How to Color Calibrate Your Monitor for Photo Editing

Computer monitors do their best to reproduce colors and brightnesses correctly, but each one is slightly different.  In fact, a screen even reproduces photos differently when it starts up compared to the way colors and brightnesses look after the monitor has been running for a while.

This is a serious problem for photographers.  We are careful to set the white balance properly in Photoshop or Lightroom, but what good does it do if your screen is not properly calibrated?  Answer–none!  The same is true for adjusting color saturation, brightness, and just about everything else.

Here's a photo I edited before and after color calibrating. See the difference? Which side do you think is the color calibrated one? If your screen isn't calibrated, it can be hard to tell!

Does everyone need to calibrate their monitor?
Probably not.  If you’re just a hobbyist photographer who is learning the ropes, this probably isn’t the biggest fish you have to fry.  There are many more important things to learn in photography than color calibration; however, if you’re more serious of a photographer and want to know that your photos look their best… then it’s time to calibrate!

I will note, however, that not all photographers agree on screen calibration.  Dustin likes to do the manual calibration,  I prefer to use the screen calibrator.  It gives us something to argue about while we’re barbecuing.

Is monitor calibration only for printing?  Will it mess up my photos on the web?

No way!  The purpose of calibration is to make sure that your eye sees the photo the same way on your screen as others will see it.  For printing, you can be sure that by calibrating your screen your photo will look very close to how it looked on your computer screen.

However, when you edit on a calibrated screen and then post your photo online, it does not mean that everyone else will see the photo properly.  Their screens are most likely uncalibrated, but it is still important to calibrate.  Why?  Because computer monitor manufacturers strive to make their products reproduce colors properly, so by color calibrating, you’ll be at neutral even if some screens are off one way and others are off another way.

There is a caveat, however.  Almost without exception, computer monitors are kept brighter than a calibrated screen.  So if I edit a photo on a calibrated device, it will likely show up a TINY BIT darker on uncalibrated monitors.  Most people find that they like their screens pretty bright.  The way that I avoid this is to simply brighten my photos a TINY bit in Photoshop or Lightroom before posting on the web since I know most people will be viewing the photo on a brighter screen.

What if my monitor can’t adjust enough?

It is possible that your monitor will be off enough and not have the necessary adjustments that it couldn’t be properly calibrated.  However, the way that the color calibration tool that I personally use works, is that it simply saves a new color profile on your machine, so there is no need at all to adjust settings on the screen.  It does everything for you.

What tool do you recommend for color calibration?

No doubt, what you’re looking for is the Spyder 4 Express from DataColor.  Color calibration tools often cost over $1,000, but this little piece of love does the job for around $110.  I personally use the Spyder color calibrator and it works VERY well.  The one I use is the “Elite” not the express, but most people probably can get away just fine with the Express.  I really like the free software that comes with the tool.  It walks you through the process step-by-step and makes it amazingly simple.  You can easily calibrate the screen in just 3 minutes.

Is there a free option for color calibration?

Yep!  Windows 7 comes with a monitor calibration tool built-in.  The trouble with this and many other tools is that it is quite subjective and inaccurate, but it might be a good option for photographers who don’t want to spend a load of money on a color calibration device.  This will at least get you closer.

On Windows 7, go to  Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Display > Calibrate Color.  Then open that program which will walk you through how to get a ROUGH approximation of a calibrated screen.

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Contemporary Baby Pictures

Tips to create a great studio experience for child and infant portraits

Because kid photography is currently a more casual, home snap shot scenario, new parents can be very concerned about studio comfort, safety and experience.

This is true especially of first time moms and dads. Your job as photographer is to patiently explain what will happen and how best to prepare. Your clients probably won’t know simple, intuitive things like making sure baby has a snack before the sitting, or that clothing pulled over a tiny head in unfamiliar surroundings can easily cause tears. Warmth and cleanliness must be assured. I find that infants with or without parents are more easily and satisfactorily photographed in a controlled environment, whether you do this in a brick and mortar studio, your home studio or set up a mini studio in that of your client. I let the planned sitting style dictate place and approach for one year and up.

"People are nervous about you handling their precious bundle, and you must prove yourself worthy of trust. Women photographers easily do this by relating experiences or anecdotes getting their own kids in front of the camera." 

Privacy of the photo sitting experience is something everyone values. And your props need not be elaborate, because expression is what you're selling.

Madona & Sleeping Child Portrait

No phone, doorbells, assistants coming in and out. “Shush” quiet for sleeping and nursing babies changes to fun and sometimes noisily upbeat for older children. Kid songs, silly jokes, making faces, dancing are all important parts to keep young energy going. I still don’t know why that old ploy of blowing bubbles works so well - but it does. So do gentle tickle feathers on long sticks. Favorite tip: I keep yards of feather-light, white tule fabric to wind up in nests for babies. Older children dance with it, hide under it and generally have tremendous fun with this cheap, reusable netting.

Tule fabric excites expression from a child

Constant source lighting makes for calmer, more intimate portrait sessions than flash.

We all want flash power for crispness and higher ƒ-stops, particularly for closeups. Even if you use a short telephoto lens, you are working at very close range for kids, simply because they’re small. You need lots of depth of field, because babies tend to flop their heads around and you don’t want out of focus disappointment. The other problem is the need for a fast shutter speed, because expressions are usually fleeting. Motion blur is not an option. But that flash pop noise can scare children, wake a sleeping infant or simply destroy an intimate mood. “Hot” lights are a viable, less expensive way to go, but over a longer, varied session they are a pain. They don’t always have rheostats for variable power output, so you have to physically move them and be careful not to touch hot parts. Try commercial studio LED panels or multi-tube fluorescents; they’re the modern solution.

A big part of first class studio experience is the style and clothing consultation.

Adults, unguided, will make mistakes about clothing. Outfits should be plain and simple- though a ruffly peignoir or blouse can be lovely and romantic. This is very traditional, but plain clothing will always emphasize the faces. Today’s fashionable plaids and florals inevitably distract the eye from expressions. Later on these outfits will be historic, but dated, kind of like old Norman Rockwell drawings of kids and families from the 40‘s and 50’s. Plain clothing goes for baby too. I’ll make a couple of snaps of a gift outfit (grandma sent a blue onesie with red trains all over it) and give these files to the client gratis to satisfy the giver - and then we move on to classic style. The best classic is, of course, no clothing at all. I love this for parents as well, but these days I find clients are less open to nudes. From the photographer’s stand point the nude group will be harder to do tastefully. 

Clothing and composition draw the eye to faces 

Even the display of the final portrait is an essential matter for pre-sitting consultation where you must lead your client toward greatest enjoyment of their investment.

If your client is excited about the nude direction, find out if they plan to hang the portrait in their bedroom where it can be as edgy as you like, or in a more public part of the house which will dictate a more discrete composition. I find it works best to display a nude, either baby or family, by itself, definitely not in a miscellaneous group on a family history, travel or wedding wall.

Color or Black&White portrait versions bring out different feelings 

Hand printed black and white giclée is a great way to go, and has the added benefit of eliminating colors when clients don’t bring optimal clothing in spite of consultation. It’s smart and fashionable, a real conversation starter, which means people who see and like your work in your client’s home will ask for your website and phone. Great advertising. But in today’s market, a beautifully matted and framed black and white can run into more investment than may be comfortable for clients. For best business approach, you want them to come back more often, rather than blow the entire budget one time, and then not return for 10 years - or maybe never. This is where contemporary canvases (that need no framing) may be your best answer. Many labs make them - but you know my favorite The Giclée Factory for quality, color tone and price. They simply never fail - but that’s because they know all kinds of fine art and how best to reproduce it.

by : Sara Frances

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