Render looks great on my screen but cartoonish on clients

[danb4026]

My screen is calibrated. I usually save my post images out to Srgb color space in Photoshop.

 

One of my clients was recently at my office and noted that a particular rendering looked much more impressive and photo real on my screen then theirs.

 

I do not know how to remedy this situation, but it is extremely important that what I am creating is what they are receiving and viewing on their screen.

 

Does anyone have any advice? I cannot expect them to calibrate their screens to suit me.

 

Thanks!!

[heni30]

Ernest Burden was commenting that images look great on a tablet. Everyone has them these days.

Maybe you can suggest that to them.

[Ismael]

The Color Munki has this, "Share your images with confidence with DigitalPouch™, a self-executable application that checks for ViewSafe™ conditions on the receiver side. Simply drag and drop the images you want to transport into the pouch, “zip” it up and send. The receiver doesn’t need to own ColorMunki software. They’ll be able to view the images with your embedded profiles in a replicated viewing screen. DigitalPouch checks recipients monitor for an up-to-date profile and displays warning message when necessary. DigitalPouch is your new indispensable color communication tool!"

[danb4026]

guys good advice....I will suggest to the client to view on tablet and look into the color munki concept.

[vincentg87]

Do let us know the outcome of color munki. I've been facing this issue for quite some time too. The easiest way I found is by using a tablet

[Ismael]

In case we do not know what monkey is this munki:

http://www.colormunki.com/

[RyderSK]

This is my biggest nightmare, even with the colormunki, there will always be people who will watch it on some cheap office type laptop with worst under-contrasted TN panels available, and what then.. I guess it's just something one has to live with.

 

Though I have to say I am pretty intrigued and will check it out more closely (CM).

[Devin Johnston]

The digital pouch sounds great, it's the first time I've heard of a way to have un-calibrated monitors display colors correctly.

[Ismael]

Here you can find an image in a pouch: http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/CMP/CMP.HTM

Download and play with it on different monitors.

[Devin Johnston]

Can you use the digital pouch without purchasing the calibration tool?

[Ismael]

I do not know that Maxer.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Can you use the digital pouch without purchasing the calibration tool?

 

Hmm..... not sure what your intentions are with Digital Pouch but PDF might be an easier way to gain more control over color when reviewing an image on a clients monitor.

[Devin Johnston]

I want to be able to send a client an image and know they are seeing the same thing I am. I use Dell monitors that are pre-calibrated from the factory to sRGB, I don't need to use their calibration utility.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

I want to be able to send a client an image and know they are seeing the same thing I am. I use Dell monitors that are pre-calibrated from the factory to sRGB, I don't need to use their calibration utility.

 

I think PDF might be your best bet. If you flip back to the third 3DATS book where Jeff talks color calibration I think he also mentions that PDF proofs to the client are an excellent way to control the way color is seen by the client.

[Devin Johnston]

I don't have that book, is there anywhere else where this is explained?

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

I don't know where else it would be explained but I believe you can embed a ICC profile into the PDF so it will be viewed with that profile profile. More than likely the client will then view the image with Acrobat which will do its best to properly display the color. You are still limited by the quality of their montior but at least you are controlling the profile and viewing application.

 

Sending jpegs is a crap shoot for how the color is translated. If they view it in Photoshop then you are probably fine but if they click on it in an email and it displays in a browser window then you can be in for some problems. Most browsers don't recognize ICC profiles though I think they are getting better.

[Guest dialog]

I have this same issue...certain designers in the office have the worst monitors on the planet. I remember a project where it finally came to the point where I had to go home and set up the project they would be using and do all my post work to make it look good on that...let me tell you how bad the final image looked on a good monitor.

[JDx]

Maybe you saved it with a colorscheme?

[markparsons]

I always show finished stuff to clients on my tablet when meeting with them. Haven't had this problem yet, but right now I'm working mobile on a laptop out of the country in which I typically work and am having a terrible time properly calibrating my laptop.

[erkutacar]

since it depends on the calibration of the clients monitor and the color profile ur client uses, u would should "save for web" in photoshop. this discards the color profile from the file.. for example if u design a website in photoshop and set background color to #666666 which is gray and when u view ur work in an image viewer such as windows photo viewer, colors will look warmer and even. but when u place images from that design into a coded html, the tones of the gray u specified with coding #666 will be different from the gray in the images u placed. it might look correct and even in ur screen but i assure u it will look wrong in a different screen.

 

also, actual large prints r a good idea for presentation..

[Ernest Burden III]

Ernest Burden was commenting that images look great on a tablet...

 

I said that? Maybe I did. I do use an ipad to show work. If my website isn't enough, I will show my 'portfolio' on my ipad. The real reason is not the color rendition, it's that there are projects I cannot post online, but can get past an NDA by handing a client a way to see the work without a copy being transferred.

 

But it's true--client conditions often are the worst for viewing out artwork. In the old days, it was bringing in a watercolor to be seen under florescent lights. I used to refuse to even unwrap the rendering unless we could go near a window. And now its the client's crap monitor. What are we to do? Just be prepared to explain colorspaces and monitor renditions and all that. It sucks. But I can't bring my EIZO to a meeting.