a MAC, 
it works for Windows Machines that have the NVIDIA Graphics Card

(Running Vista or Windows 7 may be different)
Create a display color calibration profile for a specific printer:
(For MAC's running a MAC OS go here) 

(For example > if you are going to be printing on ICARUS, print the Print Safe Colors Image on ICARUS > then follow the guidelines and title your calibration on your monitor ICARUS (with the Date) 

• Print the Print Safe Colors Image
on your specific printer (ICARUS, LEONARDO, your inkjet printer, Epson 9600 on 3rd floor, or an outsource printer)

• Print with the specific substrate you will be using (color copy paper, regular paper, canvas, Epson watercolor paper

*All calibrations will be different, for each printer and substrate or any combination.

• Keep the file image on your screen and compare it to your print

Calibrating a monitor for a specific printer such as Icarus or Leonardo



Go to
Control Panel / Displays
NVIDIA - Control Panel

In sliders > each color channel can be adjusted
Adjust the gamma for each color to adjust towards red, green etc.

Apply

There is no saving of a PC Profile
so to be able to move between print and web profile follow these steps:

Print screen of where your sliders are so that you can choose the default settings for web and choose the printer calibrated settings when you are working in print.

To get to the Print Screen on a mac running PC go to Accessories > Accessibility > on screeen keyboard
print screen (psc)


Change between Web and Print Calibrations when you are switching between delivery systems.
To get back to a web display calibration on your PC: restore defaults.
Then to go back to the print calibration enter in the saved numbers.

WEB • File Settings for Flash

In Flash, there are no special color settings needed for web.

Print and NTSC • Color Pallet for Flash

When creating media for TV and for print download this color pallet into Flash.

Print and NTSC Safe Color Pallet

After Downloading it >

when you are in flash:

Open Swatches (Window > Swatches)

Go to the options on the top right

pull down Options

replace colors

it will find your color pallet.

You will need to replace these colors every time you open a new file.

NTSC (TV) • Color Pallet for Flash

NTSC Safe Color Pallet

When creating media for TV download this color pallet into Flash.

Print • Color Pallet for Flash

Bringing images from Flash into Photoshop can be rather alarming when your bright colors turn to mud in the Photoshop environment.

Download this Print Safe Color Pallet into Flash to use only these colors within Flash if you want to export it into photoshop for printing.

After Downloading it >
when you are in flash:
Open Swatches (Window > Swatches)
Go to the options on the top right
pull down Options
replace colors
it will find your color pallet.

You will need to replace these colors every time you open a new file.

WEB • File Settings for Photoshop

*If you are working in web and print remember to change your monitor calibration settings (in your system preferences > displays > color) each time you switch between web and print so that your images look as close as they can to the final distribution.

Display Setup for WEB:
System Preferences > Displays > Color>
Apple Studio Display (for the Mac Desktops)
or
Dell 1780FP (for the schools extended monitors and a better PC color proof)
or
Color LCD (for Mac Laptops)
*You should choose the standard setting that came with your monitor. This is however a moving target and is not perfect in hue, saturation and contrast. Displays will all be different. The goal is for your image to look good on all of these monitor settings. This is one reason why extended displays are valuable as you can set them up for different calibrated previews.

Photoshop Setup for WEB:
Image > Mode> RGB
Edit > Color Settings > Settings: North America Web/Internet
Edit > Color Settings > Working Spaces> RGB: sRGB IEC61966
Edit > Assign Profile > check working sRGB IEC61966
(This will embed your profile so that when you open the file when you are in a different color profile (i.e. print), a pop up window with an alert message will appear, so that you can color manage the document.
(If on a Mac)
View > Proof Setup > Macintosh RGB
View > Proof Colors > unchecked will leave you in the proof set up you chose (Macintosh RGB)
checked will preview in Windows RGB (you can preview for most computers (PC))
(If on Windows)
View > Proof Setup > Windows RGB
View > Proof Colors > unchecked will leave you in the proof set up you chose (Windows RGB)
checked will preview in Macintosh RGB (you can preview for Mac users)

The shortcut in photoshop for proof colors is command/control Y to toggle between the proof colors

When saving for Web and Devices > keep convert to sRGB unchecked

In CS4 you can preview in Monitor Color or Mac or Windows
*However previewing is a moving target and is not perfect, monitors will all be different. The goal is for your image to look acceptable on all of these monitor settings.

WEB • File Settings for Illustrator

*If you are working in web and print remember to change your monitor calibration settings (in your system preferences > displays > color) each time you switch between web and print so that your images look as close as they can to the final distribution.

Display Setup for WEB:
System Preferences > Displays > Color>
Apple Studio Display (for the Mac Desktops)
or
Dell 1780FP (for the schools extended monitors and a better PC soft color proof)
or
Color LCD (for Mac Laptops)
*You should choose the standard setting that came with your monitor. This is however a moving target and is not perfect in hue, saturation and contrast. Displays will all be different. The goal is for your image to look good on all of these monitor settings. This is one reason why extended displays are valuable as you can set them up for different calibrated previews.

Illustrator Setup for WEB:
File > Document Color Mode > RGB
Edit > Color Settings > North America Web/Internet
Edit > Color Settings > Settings > RGB: sRGB IEC61966
Edit > Assign Profile > check working sRGB IEC61966
(This will embed your profile so that when you open the file when you are in a different color profile (i.e. print), a pop up window with an alert message will appear, so that you can color manage the document.
(If on a Mac)
View > Proof Setup > Macintosh RGB
View > Proof Colors > unchecked will leave you in the proof set up you chose (Macintosh RGB)
checked will preview in Windows RGB (you can preview for most computers (PC))
(If on Windows)
View > Proof Setup > Windows RGB
View > Proof Colors > unchecked will leave you in the proof set up you chose (Windows RGB)
checked will preview in Macintosh RGB (you can preview for Mac users)

Saving images for web and devises is a moving target and is not perfect, monitors will all be different. Windows displays will generally be darker and Macs lighter. The goal is for your image to look acceptable on all of these display settings. Using the proof setup and checking and unchecking proof colors will give you a soft proof so that you can see a close resemblance of what other displays will provide.

Print • File Settings for Laser, Inkjet and other Direct Digital Printing

Monitor Setup for PRINT:
System Preferences > Displays >
Color LCD (for Icarus the Laser printer matches best)
or
sRGB IEC61966 (to start with in profiling)
or
a color calibration profile that you will create (using the name of the printer you are targeting) to do this follow the steps in Display Color Calibration worksheet that follows.

Photoshop Setup for PRINT:
Image > Mode> RGB
Edit > Color Settings > Settings: North America General Purpose 2
Edit > Color Settings >Working Spaces RGB: sRGB IEC61966
Edit > Convert to Profile > check RGB Profile: working RGB - sRGB IEC61966
(This will embed your profile so that when you open the file when you are in a different color profile (i.e. web), a pop up window with an alert message will appear, so that you can color manage the document. Using convert profile instead of assign profile gives a better color match to the source file.
View > Proof Setup > Working CMYK
View > Proof Colors > unchecked

Illustrator Setup for PRINT:
File > Document Color Mode > RGB
Edit > Color Settings > North America General Purpose 2
Edit > Color Settings > Settings > Working Spaces RGB: sRGB IEC61966
Edit > Assign Profile > check working RGB: sRGB IEC61966
(This will embed your profile so that when you open the file when you are in a different color profile (i.e. web), a pop up window with an alert message will appear, so that you can color manage the document.) Note: Illustrator CS4 does not have a convert to profile.
View > Proof Setup > Working CMYK U.S. Web Coated (SWOP)
View > Proof Colors > unchecked

Colors in the color mixer with the icon (! in the triangle) are outside of typical 4 color printing capabilities. If you toggle the color caution icon illustrator will find a color that is within print capabilities. This color may not be what you want, so you can pick a different color, that does not pop up the color caution icon.

Print • File Settings for 4 Color Offset Commercial Litho Printing

***For informational purposes only not to be used for the Kendall digital printers.

First work using sRGB so that you will not limit the color or the amount of filters and color adjustments that you can use. Follow the Digital Color Management for Print first then convert to the following 4 Color Offset Commercial Litho Printing profiles, saving your file with a different name that might contain CMYK in the name.

When your image is final then convert to CMYK.

Photoshop Setup for 4 Color Offset Commercial Printing
Image > Mode> CMYK
Edit > Color Settings > North America Prepress 2
Edit > Color Settings > Working spaces :
RGB : Adobe RGB 1998
CMYK: U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2
Edit > Assign Profile > check Working CMYK: U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2
(This will embed your profile so that when you open the file when you are in a different color profile (i.e. web), a pop up window with an alert message will appear, so that you can color manage the document.
View > Proof Setup > Working CMYK
View > Proof Colors > unchecked
Image Size > 300 dpi for small prints (under 10”x10”)- 150 dpi for large prints

Illustrator Setup for 4 Color Offset Commercial Printing
File > Document Color Mode > CMYK
Edit > Color Settings > Working spaces :
RGB : Adobe RGB 1998
CMYK: U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2
Edit > Assign Profile > check Working CMYK: U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2
(This will embed your profile so that when you open the file when you are in a different color profile (i.e. web), a pop up window with an alert message will appear, so that you can color manage the document.
View > Proof Setup > Working CMYK U.S. Web Coated (SWOP)
View > Proof Colors > unchecked

Note:

Uncoated paper will dull the color when printed, to see this on your monitor as closely as possible use the uncoated working profile instead of the coated.

Colors in the color mixer with the! in the triangle are outside of typical 4 color offset commercial litho printing capabilities.

Spot colors can provide some of the cautioned colors including fluorescent, metallics and glosses. Most presses will only allow 1 or 2 spots. Spots add to the cost of printing.