# LR4- how to fix a photo which looks fine on monitor but prints w/ very murky colors?



## tinybeads (Jan 2, 2014)

I've just started using LR4.4 with a desktop PC and a laptop both running Windows 7.

I've been importing photos from 4 different cameras I've owned over the years, and have had fine results as I've edited them and printed them to an HP color printer.  All photos except one (below) have printed with beautiful, intense colors which very accurately reflect the colors shown on my computer monitors.

One photo was given to me by a friend.  It's a large .jpg shot with a then-new digital SLR. The photo displays beautifully on two different PCs - one desktop w/ a relatively new LCD monitor, one laptop less than a year old.

I've tried using Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Elements 10, and LR4 to print a copy of this photo. (info:  NOT exporting the photo from LR into each of these external programs; simply opening the photo directly into each of these programs, to see if I could achieve different results.)  

From each program,  I've printed copies of this photo with the printer's color management feature turned on; and turned off.  The photos printed from each program all look identical whether the printer's color management is on or off - they all have the same murky colors for both fabrics and skin tones.

Since the photo *looks* very good in each program and on each computer monitor, I can't figure out how to edit the photo to get rid of the murky tones. 

or, perhaps .... since the problem is consistent across all three programs and across two different computers, could it be a color space problem?  The metadata I'm able to read from LR does not indicate the color space in which the photo was taken; I presume that LR is processing the photo in ProPhotoRGB.  When I print the photo, I assume the photo is being printed from LR's ProPhotoRGB colorspace unless the printer's color management software is turned on.  (did I mention I'm a newbie at LR?  sigh.  sorry I don't know more about LR's use of color space.)

The metadata I can read through Photoshop Elements 10 indicates that the .jpg was shot in sRGB color space.  So when I've opened the photo in Photoshop Elements 10 or in Photoshop CS3, I've set the program's color space to sRGB for edits (very minor) and left it in sRGB for output to the printer.

I'd appreciate any suggestions that forum members can offer about getting a better print for this photo.  
Thanks,
Mary


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## Tony Jay (Jan 3, 2014)

Hi Mary, welcome to Lightroom forums!

You have outlined an interesting problem - and, by the way, thank you for the detailed description of the issue - that will probably need a few iterations to properly solve.

It seems, from your explanation that all the images, from whatever camera, that you have personally imported, processed, and then printed have given you good results.
If that is true, then extrapolating, it appears that your post-processing skills and colour management are probably OK.
Were the images RAW or JPEG BTW?

Now we have an image that is a JPEG that you were given by a friend that doesn't want to play nicely.
Could it be just a colourspace issue? Yes, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet.

I would like to have a crack at this image to test what you have said but unfortunately my workstation is in Intensive Care currently so for now I cannot print anything.
Not to despair though, there are lots of very smart, and very helpful, individuals on this forum who may hit on the solution without needing to resort to actually printing the image.

From your side though, if my understanding of the situation is wrong in any way please clarify because the more accurate the information the easier it will be to sort this issue.

Tony Jay


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## tinybeads (Jan 4, 2014)

Tony,
sorry your work station is in for repairs.  If you are like me, you are pacing the floor as you wait for it to return.  Your suggestions for processing in LR, or in checking for additional color profile settings, would be welcome.

The info below summarizes what I've done so far as I've tried to correct the printing problems w/ this photo. 

the original image given to me was a jpg, and unfortunately was a very small file.  the friend who took it is far away now, and had no particular reason to save his original large image of the file.  So the small jpg is all I have to play with.
here it is:



I used LR to correct the green color cast in the background of the photo, where glass windows and snow were both decidedly greenish.  This improved the photo noticeably on my monitor.  But the printed photo was still murky.

I checked my LR settings (love Victoria's book!), and verified that LR  is printing with an sRGB setting.  Checked my printer profile in Windows  ... it was set up with an Adobe RGB color profile.  sigh. changed the printer  to an sRGB profile. 

I exported the edited photo from LR as a Tif with an sRGB color space.  Tried printing it from Photoshop Elements.  Even with the print color controls in PSE, I was unable to get the photo to print properly - it came out oversaturated and with very strong red tones.  I gave up and went back to printer color controls.  After a LOT of fiddling and trial and error, I got an ok photo using the printer's controls to lighten the photo and make the color of the photo cooler.  OK but still not great.

I can try one more thing.  We have a Walgreens nearby.  I can get info on their color printer profile, then either email or bring in the processed and exported jpg from LR.  If it still doesn't come out well, I'm gonna declare this to be a DIGITAL photo only.

Suggestions from you and others are welcome.  I really appreciate your time in being on the forum and in offering your knowledge to help others.
Best,
Mary


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## Cowboy (Jan 4, 2014)

Mary,
What are the pixel dimensions of the photograph and what size print are you attempting to produce?


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## Tony Jay (Jan 4, 2014)

Mary, Cowboy may be onto something here.

Tony Jay


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## tinybeads (Jan 6, 2014)

Tony and Cowboy,
the file is very small - 578 KB.  Actual photo size is 5.1 inches wide (1563 pixels) x 3.7 inches (1128 pixels) tall.  I am trying to get a 4x6inch photo from it.  

I now remember asking the man who sent it to me if he still had the original photo he had taken w/ his camera.  He said that he had shot very small photos because he planned to take a lot of photos and wanted to get them all on one memory card.   so this is the only version of the photo that I have.

After all my fiddling, I have gotten a decent 4x6 print from the photo.  I won't try for anything larger because the file simply won't support it.

Cowboy, if you have some other suggestions I'd be happy to learn from you.  If you are stumped too, then don't worry about it.  This is the only photo I've had trouble with at this time.  All the  other photos I've processed through LR using my own cameras have come  out fine.   
thanks to both of you,
Mary


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## Cowboy (Jan 6, 2014)

I assume you have your print resolution set at 300 ppi ?


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## tinybeads (Jan 10, 2014)

Sorry for the delay, Cowboy.  I'm receiving chemotherapy and some days just pass in a blur.  
Yes, I'm printing at 300dpi.  
I've gotten a reasonable 4x6 print of this image, and I'm gonna declare victory now.  My mother in law will just have to live with the fact that I started w/ a small image size and cannot expand it to become an 8x10.
Thank you very much for your help!
Mary


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## Bryan Conner (Jan 10, 2014)

Mary[/QUOTE]

I wish you the very best in your treatments.


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## Cowboy (Jan 10, 2014)

Mary,

I was just going to suggest you try 240dpi just to see if you would get a little better image, as you said, there is no way you will get an 8X10.

Good luck with the chemotherapy.


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## JimHess43 (Jan 10, 2014)

Mary, I downloaded your image that you posted and opened it in Photoshop, not Lightroom. It opened in the prophoto color space, and the colors were rather garish. So I simply "assigned" (not convert) the sRGB color space to the image and everything cleared up immediately. I didn't actually print the image, but I soft proofed it and everything looked normal. For what it's worth, my soft proof images match my prints very closely.


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