Are your prints too dark? Simple fixes and tips for photo editing and printing

[@JEHendrix]

I appreciate this, as well as your other videos. After years of operating a small printing business, I have arrived at this method for getting print brightness right. Of course my monitor (Benq 321C) is profiled and I personally profile each of my printers for each type of paper I use. I have 5000K track lighting all around my small studio and over my work table. Printed colors match the monitor well, but for brightness I use a cheat sheet with a monitor brightness setting for each type of paper I use. When editing for a particular paper, I rotate the hockey puck to the brightness for that paper. Then I print with confidence that when I lay the print on my work table, it will match the monitor. This saves unnecessary proof printing.

[@JEHendrix]

Making the cheat sheet is dead simple, I simply adjust the monitor brightness to match prints on various media lying on my work table. Now I’ll adjust my settings using your reference images.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - Yes, a good thorough approach

[@Rabenov-wq8qy2qg5t]

I printed your test images, and you were absolutely right, it was my monitor! I couldn't believe it. Sometimes the problem sits in front of the computer 😊

[@KeithCooper]

Excellent - that's what it's there for!

[@JohnPurcell]

I wish more people got to see your talks about this. All your points are really important and generally easy/cheap... which is not the norm on most forums.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I appreciate that

[@wardlerigg]

Wonderfully informative and de-mystifying as ever. Your channel is a haven for the confused would-be printers among us. Thank you.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Pat-1000]

Thank you Keith , learning something new from every upload you share , very appreciated as a newbie to printing but following your advice i know i will get there , cheers enjoy the day and keep well Sir.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@johnguild8850]

Keith, your are a gift from God, thanks

[@KeithCooper]

Most kind ;-)

[@broomwagon448]

Thanks Keith, just to chime in with another tip - I always find lowering the brightness of my computer screen helps with this. An overly bright, backlit screen always seems to ‘flatter’ an image somewhat. Worth a try.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, that's my main suggestion whether people are using a calibrator or 'by eye'

[@juergenbaumann8817]

Thanks Keith, particularly liked the hint with background color. This might be covered already elsewhere, but in addition of calibration, it helps me to work with the soft proof function, especially for balancing light and dark sections. Even if there is no profile that matches my printer and paper combination by 100%, it can get you closer to the desired final result more conveniently. Having the correct ICC profile of course is much more desirable :)

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, although I'm always minded to mention that soft proofing is [IMHO] a tool for occasional never regular use... ;-)

[@barriewatts127]

I used to print through Photoshop with my Canon printer and struggled to get a decent print. Then I discovered Mirage Pro, now I get virtually perfect prints every time. The monitor is calibrated every month. Canon Print Pro is also pretty good too.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, for some, Mirage represents good value. I'll likely be looking at it once I next get a good new printer to test

[@allenbuyck7957]

What is Mirage Pro? I use canon Print Pro and it works well, but never heard of Mirage Pro

[@KeithCooper]

@@allenbuyck7957 Paid for print software. I last reviewed it 8-9 years ago. www.northlight-images.co.uk/mirage-print-software/ Works very well, features fit the needs of some who print a lot, but at a price. I'll probably see about a look at it again when I next have a good printer here to test

[@allenbuyck7957]

@@KeithCooper thank you . Great videos !!!

[@Jenny_Digital]

Thanks Kieth, that’s amazing advice.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robertleeimages]

Liked your collaboration with Scott, hope you can get your heads together again for another one sometime

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I'll have to have have a chat with him and see what we can come up with

[@beatrizparejo6398]

Thank you so much for your quick answer! ❤

[@KeithCooper]

Glad to be of help...

[@johncameron6853]

Thank you Keith, a cracking and informative vid as usual. 👍😎

[@KeithCooper]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@garrygeorge2811]

Thanks: simple, clear and quick ;-)

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it helped!

[@lynsmith1096]

Some more good tips Keith.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@ianyorke2617]

Agree about the scourge of Dark Mode and low contrast UI's. 😀 Interestingly, I always edit with a white border because if I don't I find I lose my "white" reference, ie what is actually white rather than "relatively white" compared to the rest of the image.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks Yes - a good point. Having a stable white point is important.

[@c.augustin]

A simple way of adjusting screen brightness is to have a piece of copy paper on your desk in your normal, undimmed lighting and adjusting the monitor brightness so that a white "page" on screen has nearly the same brightness. It might not be the "perfect" brightness, but it gives a much better result (and is much less stressful for the eyes) than using the usual screen brightness of the monitor (which is most likely much too bright). Same applies to smartphones and tablets - they are normally much too bright!

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - I've used a camera for this. Matching exposures gets it quite close

[@c.augustin]

@@KeithCooper Never thought of that! I would use a handheld light meter instead, but many people won't have one … ;-)

[@susanmclauchlan9358]

Thank you Keith

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it's of interest.

[@cheemy1000]

Great video, thanks

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@alangrant5684]

Lot to think about. Tbh I don't feel comfortable adjusting my screen to a point where it doesn't look great, but looks great on the printer. Seems too odd, just me. As a programmer and life hacker I always think there MUST be a way to equate them, either now or in future (or maybe with $$$$$). I'll have to deal with that myself for now but couple questions: 1) Doesn't the print media also hugely make a color & brightness difference? 2) Know of any print application that can print a matrix of different profile thumbnails for any given photo on an A4 for user's review and selection preference to proceed with? (What gave me that idea is that many printers go through a basic printer calibration process for the user to review and establish during the initial setup). Fyi, I use Epson-ET-8500, Samsung Odyssey G8 Neo 32", and Photoshop 2025.

[@KeithCooper]

If you can come up with a way of printing [which works by selective absorption of light] which matches an emissive display device then a fortune awaits ;-) A screen is not a print - if you are displaying on a screen, edit for the best looking screen. If you want a great looking print, edit for a great print. More to the point have a read of this excellent work on colour management, which I'd regard as essential knowledge to put the many different aspects of the problems in context ['Real World Color Management' by Fraser et al.] Your specifics - 1 yes, it sets the white point 2 only Canon's PPL printing software that I know of - some one has probably written something for PS If you really want to follow this further, look for works by Dan Margulus www.moderncolorworkflow.com On a more direct level... ;-) "Don't feel comfortable"? ... my reply would be "get over it" or" dive into the why and fix/explain it"

Hi Keith, I am happy I stumbled upon your channel. Thank you for sharing your experience. I have a quick question; calibrating your monitor for printing you set 100 cd/m² if I didn’t get you wrong, what if the pictures will never be printed and only end up at web pages or will only be watched on monitors like mobile devices or various LCD monitors? Still the correct setting should be 100 cd/m²? The default is 120 cd/m² for many... Thanks in advance.

[@KeithCooper]

I use 100 partly because my general office lighting is not bright and I do a fair bit of print. 120 is fine for general photo use. My monitor has a 'bright sRGB' setting which I sometimes use to get a feel for web/phone use, but of course, such a huge change completely throws your visual adaption for a bit [time to make a coffee] The two monitors in my videos are deliberately set to match the video lighting [~4000K], so they look reasonable in the videos - they are useless for actual work ;-)

Thank you @@KeithCooper I will keep following your channel for sure and all my B&H orders will go through your affiliate link from now on. Greetings from New York City.

[@KeithCooper]

Much appreciated!

[@kbstabs5982]

Very useful. Thanks, Keith!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@hansfijlstra5932]

Interesting video. I believe and have experienced that when you buy a professional monitor (EIZO for example) you dont’ need to calibrate it. The much more important question is under what lighting conditions the print is viewed.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks 'Pro' monitors do need calibration and profiling like any other for ongoing use. Some include their own calibration hardware, but it's not true that you can buy one and expect the 'factory' calibration to last. OK perhaps for some personal use, but not for high end commercial uses.

[@johannesfruhstorfer7914]

@@KeithCooper would you personally rely on the built in calibration hardware of e.g. an EIZO CG series? I bought one to avoid the hassle of dealing with this side of the process ;-). And thank you for your very instructive videos.

[@beatrizparejo6398]

Hi Keith! Thanks for this and all your videos. I really appreciate them. I am having trouble making Prints of my paintings. Whether they are scanned or photographed. I have a canon IPG pro 300 and I work the files in Photoshop, in the Adobe RGB working space and the Adobe RGB 1998 colour profile, if I am not mistaken. I load the ICC profiles of the Fine art papers...but I can't get them to come out right. My doubt is, is the problem the monitor? It's a Benq PD2705U monitor with pantone certificate but, it doesn't have RGB colour mode, only sRGB and others for video, etc. Should I change the file to sRGB so that what I see on the screen looks more like what the printer does? Or is it not necessary and it would be worse? Does the printer use RGB or sRGB? I hope I have explained myself well. Best regards and thank you very much!

[@KeithCooper]

Art repro is technically difficult. You need your monitor calibrated, and to set it to the right brightness. 'Pantone certification' is largely marketing copy ;-) The sRGB stuff is a distraction - I worked for years with an sRGB monitor You also need correct icc profiles for printer/paper combination and print with them - the way to test this is with a known test image - never one of your own. See my PRO-300 review [the main written one] for info about printing etc www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-300-printer-review/ Remember - prints can never match your screen. What matters is them matching the artwork!

[@c64club]

Some quick and dirty but very usable trick. "Darkroom style test strip" (like darkroom wedges for multigrade papers). Print some table of 30 darkest and 20 lightest levels - all numbered. 0,1-20, then each two. Next I evaluate darkest distinguishable and lightest distinguishable. Then I compress image's tonal range in between these two values. Sometimes linearly, sometimes by some curve adjusted to taste. But the test image for tonality MUST contain tonal values of each field. Otherwise it's guesstimgtion.

[@KeithCooper]

This is also what my B&W test image is for ;-)

[@c64club]

@@KeithCooper Of course. I use it in many works, I also have ngatives of it printed on foil, for gum and cyanotype. It become an "industry standard" recommended by many people. But for first (numbered) estimation I use Farbenwerk's tonal range test which takes ~5*15cm and gives exact numerical values. Then I use your test to adjust the rest of issues.

[@garypriestley9288]

Hi Keith I wondered I use a laptop and a monitor as my setup I was thinking of calibrating them but not quite sure which one to do both screens one after each other or just the laptop one I'm new printing and I only have what I would call a desktop printer and it's a old one at that at the moment just wanted to get the basics right before investing in better kit I would welcome your thoughts on this thank you

[@KeithCooper]

Depends vastly on the quality of the screens - personally I prefer larger screens. Don't forget that even with expensive calibrators you can't make different screens look identical

[@garypriestley9288]

@@KeithCooper thank you Keith

[@jerjaws]

I noticed if I print on luster paper vs matte paper. The luster paper. Image is darker. Matte paper it’s spot on.

[@KeithCooper]

Due to the wider tonal range of the lustre paper [the blacks are blacker] depending on setup, slight lightening of images meant for the lustre may be beneficial

[@andrewcroft2570]

Great video Keith, quick question, the surroundings you have on you're monitors, what are they for, please?

[@KeithCooper]

Do you mean the monitor hoods? They improve contrast and reduce screen glare in some environments. These came with the monitors, but they are easy t make with matt black art board.

[@andrewcroft2570]

@@KeithCooper Thanks Keith

[@kristenculler264]

Hi Keith, I just got a Canon Pro 1100 and downloaded the test matrix and printed it. What do you do if you feel that the unedited test print is itself too dark? It seems all the other solutions are for monitor/perception issues. I'm using Photoshop 2025 on a MacBook Pro...and new to photo printing.

[@KeithCooper]

How are you printing it? Direct from PS? I'll use Canon PPL software and a known paper with a profile for this sort of test - it's about reducing the number of variables.

[@kristenculler264]

@@KeithCooper Yes I was using PS with the ICC for the Canon paper I was using. I can't get PPL to add my printer - the printer is listed but the "OK" is greyed out...haven't figured that one out yet

[@KeithCooper]

Did you see my PRO-1100 Mac driver/software update video? Canon have released updates recently for several related packages

[@kristenculler264]

@@KeithCooper Thank you, I sure did (you saved me from Airplay print driver!) but I'll look again and see if I missed anything...

[@RogerHyam]

Hi Keith. Thanks for all these videos they are useful for me. I'm getting back into inkjet printing and firing up the old Epson R3000 with Marrutt inks and papers. I'm really pleased with the way it performs and don't have an intention of changing it but have a philosophical question. Has inkjet printer quality plateaued with regard to use by an art photographer? We have been in the marginal gains area with digital cameras for about a decade now (if you aren't into sports or videography). Is the same true of the mid ground of inkjet printing? Perhaps you've already covered this.

[@KeithCooper]

A few new developments in coatings, but sustainability will matter more - papers that can be recycled will become more common Nothing many will notice - good profiles, skill and inks are what really matter

[@photoalexiou]

Hi..i own only EPSON printers..in the driver menu all printers have the option EPSON Standard(sRGB) and ADOBE RGB..I print to the default mode..but what is the difference between this two options? I can not find any informations and the EPSON manual do not say much..Can you explain in a future video this..thanks for precius info you always give to us...

[@KeithCooper]

It's if you are printing an image with such a profile - it's a setting I've ever found any use for

[@66xtopher]

How would you suggest printing off the test print you supply without being affected by the monitor calibration or software? Print it directly from Say windows and using default paper profiles? ( I have calibrated monitor and custom Hahnemule paper profiles). Should the test print be compared with a test print from a professional print version?

[@KeithCooper]

The test image should be printed with exactly the same workflow as you would for any image you wanted to print. Monitor settings have nothing to do with it. If you print your photos from 'windows with default profiles', then do that. If you print using a particular bit of software, use that. Just use this image instead of one of your own. Read the details on the download page as to what to look for www.northlight-images.co.uk/printer-test-images/ There is no physical 'master print' to compare it with

[@66xtopher]

@@KeithCooper thank you. I thought you said in your video the test print was to alleviate Workflow problems. My monitor was calibrated and the profile is always in use and I use Photoshop and I use a calibrated paper profile. I should use that then follow your guide.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes the test image removes variables. If you get a problem, it helps narrow down where it is. It takes the monitor and any image editing right out of the process - I have several related videos see: www.northlight-images.co.uk/keith-cooper-photography-videos-index/

[@gary4739]

Does the monitor hood have any effect on brightness?

[@KeithCooper]

It increases perceived contrast if used well. Actual brightness is the same for myself.

[@igor-iofe]

I own two canon printers: pro 200 and pro 1000. I always print the same set of approximately 300 watercolour reproductions and while on 1000 the colours look perfectly correct, the same images on pro 200 look darker. With some images darker print looks pretty and kind of more detailed or let's say vivid, but with some other images the colours are simply wrong. Since I print these images to sell I need a consistent quality. Normally, considering that all of the images are already well edited, i just print on a Mac OS using cmnd+p with the custom printing profiles that I have saved in the system. Does it mean that for PRO 200 i need to print from a software and tweak the settings to make colours correct? Or change colour setting for this printer in the OS printing profiles?

[@KeithCooper]

The simple answer is that if you want to use two printers and need similar results, don't pick one with pigment and one with dye inks... Longer answer is that with good profiling the printers can likely be got closer, but never entirely the same. Also, printing from the basic Mac print command is never an entirely predictable or stable choice - I'll do it for documents, but little else... Look at using other software to print - which was produced to work with profiles and for photo/art printing. Cheapest option is the Free Canon PPL software Read my pro-200 review for more info www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-200-printer-review/

[@igor-iofe]

@@KeithCooper thanks a lot! I'll read that!

[@thecinemafox5531]

Hey Keith, just wanted to ask if an aps-c camera is okay for printing and commercial architecture work? I have a full frame but the lenses are so expensive and I’m not making anything from photography yet

[@KeithCooper]

If course, it is - the problem for my from an architecture POV is getting wide enough lenses Look at some of the Laowa ultra-wide shift lenses for example - nothing wrong with fully manual ;-)

[@thecinemafox5531]

@@KeithCooper Thanks for the advice!

[@yuanchoy2]

👍👍👍

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks