Printing too dark

Software RawTherapee
1

RT 5.4 and it’s the same with 5.5-dev

For printing, I export the image as a jpeg 95% and subsampling: best quality 4:4:4 and when the image is printed it’s much darker.

I understand that screen is luminescent while the print is not, so what can I do?

Thanks

Syv

2

Hi @foto,

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=print+too+dark&t=ffab&ia=images

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

1 Like
3

You can lighten the image slightly or you can calibrate your monitor and printer.

4

This is what I have found is effective. Print a test image of known good quality image such as a printer test image. View the image in a imager viewer and adjust the screen bightness untill it best matches your printed vesion of the image. You may be suprised how low you need to set your screen.

2 Likes
5

Which printer / model / paper do you use?

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

6

Fuji Crystal paper & Fuji Frontier printer: Costco.

I do use their profiles from drycreek, the colors are good, but it’s just too dark. In Darktable I would use the level module are up the middle tones by .5 and that would do the trick, but I have found a “level” equivalent in RT.

Thanks

Syv

7

Soft-proofing sounds like the best remedy for you.

/Claes

8

No, soft-proofing shows me which colours are out of gamut, but my prints are still too dark.

Thanks

Syv

9

Hi again,

See links here
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4079685

Also, much advice here:
https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=72535.0

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

1 Like
10

Thank you very helpful.

I just bought on amazon a Spyder Pro (very good sale in Canada, not in the US). It should take about a week to 10 days to get it delivered, then the calibration…

But this brings me back to the question I had about RT, how can I emulate the DarkTable level module?

I want to change/brighten the middle tone and not touch my white pint/black point.

Thanks

Syv

11

Good! I hope you will have great fun with the Spyder Pro!

/Claes

12

It is just a cheap standard printer, aHP Photosmary 7520.

I do not have much problem with colour as more limited dark light range of printed images.

13

@foto This might be of interest to you:

14

I think what would be equivalent is to open up a custom curve in Lab tool or one of the two in Exposure, put a point in the middle and move it north west a bit. If you find a position you particularly like you could note the exact coordinates or save the curve I think. (I haven’t read the references above though)