In this section we’ll turn Photoshop colour management on (straight out of the box colour management is turned off!) and tell the program how we want to handle our images:

• What colour space we want to work with;
• What we want to do with images that don’t share the same colour space (many won’t – for example, they may have an ICC profile attached from the camera or scan that created them), and
• How we want to “preview” images so that we can see how they will look when printed.

We do not recommend using versions of Photoshop before version 7. Colour management techniques have been improved in versions later than version 6, and version 7 is the earliest version that incorporates Scripting, which Photojunction uses extensively.

Step 1. Install our Lab profiles

Our two current Lab printer profiles are called QBYMetallic.ICC and QBYLustre.ICC. These are our printer profiles for Kodak’s Endura Metallic and Lustre photographic papers respectively. You need these profiles installed in order to “preview” your image files (ie view them on your monitor as they will appear after we’ve printed them).

Copy the two profiles from the supplied CD into the Colour Profile folder on your computer. (If you don’t have the CD, or you are concerned the profiles on it are not current, click here to download them .)

• For Mac OS9 computers the profiles go here: System folder>ColorSync

• In Mac OSX you’ll see there are multiple “Libraries”, one Library at the System level plus a separate Library for each “user”. If you put the profiles in a User Library, they will only be used when that “user account” is active.

If you want the profiles to be used by everyone who uses the computer, make sure they go in the System Library, here (you’ll need Administrator status):

System>Library>ColorSync>Profiles

If you want the profiles to be used by selected user only, put them here:

Users>username>Library>ColorSync>Profiles

Step 2. Select a monitor profile 

For Mac computers a profile for your monitor should already be in the ColorSync folder where you’ve just placed our lab printer profiles. You can check or select the monitor profile by going to Displays in OSX System (Monitors in OS9 Control Panels) and selecting Color. The profile being used will be displayed and can be changed if necessary.

This “generic” profile is a lot better than nothing, but much better is a custom profile created using a colorimeter, as we strongly recommend. After calibration is complete, the new custom profile will be installed automatically with a new name such as monitor 1-5-4.icc and the monitor display will be updated using it. Click here for more about monitor calibration.

You can also create a monitor profile using our Monitor Test Image (click here for directions) or by following the Calibration procedure in ColorSync. In OSX:

System Preferences>Displays>Color>Calibrate…

However software-based solutions like ColorSync depend on your visual judgment and are not nearly as accurate as using a colorimeter. The profile created will also be user-specific.

Step 3. Set up Photoshop to use the profiles 

Now you can set up Photoshop to use the profiles correctly. (see the first diagram)

a) Go to Color Settings (Photoshop > Color Settings) and click Advanced Mode, then:

i. Under Working Spaces, select Adobe RGB (1998) for the RGB profile. As an alternative you could use sRGB, but this may compromise quality. Click here for more about Working Spaces.

ii. Under Colour Management Policies, select “Convert to Working RGB”. Decide whether you want to check the "Ask When Opening" and "Ask When Pasting" check boxes for Profile Mismatches and/or Missing Profiles (refer to the following Note).

iii. Under Conversion Options…

• Intent: select Perceptual or Relative Colourimetric (refer to the following Note)

• Check both Black Point Compensation and Use Dither

Note: about these options

You'll need to think about the choices you make. Hopefully these notes will help:

"Ask when" At Queensberry we always need to know if a client sends us an image without a profile, so we check "Ask When Pasting" for Missing Profiles. On the other hand, we routinely convert profiled images sent to us by clients, (eg from sRGB to Adobe RGB), so we leave the Mismatch boxes unchecked, otherwise we would spend all day hitting OK! You need to make your own decision about this. For example if your camera is set to produce Adobe 1998 files and that's your working space, mismatches should not normally occur and may indicate a problem so the mismatch messages may be helpful.

Intent: There are two valid options. If you routinely convert from a large colour space to a smaller one (eg to sRGB from, Adobe RGB (1998) or a custom profile that takes full advantage of your fantastic new camera) Perceptual is the correct choice. On the other hand if the destination space is larger (eg from sRGB to Adobe 1998, as many of our clients do), the correct choice is Relative Colourimetric. As Adobe says "Recommended for most colour conversions, especially when most source colours are already within the destination gamut".

iv. Under Advanced Controls check Blend RGB Colours Using Gamma = 1.0.

b) At the top of the window, next to Settings, you will now see the word “Custom” as a title for this new set-up. You can save it for future use by clicking on <save> and typing a name, such as “Queensberry”. This will now appear at the top of the window. Photoshop should automatically save the new settings in the Settings folder. You have the chance to add a description such as “Colour settings for Queensberry”. Click here for more about “Colour Management Policies” and handling the option dialogues they generate.

The monitor profile

Your computer will automatically use the Monitor profile you previously selected (see Step 2 above). It is not possible to change this in Photoshop. However Photoshop does allow you to check which Monitor profile is being used. To do this click on the RGB tab under Working Spaces, and scroll up. You’ll see “Monitor RGB – ” plus the name of the active Monitor profile.

Careful - do NOT select this as your RGB working space – that should be set to Adobe RGB, as described under point a (i) above.

Step 4. Set up Photoshop to show how your images will print

Now you must set up Photoshop to show you how your image will print on the selected photographic paper.

a) Click on the View tab at the top of the screen, and choose Proof setup>custom

b) Select a profile (QBYLustre.ICC or QBYMetallic.ICC from the pop-up list (there are full names of Queensberry's current profiles, which you installed earlier) and then set Intent to Perceptual. Preserve Color Numbers will need to be unchecked to do this; the other Check Boxes should be set as in the graphic above.

c) Save the settings by clicking on <save> and entering a useful title like “Queensberry Lustre”.

d) Repeat the previous steps for the Metallic profile if you intend to use it.

Click here for more about “soft proofing” with Photoshop.

We have now set up Photoshop to do the three things we listed at the beginning of this article:

• Told it what colour space we want to work with;
• Told it to warn us when we open images that don’t share that colour space, and
• Identified a Profile to use when “previewing” images so that we can see how they will look when printed. (This Profile will vary depending on which paper you are printing on, and will change also if you’re printing in the studio or at another lab service. Queensberry may also update its Profile from time to time – always make sure the profile you’re using is current.)

Editing with Photoshop

Now that you’re set up you’ll need to decide on a working space in which to edit your images in Photoshop. And, before starting work in earnest, you’ll need to calibrate your monitor - if you haven’t done so already. These topics are covered in more detail elsewhere in these resources.

Click here for more about working spaces (sRGB and Adobe RGB (1998) in particular.
Click here for calibrating your monitor.