Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post...

I'm using a new Dell U2410 as external monitor on a laptop. That monitor is calibrated with Spyder3.
I'm using ViewNX/Capture NX2 to view and process my pictures.

I was willing to print some of my treated picture but now I see that the color result is totally different when I display them with QImage! I set in QImage the same profile as Spyder3 is using. To get something closer to the display of Capture NX2 (but still slightly different), I have to switch off the monitor profile in QImage.

What can be wrong? Where could the error be? Is someone else using a calibrate monitor on a laptop (Windowx XP, only the external monitor is active)?

Well many thanks in advance to all of you for your help!

--Dirk

Have you tried clicking VIEW and REBUILD thumbs after you put the new monitor profile into Qimage?

Fred

If your files have been processed in NX2 and saved as a NEF I don't believe Qimage can read the changes unless you save the files as a tiff or jpg. It also may have something to do with the color space you have in the file. How are you saving the files?

The strange thing is also that QImage didn't tell me that I have a new monitor or at least that the profile changed since last launch...
Attached a screenshot, maybe it makes visible what I'm telling.

@ mburke: in QImage I'm using the jpeg file and I use sRGB as color space

This action gave again consistency between the thumbs and the full screen display within QImage, that's already one step. Thanks!

Step 2
Hover your mouse pointer over the thumbnail in question and read the information at the bottom (hotbar).
That will give you the color space and whether your previous save had embedded any profile or not.
See if the color profile has asterisks before and after it.
See screen snap. Look in the dark gray and you will see asterisks around the color profile.

Fred

Good point Fred, but yes the profile is embedded.

But I also think I have found the problem, I'll try to explain:
- The monitor is connected to a laptop
- Spyder3 created a profile for each display
- Then I switch off the laptop display and use the Dell monitor as single display
- Spyder3 is still loading the right profile to the graphic card
- BUT in Windows XP display color management the profile of the laptop display was still selected as default!!!
- I changed it for the Dell monitor's profile and everything is again calibrated and equal in all applications

So it looks like QImage was using the right profile but ViewNX and Capture NX2 were using the one defined in Windows...

Thanks for your help

--Dirk

Ok Enjoy!  All's Well That Prints Well!!
 :D