Iphoto books -- color management & sharpening

I have recently decided to try to print photos from a trip to New Zealand as an Apple iPhoto photo book. (I am using the latest version of iPhoto 6.XXXX.) I have a few basic questions that I'm having a hard time confirming answers to: (1) I read on a discussion forum somewhere (not sure where) that iphoto photo books are color managed to sRGB color space. Can anyone confirm this? (2) To keep my photos in sRGB, I am saving them from Photoshop as sRGB files. When I import the images into iPhoto to make a photo book, I am pointing to them only, rather than having the files recopied into the iPhoto database (save space on my hard drive). I assume this should work to preserve sRGB color space? (3) I do not plan on making any edits of photos in iPhoto itself, although some will presumably be resized by the program given that they will exceed 300 dpi. (4) For sharpening, I plan on saving all my files at 300 dpi and sharpening based on an 11" print. (I'm going to print an 8 1/2" x 11" book.) For photos that are smaller than full page size (i.e., 2 or more photos per page), I assume they'll get downsized in iPhoto, so sharpening won't be perfectly maximized, but this should work pretty well, I hope? Any other suggestions/tips about a work flow? I looked at Amazon for an instruction book on iphoto but the only one I found (the "missing manual" by pogue), only has part of a chapter devoted to iphoto books. If someone tells me that this book, or another, will answer all of these types of questions, I'll buy it. Oh yeah, one more question, is there different quality paper used in the single side photo books vs. double sided photo books (both hardcover). From what I could tell, the single sided paper must be thicker because it permits less photos per page. Any other differences? Thanks in advance, Howard

Howard:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Apple does prefer the sRGB color space. As far as dpi, just provide the largest pixel dimension file possible. If you want the files to fit the frames in each page exactly the crop to the 4:3 ratio beforehand. However, you can use non 4:3 files. If one is added to a frame it will be scaled to fill the frame, losing some of the image on the larger side. To get the entire photo in the frame Control-click on it and select the Fit photo to frame option.
I believe the same paper is used for single or double sided. Here's what Apple sent me regarding book materials and quality:
I contacted Apple and asked for information that I could pass on. Here's the reply I received from Apple:
Thank you for contacting the Apple Print Products Customer Service.
I understand that you would like to know the printing process that is used and the color mode the files should be in, so you can better advise users in the iPhoto forum.
iPhoto version 4 or later, allows you to import and print files through the Apple Print Product service as RGB, grayscale, or CMYK color space. JPEG files with RGB color space are recommended for best results.
While iPhoto 2 can import files of various formats, including RGB color, grayscale, and CMYK, this version requires JPEG files with RGB color space when printing photos and books.
For more information regarding iPhoto 2, please visit the following article:
iPhoto: Color, Black and White Prints Appear Garbled or Distorted
For more information regarding iPhoto 5, please visit the following article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=165501
Here are some of the technical specifications for the books, cards, and calendars. I hope this gives you an idea about their quality and form.
BOOKS
All iPhoto books are printed using acid-free paper for long-lasting image quality. The photos are printed at a high resolution (300DPI if you use iPhoto 6). There is no external modification--such as sharpening or contrast adjustment--of the photos; what you see in the application is what is printed in the book.
Hardcovers Books
The cover is hard-bound and covered in linen. You select the linen color during the book-ordering process. The hardcover books have a solid, stiff binding that is glued and crimped. The internal pages, measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock.
Softcover Books
The softcover books come in three sizes:
- Large 8.5 x 11 inches
- Medium 6 x 8 inches
- Small 2.6 x 3.5 inches
All of the softcover books have internal pages that are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock. The large softcover book has a white cover (Kromekoteplus Folding Cover, 16 point) with a cutout on the front that reveals the cover-page photo in the book. The covers for the medium and small softcover books have the cover image and title printed directly on the cover. All of the softcover books have a glued binding and feature a thick cover of McCoy 100# Cover Gloss paper stock.
CARDS
All cards are printed on McCoy 120# Silk Cover paper stock. The postcards measure 4 x 6 inches, and the greeting cards measure 5 x 7inches.
CALENDARS
All calendars measure 8 x 10 inches and are printed on McCoy 100# Silk Cover paper stock.
To ensure the best print quality, we have chosen to use Kodak NexPress technology. The press uses a dry toner, which is fused to the surface of the paper. Please see NexPress' site for more information:
KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Press
I hope you find this information helpful in answering questions on the iPhoto forum.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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 written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Similar Messages

A new Book: Color Management for Digital Photographers

Ted Padova and Don Mason have published a new book: Color Management for Digital Photographers for Dummies (ISBN 978-0-470-04892-4).
As the back cover of the manual states "This book is packed with examples to guide you through understanding color basics, correcting brightness and contrast, getting the exact tone and hue, and creating perfect prints - in full color, of course!" (with the tools available in PSE 4 and 5).
I had the luck to benefit from the excellent experience and the gracious help of Don Mason for a color/brightness adjustment problem in a Dafodill photo that I did not know how to solve on my own. I look forward to learn much more from this book.
Probably other PSE users could also be interested in this book.

Yes, I've tried all of the options: Printer manages color, PSE manages color. All are the same dark prints.
On another conversation on this forum, I read the following. Very discouraging to think that Adobe knows of this problem but won't give me any tech support because too much time has lapsed.
I don't know what "plugs" are--sounds like this user figured out a way around it.
Any advice?
Thanks!
Fran
Re: Color mismatch EpsonR800 and Elements 6
Adobe has admitted that there is a color management issue with PSE 6 for Mac. I have an Epson R1900 and I am now getting acceptable color-managed prints by allowing the Epson Printer driver to manage color management (ie; color management in PSE 6 turned off). The Epson Photoshop Plug In also works well with PSE6 and ICC profiles; however, I have yet to solve 2 problems with this particular plug in: (1) How to get the program to capture 3rd party ICC profiles and (2) how to print borderless prints. If anyone has seen a user guide for this particular plug in, I would be grateful to know how to download it.

IPhoto 6 & Photoshop Elements color management

Hi All - I have recently purchased and installed both iPhoto6 and P.S. Elements 3.0 so both are new to me. I'm trying to co-ordinate the color between iPhoto, PS Elements, the camera and printing. Forget printing for now. At this point I just want the pic in iPhoto (which is over saturated) and the pic opened in P.S. Elements to look the similiar color. Actually the one in P.S. Elements seems truer than iPhoto. It is not a calibration issue as the photo viewed in preview/email etc. is good.
Having read much in the forum I have tried the following and am totally frustrated - no sense fine tuning color/saturation etc. in P.S. elements only to save back into iPhoto and have it look totally different.
So, I have 1. turned off embed color in Image Capture prior to importing.
2. Turned off Add Color Sync Profile in iPhoto
3. Used no color management in P.S. Elements
4. Used embed color sync profile Camera RGC prior to import
5. Used embed color sync profile iMac prior to import.
6. Tried P.S. elements with limited color mgmt as well as full
color mgmt.
AND every combination of the above and still can't get the pic in iPhoto and P.S. Elements close to same color, saturation etc.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hello All:
I too am experiencing the same exact thing with color shifts, saturation issues, etc. I have done a couple of things to minimize this (Unfortunately it has not totally gone away). First, I import my images with image capture without a colorsync profile added. Second, I am more careful with my camera's WB settings. With my Canon Rebel, if I have it to a cloudy setting, it automatically applies a red cast to the image in attempt to 'warm' the image. If I use the sunny setting, the problem is minimized, but not solved.
One theory I have with all of this is that perhaps Apple had introduced this color shift in order to enhance direct printing through iPhoto. In the past, I have ordered prints through iPhoto (which I believe goes to Kodak's gallery) and they were simply dull. Is it possible that these color profiles are an attempt to optimize printing with Kodak's equipment?? Just a hunch.
I hope Apple comes up with a solution fast, as iPhoto for me is just a storage tank. The whole reason why I upgraded to '06 was iPhoto's new features, which are pretty much useless.
Dan

Color management in Aperture books

After making a book, I should export it as PDF converting images to the color profile provided by
the print service. Which is the correct way to do it in Aperture 3 ?
Opening the print menu from inside an Aperture book we get the standard
dialogs under "Color matching" (where you can choose to leave the color
management either to the printer or to ColorSync) but there is also an "Aperture"
dialog where you can choose a destination color profile (and also whether to
apply black point compensation, but no option is left as regards the rendering intent).
Which is the difference between the two dialogs when printing the book directly to a connected printer ?
And which is the difference when saving as PDF ?
In a test done printing to PDF a small book it looks like that the "Color Matching" print dialog
seems to have no effect on the final PDF.
The "Aperture" print dialog does have some effect (depending on the choosen destination profile ) but
I get far big sizes for the PDF (example: 150 MB versus 23 MB for the PDF straight without using
the "Aperture" print dialog). I have no clear explanation for this huge size increase, but it surely
cannot be used to submit a full fledged book to the print server (it would give more than 1.2 GB
in a 40-page book).
Is there any resource dealing with the PDF export settings for books in Aperture 3 ?
Thanks,
Simone

It looks like this is driven by the content and might be browser dependent - http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/quickstart/color_correction_as3.html
However, I'd try disabling hardware acceleration to see if that makes a difference. I wouldn't be surprised if using the GPU altered the way this works.
How do I disable or enable hardware acceleration?

Iphoto book... cover was the wrong color

I just bought 9 iphoto books and they turned out awesome! Except one thing. 4 of the books I ordered have the wrong colored cover!!! When my husband called the apple customer support, they said they couldn't do anything about it! I spent $53 on each book, so you can imagine my frustration when I didn't get the book I had made. I figured apple was a company that backed their products, especially since this was a negligent error on their part(it says right on the invoice "black" but they sent me red books!) Has anyone delt with a problem like this?? Please help

Try http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto/customerservice/orderbooks/
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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 written an Automator workflow application, 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
G5 Dual Core 2GHz, 2G RAM, 250G HD; G4 Dual 1Ghz, 1.5G RAM, 80G HD, Mac OS X (10.4.8) QT 7.1.3, 22 LCD, 200 & 160G FW HDs, Canon S400, i850 & LIDE 50, Epson R200

Bad color Management in iPhoto 11! makes it useless

Hi all,
the new version makes me crazy. I cannot go back to the old version because my library has updated.
I think the color management is completely different to the old version. If i compare a picture in iPhoto against the same displayed in Photoshop the black colors are much brighter in iPhoto! Also the fullscreen mode is not the same as before. Always there are some things which are not faded out (as before). But the color management problem is a mess.
Could somebody help me? I could provide an comparison example. How could I upload this easy (without using iPhoto :-))?
Thanks for your help.
Bernhard

Do you not have a backup copy of the 09 library that you can go back to?
Do you have a MobileMe account? If so put the photo in your iDisk/Web/Sites folder and use the following code to add it to a post:
Click to view full size
The following is an example of the code in use a comparison of a color calibration image in iPhoto 11 and Photoshop CS3:
Click to view full size
My eyes are probably a generation or so older than yours but I don't see any significant color difference. The PS version is not as sharp as it's at a 33% enlargement which does not smooth out as well as the iPhoto size does. In PS enlargements in steps of 25% are very sharp while those in between retain some jaggedness.
OT

Iphoto color management

I'm guessing there is no way to use color profiles for specific paper in Iphoto - right?
So, when I'm using the print driver (Canon pixma 6600)what do I set the Color Option to in order to match screen colors. None or ColorSynch or BJ Printer.
Under None and Color Synch the colors are less saturated than screen. Under BJ Printer they are a bit too much saturated.

Hey
iPhoto does not manage colour per se, rather all colour is managed by Colour Sync (applications/utilities/colorsync utility).
In iPhoto-Preferences-advanced there's a check box for adding a colorsync profile on import. At least in iPhoto 6 there is not sure if iPhoto 5 has it. Either way colour will still be managed through the central color sync engine.
Sorry I can't be more help than that - i use iPhoto for sorting and storage but do all my colour editing in Photohop. iPhoto preserves the camera profiles (or sRGB) so i'm happy!
M.

Color management book recommendation?

Hi folks,
I've been using Photoshop since version 2, but only as a violinist might relax with a bit of keyboard playing. My main gig over the years has been multimedia programming and 3D animation, both for onscreen delivery in the wonderfully sane world of RGB color.
I now have to turn to print in a big way, and to difficult print at that. I have to create a book cover for a print-on-demand job a Lightning Source. The image has lots of contrast, and LS imposes a no-more-than-240% ink coverage limit in CMYK, which means I'm going to have to massage the dark areas of the image without destroying the beautiful color tonalities of the front cover painting.
So color management is suddenly mission critical, and I'd like to dip my head in the theory in a serious way. If any of you print jockeys could recommend a source on the subject, I'd be grateful. I know Adobe Community Help has videos and article references, and I will peruse them gladly. But what I am looking for is a definitive theoretical groundwork text – something like an O'Reilly book on color management for print media that I can sit down and read cover to cover.
Many thanks,
Richard Hurley
Grass Valley MultiMedia

s-RGB="Satan RGB" I didn't want to mention this in the string because....... As mama used to say "Don't frighten the horses."
The s-RGB gamut is so small and incompatible with traditional CMYK that clipping and shifting is a given.....hence the heavy use of GCR (grey component replacement) and UCR (under color removal) in the printing. GCR is the enemy of the type of rich saturation that we see in this woman's portrait, but complex browns, purples, greens, and reds are very easily changed with even the slightest inattention or miscalibration during a typical press run (Forget about the blues). Swapping out the pigments with neutrals is designed to protect one's image from colorshifting as the inks get slabbered onto the paper. That is why finding a reliable and competent printer is such an important part of the process. Unfortunately, they are a dying breed. Also, sadly, even if one carefully manages the GCR and the UCR (to remove the extra saturation as this "Lightning" place is suggesting is really no guarantee that their print settings (PPDs) will not ovverride even the PDF file itself when they rip it.
That is the reason I suggested the importance of finding a reliable print house or else just making one's file "photo perfect" (without trying to accommodate the print house and then force the printer to reproduce a quality rendition at the proof stage. It is like playing pool on a moving train...all about relativity. Hence my caveat.
Your adjustment looks great....looking at the pdf of your curve adjustments, by the way. Still the presses haven't had their way with her yet. And that is the endgame. If we did not have to farm stuff out we could set our GCR and UCR in Photoshop along with our calibration process built to our own press specifications and forget about it. But the inmates do run the asylum. There I go, scaring the horses.
Something I remembered. A conversation with Bruce and Russell P.Brown (1997?) whom, if I remember correctly had some powerful new toys (Gee, how did he get a hold of THAT stuff???? LOL) One of his projects had to do with scanning the environment (my term for it) and he had images that were plotted at full size on a large plotter (Not QUITE the Grand Canyon but HUGE). The discussion/debate revolved around Russell's ability to reproduce the image without swapping the format and/or geeking with the gamut problems inherent in CMYK conversion. I didn't get it, really, and I do not think that Bruce got it...well let us say he was openly dubious...still Russell's very large printout was spectacular and Russell, being Russell was too excited to give a pixel. Late night standoff! Walking away, I realized that with newer pigments that were available from the digital printing world, I would have to stay on my toes when it came to discussing any print end format because the traditional CMYK printing inks were being seriously upgraded with the newer electrostatic and gelatin print technologies. (especially with Kodak and Agfa being such big players with the Creo purchase of Scitex and Agfa being Agfa). It seems now that we are in a whole new world and I am loathe to proclaim the ancient truths of CMYK as we traditional printers knew it. I have seen some work coming off of these newer printers that transcend the CMYK gamut. (It is interesting to think that the age of "cold type printing" lasted about twenty years before it began to be obsolete. One of the bonus points of geezerism (if I may use the term loosely) is the perspective of time warp speed of tech obsolescence. It seems sometimes that halfway through an answer to any given question the answer becomes quaintly out of date.
I can say that any equation depends on isolating the variables and finding those constants that will endure. Best example..... the half-life of Adobe 1998 as a transcendent color space. I am now convinced that ProPhoto has a fuller and more malleable gamut for the newer devices as well as the offset presses that will be with us for a while longer.
So I guess, my point is that one has to plant the flag somewhere. Pick any locus and relate to that to build one's foundation (s-RGB or 72 ppi for example) and know that in the shifting sands of a million minds, there will be hordes of wild indians waiting to excoriate the status quo without understanding the very underpinnings of the process.
One thing I have noticed in the fora is the very vituperation is inversely proportional to one's experience. That is one of the ways that people like Mssrs. Fraser, Brown, McClelland, and even you stand out. The dialog is temperate yet radically outrageous. I am not sure sometimes if the science has not turned to theatre. Hah!
I rant, but towards a point that recedes as I approach it.
Namely this:
be forgiving towards the quirks and kinks in the Adobe approach, the product, as does all revolutions, breeds evolution. Though each of their programs converts your average PANTONE color with a different ink percentage.
One does appreciate an open mind. Thanks for that.
Charlie Copeland (no not that one!)

IPhoto Book linescreen, resolution, and color space

to maximize the quality of the iPhoto book I plan to preparemy image files, but I need to know some things about the printing process. Does anybody know the following for the production of the Large iPhoto books:
linescreen
print resolution
colorspace
ANY accepted file types (16 bit layered Tiffs, JPG, or other)
and possibly dot gain (?)
Anybody using Pixel Genius' PhotoKit Sharpener to prepare their files? If so which output sharpeneing settings did you use?
Thanks

Joe:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. I'll try to answer those that I can.
Linescreen - not familiar with that term but read a while ago that 150 lpi printers were used. Don't know if that's related or not. Also there seems to be a difference (for large book at least) between those printed at the West coast site and those from the East coast site. The west coast books were reported better.
Print resolution - large books are printed at 150 dpi. However, you can change the dpi resolution of the pdf file that gets created for uploading and printing as follows:
Method to increase the print resolution for books:
1 - download and run Pref Setter.
2 - open the iPhoto preference file from within Pref Setter.
3 - locate the Keys titled BookTargetMediumImageDPI, BookTargetSmallImageDPI and BookTargetImageDPI.
4 - change their current values to 300.
5 - save and quit Pref Setter.
Colorspace - I've used sRGB but don't know if that's the optimal one. My results have been OK in my mind.
Files accepted - all those you've listed are acceptable. Tiff file shouldn't have alpha layers as iPhoto doesn't play well with them.
Dot gain - don't know what that is.
For sharpening of those I've sharpened I used Photoshop's Unsharp Mask filter.

Color management tech specs

Do they have any color management and image quality advice anywhere
for the new books?
I already know how I would set them up, just would like to see something from Apple.

Tom:
Here's what Apple sent me when I asked them about book media quality:
I contacted Apple and asked for information that I could pass on. Here's the reply I received from Apple:
"Thank you for contacting the Apple Print Products Customer Service.
I understand that you would like to know the printing process that is used and the color mode the files should be in, so you can better advise users in the iPhoto forum.
iPhoto version 4 or later, allows you to import and print files through the Apple Print Product service as RGB, grayscale, or CMYK color space. JPEG files with RGB color space are recommended for best results.
While iPhoto 2 can import files of various formats, including RGB color, grayscale, and CMYK, this version requires JPEG files with RGB color space when printing photos and books.
For more information regarding iPhoto 2, please visit the following article:
iPhoto: Color, Black and White Prints Appear Garbled or Distorted
For more information regarding iPhoto 5, please visit the following article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=165501
Here are some of the technical specifications for the books, cards, and calendars. I hope this gives you an idea about their quality and form.
BOOKS
All iPhoto books are printed using acid-free paper for long-lasting image quality. The photos are printed at a high resolution (300DPI if you use iPhoto 6). There is no external modification--such as sharpening or contrast adjustment--of the photos; what you see in the application is what is printed in the book.
Hardcovers Books
The cover is hard-bound and covered in linen. You select the linen color during the book-ordering process. The hardcover books have a solid, stiff binding that is glued and crimped. The internal pages, measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock.
Softcover Books
The softcover books come in three sizes:
- Large 8.5 x 11 inches
- Medium 6 x 8 inches
- Small 2.6 x 3.5 inches
All of the softcover books have internal pages that are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock. The large softcover book has a white cover (Kromekoteplus Folding Cover, 16 point) with a cutout on the front that reveals the cover-page photo in the book. The covers for the medium and small softcover books have the cover image and title printed directly on the cover. All of the softcover books have a glued binding and feature a thick cover of McCoy 100# Cover Gloss paper stock.
CARDS
All cards are printed on McCoy 120# Silk Cover paper stock. The postcards measure 4 x 6 inches, and the greeting cards measure 5 x 7inches.
CALENDARS
All calendars measure 8 x 10 inches and are printed on McCoy 100# Silk Cover paper stock.
To ensure the best print quality, we have chosen to use Kodak NexPress technology. The press uses a dry toner, which is fused to the surface of the paper. Please see NexPress' site for more information:
KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Press
I hope you find this information helpful in answering questions on the iPhoto forum."
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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 written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), 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 08 libraries. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Color management in Photoshop Elements...

Hello all
I know this is an Apple forum, but I also know many of you use Photoshop Elements as well, and I think there is a wealth information here.
So, I am very perplexed about something in PSE. I currently have PSE3 for Mac (although the version should not matter for my question).
My question has to do with the color settings in PSE preferences. As you know, one can choose No Color Mgt., Limited Color Mgt. = sRGB, or Full Color Mgt. = Adobe RGB. When I choose full color mgt., overall tones are VERY red. When choosing limited color mgt., colors are slightly red, and no color mgt., colors are fairly neutral. This is all by default. I know how to clean up the color casts, but for general printing, where should I be? I typically only print 4X6 or occasionally 8X10, nothing professionally. When printing, what is the ideal, or preferred Source Space? I have found that if the source space is the same as how the image is tagged, things look pretty good. I also keep the Print Space set to my monitor settings which is the iMac profile. I suppose the issue is that I do not want to have to constantly correct the reddish tones for every photo I manipulate in PSE, although I typically do.
So my basic question is this: What settings are you using in the PSE print dialog box that give you the best looking prints, i.e., source space, print space? How do you color manage you photos? And, what are your color settings in preferences?
Many thanks in advance…

mikwen:
If you compare the sRGB and Adobe RGB color profiles with ColorSync Utility you'll see that the Adobe profile is much wider. I understand it is used for high end CMYK printing or similar. The Adobe profile gives me a much darker onscreen image. Haven't printed with it in quite a while so don't remember what the output was.
Apple uses the sRGB profile in their books and other printed products. So I've setup PSE to use the sRGB profile and set my monitor to sRGB but with a 2.2 gamma. That seems to work for me.
I don't know which camera you have or what color profile it embeds but the Canon's, and others, have a camera profile that is very close to the sRGB. If you installed the software that came with your camera it probably added the camera's profile to the system and you can view it with ColorSync Utility.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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 written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

IPhoto Book Quality

I am interested in hearing about other peoples experiances with the print quality of thier iPhoto 6 books.
I have ordered two iPhoto books, the first about a year and half ago with iPhoto v5 came out spectacularly. The most recent I just received today ordered via iPhot v6. I am not to happy with. It has the following problems...
1. Washed out colors. Several of the photos have distinctly muddled colors. This washed out effect is not consistant and varies from photo to photo.
2. Blurry photos. The printing process has severely blurred some photos as if the print heads of the printer where misaligned.
3. Banding. Several of the photos indicate print banding such that occurs on low end inkjets.
4. Print artifacts. Several pages contain marks and blemishes in the white borders and margins.
I have emailed support asking to retun the book but beyond that does anyone have ideas of things I could do to get a better quality print out? Thanks.
- C. Thomas

thomas_c:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. I've had very good luck with book but others have experienced what you have to some extent or another. It's probable that your book is a on time error and you should contact Apple and ask for a refund - http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto/customerservice/orderbooks/. Apple has been very good at correcting such problems.
Regarding quality of the books and materials the following is what I received back from Apple regarding an email asking about material and print quality:
I contacted Apple and asked for information that I could pass on. Here's the reply I received from Apple:
"Thank you for contacting the Apple Print Products Customer Service.
I understand that you would like to know the printing process that is used and the color mode the files should be in, so you can better advise users in the iPhoto forum.
iPhoto version 4 or later, allows you to import and print files through the Apple Print Product service as RGB, grayscale, or CMYK color space. JPEG files with RGB color space are recommended for best results.
While iPhoto 2 can import files of various formats, including RGB color, grayscale, and CMYK, this version requires JPEG files with RGB color space when printing photos and books.
For more information regarding iPhoto 2, please visit the following article:
iPhoto: Color, Black and White Prints Appear Garbled or Distorted
For more information regarding iPhoto 5, please visit the following article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=165501
Here are some of the technical specifications for the books, cards, and calendars. I hope this gives you an idea about their quality and form.
BOOKS
All iPhoto books are printed using acid-free paper for long-lasting image quality. The photos are printed at a high resolution (300DPI if you use iPhoto 6). There is no external modification--such as sharpening or contrast adjustment--of the photos; what you see in the application is what is printed in the book.
Hardcovers Books
The cover is hard-bound and covered in linen. You select the linen color during the book-ordering process. The hardcover books have a solid, stiff binding that is glued and crimped. The internal pages, measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock.
Softcover Books
The softcover books come in three sizes:
- Large 8.5 x 11 inches
- Medium 6 x 8 inches
- Small 2.6 x 3.5 inches
All of the softcover books have internal pages that are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock. The large softcover book has a white cover (Kromekoteplus Folding Cover, 16 point) with a cutout on the front that reveals the cover-page photo in the book. The covers for the medium and small softcover books have the cover image and title printed directly on the cover. All of the softcover books have a glued binding and feature a thick cover of McCoy 100# Cover Gloss paper stock.
CARDS
All cards are printed on McCoy 120# Silk Cover paper stock. The postcards measure 4 x 6 inches, and the greeting cards measure 5 x 7inches.
CALENDARS
All calendars measure 8 x 10 inches and are printed on McCoy 100# Silk Cover paper stock.
To ensure the best print quality, we have chosen to use Kodak NexPress technology. The press uses a dry toner, which is fused to the surface of the paper. Please see NexPress' site for more information:
KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Press
I hope you find this information helpful in answering questions on the iPhoto forum."
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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 written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), 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. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

IPhoto Book Colour Profiles & File Sizes?

I want to make a book in iPhoto. All my images are Adobe RGB. Do I need to change the colour profile.
I have a Mac with and Apple flat screen that has been colour balanced. So all the images look good. I am just concerned that they will be printed in a different profile and look rubbish.
What is the smallest file size and resolution that will look good.
Any other helpful advice.

Here's what Apple responded with when I asked them about book material and print quality:
"Thank you for contacting the Apple Print Products Customer Service.
I understand that you would like to know the printing process that is used and the color mode the files should be in, so you can better advise users in the iPhoto forum.
iPhoto version 4 or later, allows you to import and print files through the Apple Print Product service as RGB, grayscale, or CMYK color space. JPEG files with *RGB color space are recommended for best results.*
While iPhoto 2 can import files of various formats, including RGB color, grayscale, and CMYK, this version requires JPEG files with RGB color space when printing photos and books.
For more information regarding iPhoto 2, please visit the following article:
iPhoto: Color, Black and White Prints Appear Garbled or Distorted
For more information regarding iPhoto 5, please visit the following article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=165501
Here are some of the technical specifications for the books, cards, and calendars. I hope this gives you an idea about their quality and form.
BOOKS
All iPhoto books are printed using acid-free paper for long-lasting image quality. The photos are printed at a high resolution (300DPI if you use iPhoto 6). There is no external modification--such as sharpening or contrast adjustment--of the photos; what you see in the application is what is printed in the book.
Hardcovers Books
The cover is hard-bound and covered in linen. You select the linen color during the book-ordering process. The hardcover books have a solid, stiff binding that is glued and crimped. The internal pages, measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock.
Softcover Books
The softcover books come in three sizes:
- Large 8.5 x 11 inches
- Medium 6 x 8 inches
- Small 2.6 x 3.5 inches
All of the softcover books have internal pages that are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock. The large softcover book has a white cover (Kromekoteplus Folding Cover, 16 point) with a cutout on the front that reveals the cover-page photo in the book. The covers for the medium and small softcover books have the cover image and title printed directly on the cover. All of the softcover books have a glued binding and feature a thick cover of McCoy 100# Cover Gloss paper stock.
CARDS
All cards are printed on McCoy 120# Silk Cover paper stock. The postcards measure 4 x 6 inches, and the greeting cards measure 5 x 7inches.
CALENDARS
All calendars measure 8 x 10 inches and are printed on McCoy 100# Silk Cover paper stock.
To ensure the best print quality, we have chosen to use Kodak NexPress technology. The press uses a dry toner, which is fused to the surface of the paper. Please see NexPress' site for more information:
KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Press
I hope you find this information helpful in answering questions on the iPhoto forum."
As for file size, keep the pixel dimension of the photo the largest you can. That will convert to the highest resolution possible when converted to the pdf for uploading and printing. iPhoto will assign a warning flag to those photos that end up with a dpi of less than 180 when added to a particular frame in the book. When added to a smaller frame the warning flag may go away. I've printed books with that warning and was happy with the results.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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), 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 08 libraries 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.

Exporting iphoto book quality

What is the quality of the photos exported to PDF from iphoto? I'm having a professional lab print up my photo book but I would like to select them from iphoto and give them a general idea of layout using the photo book in iphoto. However, I'm concerned about giving them the highest quality photos. It would be much easier to select the photos in iphoto book and burn to disc than finding and exporting.

scubanut:
Are you going to provide the layout to the printer in the form of a pdf of the book?
From what I've gathered iPhoto uses 300 dpi for it's books. If you look at the iPhoto preference file with Pref Setter and search for dpi you can see the settings for the various sizes of books.
There are several good threads on Apple's book quality, materials, etc. I asked Apple about book quality back when iPhoto 6 was the latest version and here's their response to me:
I contacted Apple and asked for information that I could pass on. Here's the reply I received from Apple:
"Thank you for contacting the Apple Print Products Customer Service.
I understand that you would like to know the printing process that is used and the color mode the files should be in, so you can better advise users in the iPhoto forum.
iPhoto version 4 or later, allows you to import and print files through the Apple Print Product service as RGB, grayscale, or CMYK color space. JPEG files with RGB color space are recommended for best results.
While iPhoto 2 can import files of various formats, including RGB color, grayscale, and CMYK, this version requires JPEG files with RGB color space when printing photos and books.
For more information regarding iPhoto 2, please visit the following article:
iPhoto: Color, Black and White Prints Appear Garbled or Distorted
For more information regarding iPhoto 5, please visit the following article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=165501
Here are some of the technical specifications for the books, cards, and calendars. I hope this gives you an idea about their quality and form.
BOOKS
All iPhoto books are printed using acid-free paper for long-lasting image quality. The photos are printed at a high resolution (300DPI if you use iPhoto 6). There is no external modification--such as sharpening or contrast adjustment--of the photos; what you see in the application is what is printed in the book.
Hardcovers Books
The cover is hard-bound and covered in linen. You select the linen color during the book-ordering process. The hardcover books have a solid, stiff binding that is glued and crimped. The internal pages, measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock.
Softcover Books
The softcover books come in three sizes:
- Large 8.5 x 11 inches
- Medium 6 x 8 inches
- Small 2.6 x 3.5 inches
All of the softcover books have internal pages that are printed on McCoy 100# Text Gloss paper stock. The large softcover book has a white cover (Kromekoteplus Folding Cover, 16 point) with a cutout on the front that reveals the cover-page photo in the book. The covers for the medium and small softcover books have the cover image and title printed directly on the cover. All of the softcover books have a glued binding and feature a thick cover of McCoy 100# Cover Gloss paper stock.
CARDS
All cards are printed on McCoy 120# Silk Cover paper stock. The postcards measure 4 x 6 inches, and the greeting cards measure 5 x 7inches.
CALENDARS
All calendars measure 8 x 10 inches and are printed on McCoy 100# Silk Cover paper stock.
To ensure the best print quality, we have chosen to use Kodak NexPress technology. The press uses a dry toner, which is fused to the surface of the paper. Please see NexPress' site for more information:
KODAK NEXPRESS 2500 Digital Production Color Press
I hope you find this information helpful in answering questions on the iPhoto forum."
Also, see Dusky's response in this thread. He's a ditigal press operator and gives some insight on how the books are printed. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3751865&#3751865.
Happy Holidays
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto 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), 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 08 libraries 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.

Is iOS color managed

does it matter which color space i use to send photos to my new iPad?
Is iOS color managed?
vince
Message was edited by: vinsolo

According to khunsanook in this topic, iWeb 09 color output messed up , iWeb 09 is now use RGB equivalents for colors instead of the HTML code and that is causing a shift in appearance between the two versions.
I agree with Kyn about setting the monitor to RGB or sRGB. That helps not only with iWeb but with ordering books, calendars, etc. thru iPhoto.
OT

Iphoto books -- color management & sharpening

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