Most predictable iPhoto book results

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Level 1

66 points

Most predictable iPhoto book results

Hi -

I'm getting ready to order my first iPhoto book, but after reading in this forum about the problems that people have had with sRGB vs. Adobe RGB, and 1.8 vs. 2.2 gamma settings, etc, I want to make sure that my order is as predictable as possible. I don't have a thorough understanding of what I'm talking about when I use these terms, but I want to make at least a minimal best effort to do this right the first time.

1. After reading in these discussions, it seems that in most cases, the color profile called "Camera RGB" is close enough to "sRGB" for the purposes of printing iPhoto books. Any photos in my book that are NOT either "Camera RGB" or "sRGB" should be converted to "sRGB". Is this correct?

2. Gamma 1.8 vs. 2.2 - I have a relatively new iMac and the default Display Profile is set to "iMac". When I change it to "sRGB IEC61966-2.1", I hate the affect that it has on the color in general. Everything becomes significantly more bluish and somewhat darker. I used the 'calibrate' function in System Preferences, and that helped a bit, but I don't want to go through the trouble or expense of purchasing a stick-on-the-screen hardware color tester. Do I need to be changing my monitor settings at all, or can I just change my Display Profile back to "iMac" and ignore this issue all together ?

Thanks for any help you may have to offer.

iMac / aluminum / 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X (10.5.3)

Posted on Jun 5, 2008 7:26 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Old Toad

Level 10

207,409 points

Jun 6, 2008 10:42 AM in response to doogles

doogles:

1 - yes. the Camera RGB is very close to sRGB and will give good results. That's what I use. If I do any editing with Photoshop then I'll apply the sRGB profile so as to be consistant.

2 - as far as the monitor profile, I suggest you stick with the iMac. It's an iffy thing and unless you can't print and get reasonably close colors yourself don't change. This site has some good color test chart files you can download and print to see how close your monitor matches the printer. If it's good I would expect the book to be as well.

The key is to not have some Abobe RGB profiles scattered among the others in a book. They print up very differently.

Before ordering be sure to Control click next to a page in the book mode (not on the page) and select Safe as PDF in the contextual menu. Open the pdf file with Preview and check the text and color so make sure all looks well. If it does go ahead and order. Good luck.

TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.≤br>
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

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Answer 2

doogles Author

Level 1

66 points

Jun 6, 2008 2:38 PM in response to Old Toad

Old Toad -

THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSE! I'll do these things and place my order.

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Answer 3

Martin S.

Level 3

706 points

Jun 20, 2008 2:52 PM in response to doogles

1) Yes, make sure all your images are in the sRGB colour space. If not, you need to perform a proper <a href="http://www.colormanagementinfo.com/page1/page10/page10.html"conversion</a >

2) Unless you've calibrated your display using either the built-in, visual calibrator or a hardware calibrator, you might want to stick with the system's default profile. Do not choose for instance sRGB or Adobe RGB as your monitor profile. These are *standardised source profiles* and do not in any way describe how your monitor renders colours.
Whether your monitor profile uses a gamma of 1.8 or 2.2 is irrelevant since iPhoto is a colour managed application and will automatically compensate for the difference as long as your images are tagged with an appropriate profile.

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Answer 4

Martin S.

Level 3

706 points

Jun 20, 2008 2:52 PM in response to doogles

1) Yes, make sure all your images are in the sRGB colour space. If not, you need to perform a proper conversion

2) Unless you've calibrated your display using either the built-in, visual calibrator or a hardware calibrator, you might want to stick with the system's default profile. Do not choose for instance sRGB or Adobe RGB as your monitor profile. These are *standardised source profiles* and do not in any way describe how your monitor renders colours.
Whether your monitor profile uses a gamma of 1.8 or 2.2 is irrelevant since iPhoto is a colour managed application and will automatically compensate for the difference as long as your images are tagged with an appropriate profile.

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Answer 5

Aug 23, 2008 12:07 PM in response to Martin S.

Martin, or anyone else, could you please kindly tell me WHICH is the default profile please if it isn't Apple RGB or sRGB. I understood from other forums that it was best to put it at sRGB because that showed you on the screen the most realistic results to the final product.

I'd also like con clear up another confusion, does the iPhoto Book print RGB? CMYK?

This article by apple just says 3 'colors' ...

I've got some Raw pictures on another computer that will need to be sent to me through FTP, so can can I edit those Raw pictures and get the best results with iPhoto Book, I'm most likely going to use a trial of Aperture because the 'Enhance' function in Photoshop causes too much destruction in the higher and lower tones.

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Answer 6

LarryHN

Level 10

106,110 points

Aug 23, 2008 6:57 PM in response to Scottishengineer

Photos should have a sRGB profile - I assume that they print in CYMK but am not sure - but you have to send them sRGB

The specs that I am aware of are here - http://www.apple.com/support/photoservices/product_specs/

LN

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