I need some advice from other 365 'ers -- I did a family shoot recently during the late afternoon. After editing the pictures (which looked good on my computer) I went to the local Walmart to process them. When they printed I felt that the faces all looked to have a red tone to them. Going back to my computer I think that the father has somewhat of a ruddy complexion but the rest of the family members do not. The clerk at the store thought that it was because of the time of day.
How do I fix this? Should I try a different store? Is there somethng to change in the processing to get rid of the red in the skin tones?
I just sent some .jpgs off to a processor. They called me and told me I should use their color correction process, and that some of them were too dark. I ordered 4x6 w/o color correction so I could see. I found out that our monitors are too bright and don't show the true processing results. I am reading up on it as we speak. One recommendation was to put a picture on your screen, and the same 4 x 6 that you had printed. Put them side by side, and adjust the brightness of your screen so they will match. I will be watching this thread for more input as well....
Thanks for the discussion.....so relevant to many of us. @juletee
It would be interesting to see a picture with the problem.
Perhaps it's a monitor calibration problem?
However, we've had good luck with Costco's photo finishing services.
This is precisely why I stopped taking pictures. The processors were very limited and all I could do was keep sending back the images asking for color corrections. Use an online source like Mpix.com. You will have better results than from someplace like Walmart.
Half of the problem is that you are developing your pics at walmart. Most places like this use an auto correct feature that adjusts the colors during processing to whatever they have it set at. It may not be the same as the colors you see on your monitor. If you want it to look like it does on the screen, you will likely have to take it to a professional printing service. The technicians at Walmart and other similar places do not always take the time or make the proper adjustments for proper processing.
Your problem is that you are using Wal-mart. Try a professional lab or if you feel like you don't want to go that route just yet, try printing with Mpix. You cannot calibrate for Wal-Mart printers, so no matter what it looks like on your screen, it is not going to match the prints you get. Here are a few suggestions for pro labs: Millerslab.com and fullcolor.com. You have to register with their site and have a verifiable bank account and there is a minimal order (I think it is 12 dollars with FullColor). Even if you do not calibrate to the pro labs and use the color correction from the lab, it will produce better quality prints than Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, etc. Or at least this is what I have found to be true for me and my area. Hope this helps. Here is a link to a side by side comparison of a couple of Pro Labs and a couple of Consumer Printers. http://paintthemoon.net/blog/2011/10/photoshop-actions-why-your-print-lab-is-so-important/
I used Walmart and Walgreens and Walmart pictures had really bad color processing Walgreens is pretty good. For pictures that I am giving as gifts or display I use my camera shop in town. I love matte finishes and they have so many to choose from . If they have a question about a print they call me and tell me what the problem is and what they can do to fix it. I just love them.
May be you should invest in a Spyder Color calibration unit? they are not very expensive and they will calibrate your monitor to industry standards. very easy to use.
I've used everything from Walmart to clarkcolor.com to MPIX to Walgreens. I will never ever use Walmart again... I gave them 3 chances and they struck out. Walgreen's is actually very good. clarkcolor.com does a great job, but is a bit pricey. I've had some stuff done by MPIX. If you want anything at all on metallic paper, I don't think anyone can beat MPIX. there are a few others I've used as well, but have not returned to any besides clark, walgreens and mpix.
Walmart has destroyed my photos...I refuse to use them or Walgreens and ONLY print at my local camera store. One time a photo of a one year old little white girl that was processed at Walmart and they came out with her looking like an African American baby. :(
I'm taking a digital photography class and my instructor said to avoid Wal-Mart and other places like it for the same reasons already mentioned. Now I know why my Ritz photos never looked right. I thought it was my camera or me, but it's the cheap paper and cheap inks and mass printing. If you want nice photos, try on line sites or buy a decent printer of your own.
Get your own printer. My shots seem to come out just the same as they look on my computer. I an only print up to 8x10 but they all come out great. Probably more expensive but in the long run it all works out in the wash, i'm not spending gas to drive to anyplace and I see them right away. I'm happy.
I agree with what has been posted but also check your color space and make sure you are not using Adobe98. I do shoot in Adobe98 but a lot of companies can not process it. I have had good luck with Adoramapix. I started using them because when they have sales I can stock up on prints at the sale price. They are called prepaids.
I only get my photos printed at a high quality camera shop in town. The guy in the processing room looks at each photo individually and makes the proper adjustments, unlike box stores like Walmart.
I just had the same result, except the store also arbitrarily cropped the images and said I had used a non-standard aspect ratio(I didn't) and the images were too dark as well. I went to Costco and got back much better prints but they were still a little dark, however they did have a link on their page to setup and install digital lab profiles which purport to show exactly what the print will look like.
I haven't had a chance to try it out yet but will.
Here is the link if anyone else is interested: http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/index.html
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Thanks for the discussion.....so relevant to many of us. @juletee
Perhaps it's a monitor calibration problem?
However, we've had good luck with Costco's photo finishing services.
http://paintthemoon.net/blog/2011/10/photoshop-actions-why-your-print-lab-is-so-important/
I haven't had a chance to try it out yet but will.
Here is the link if anyone else is interested:
http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/index.html