Laptops

With the growing popularity of laptop computers as a replacement for desktop systems, I have to ask, "Do professionals really think laptops are good for image editing?" My contention is no.

Having been on the management team of one of the largest camera specialty retailers in the USA, I can't tell you how many times people came into the shop and wanted images printed straight from their digital camera and were surprised when we pointed them to the kiosks to order the prints and do any cropping they might like before the shots are sent to the lab for printing. Many of them wanted to hand us a memory card and walk out the door leaving us to print everything on the card. We discouraged that simply because people usually didn't realize how many files they had on the memory card and under-estimated the cost of printing everything.

When people saw the images on our kiosks, they often asked why the images were so dark when they looked so bright on their camera's little LCD screen. That's when we had to explain how those little LCD screens are backlit and they are also enhanced to make your pictures look better, especially at the camera sales counter when you are deciding which one to buy. Kodak mastered that little brightening trick and it works.

Well, the same thing applies to images edited on laptop computers. Those TFT screens are backlit and make dark images a lot brighter than they really are. Image editing on laptops is tough to do without careful color adjustment. You need to set contrast and brightness very carefully and color profiling software is absolutely a must have if you use a laptop. Even then, it is not nearly as accurate as a good old-fashioned CRT (monitor).

What can you do to make sure that your color balance is good before running to get prints or blowing a lot of ink at home? ...Proofing.

You need to make a few test prints. Some software does a great job at this and some doesn't. Micrografx Picture Publisher was always very good for this. It gave you nine little color test prints that changed profiles to compensate for exposure variances. Ulead's Photo Impact has a similar tool. In Photoshop, some great information has been written on proofing and setting up a "contact sheet" print that shows a range of adjustment before you print. I typically use Paint Shop Pro version 9.x (yes, I admit, I like it better than PhotoShop and it is cheaper, too). I am very satisfied with my camera's exposure, so, I never worry about it. My computer has color-matching software running and my printer does a fantastic job giving me exactly what I expect with the papers I use most. Just what I like... no surprises.

Taking your images to a photo lab may be a bit trickier than printing at home. Your pictures will be less rich when they are enlarged, so, density must be increased. That's why, it is a good idea to provide the lab with a smaller print from home with the color you want before they print that enlargement. They can make color corrections to match your guide print. By the way, this is not a problem when you print at home, thanks to inkjet printer technology, the density does not change when you enlarge an image.

CRTs are much better for image adjustment, especially for color balance or contrast and value. I'd love to see a lot more professionals recommend using CRTs because it would save the consumer money and also show people that photo labs are actually adjusting almost every image you bring them without your knowledge.

If you are in the market for a new computer monitor and you are a serious photographer, perhaps a CRT is really the way to go. Until those LCD screens get more accurate, I'd pass them up and sacrifice the desk space.