Colour management consultancy & advice
Leicester, UK

Based in Leicester, we can provide you with independent colour management consultancy, advice and training services in Leicestershire, the UK East Midlands and throughout the UK.

Free reviews and articles - We have a large collection on this site, to help improve your understanding of the subject.

Colour management can contribute directly to your business bottom line.

Our expertise originally stems from our own need to produce top quality fine art prints and accurate digital capture of images.

We only accept the the very best in colour quality -- why shouldn't you?

Independent advice

We do not directly sell hardware or software, so our advice and training works for you, and fits the needs of -your- business.

We can demonstrate any of the many colour management devices and systems shown on this site.

If you are not sure of why you should be getting into colour management, call on us for a short consultation, where we will come and show you some of the benefits and explain your options.

Not sure about 'Soft Proofing' or why your prints don't look like they do on the screen? -- just ask...

Colour management advice and consultancy

Colour management is not rocket science - with our help and training, you -can- do a lot of it yourself.

Let us visit you and show how it's done. By not directly supplying colour management equipment, we ensure our independence and can show you all the options.

For instance:

We will -not- provide a regular monitor calibration service. It is our opinion that anyone who does is looking on you as an easy source of revenue.
We -will- teach you how to do it yourselves and show you how to get the best from what you have got.
We will -not- sell you printer profiles made on consumer grade equipment, that you could easily make yourself.
We -will- help you do it yourself, and we also work with some of the countries leading profile makers who can provide you the very best in remote profiling.

Training / education / seminars

As well as specific seminars and training about digital imaging technology, we also offer consultancy services covering specific areas of colour management.

For an outline of what we charge for Colour Management lectures and presentations, please see the outline of our consultancy fees at the digital imaging page.

We also know a number of people who we regard as the top experts in their particular fields, and are happy to suggest them for certain advanced areas, such as some aspects of process management.

Why colour management?

A lot of people are trying to bring an understanding of colour management to their business.

The advantages, such as 'getting it right first time' can quickly translate into a quicker turnaround -- and increased profitability.

However, there is still a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to how to best introduce such changes.

The device to the right is the Eye One Display 2 from GretagMacbeth. (now X-Rite)

We have many reviews of the latest in colour management equipment that you may find of use when comparing options.

We can demonstrate the best use of any of these devices in our training.

It is a monitor calibrator that also allows you to measure ambient lighting conditions.

Accurate colour management is what allows us to take a picture of this device under fluorescent lighting and accurately display it on the web.

At Northlight Images we're passionate about helping people get colour right, and have many free articles and reviews on this site, that hopefully make things a bit clearer.

Free articles and reviews

We are determined to continue offering all our articles and reviews completely free of charge.

We've actually got all the kit and software mentioned in most of the reviews below, if you've any questions.

To protect our independence, we are happy to say we do not directly sell -any- hardware or software at all.

Colour management information on this site

General Colour Management

Why don't my prints match my screen?
A short article showing why there is more to getting your prints to match your screen, than just calibrating your monitor. It's the vital first step, but you do need to consider some other factors for best results.
Why are my prints too dark?
One of the more common printing problems we get asked about. Addresses some of the steps you can take to produce more consistent prints.
Choosing a working space
There are a number of popular choices for working colour space when editing images. Keith shows examples and discusses his personal choices for different applications. One size definitely does not fit all.
Room and office decoration and lighting for photo editing
Some information on what to consider when setting up a space to work on digital images and evaluate prints.
The very simple guide to 'what is colour mangement'.
Is the red in RGB the same as a London bus, or a UK Telephone box? A very short explanation of what colour management is, and why you use it.
Colour management introduction
Beware the colour management Tar Pit
Know what levels of colour management (and expense ;-) suit the needs of your work... A personal view from Keith covering some of the things it is good for, but also why you should be careful to understand why you are doing it in the first place.
Printer test images
Media settings and profiling for third party inks
Keith recently converted an Epson Stylus COLOR 1160 to third party inks. In describing the profiling of a this set-up with a third party glossy paper, he shows how that often neglected aspect of profiling -driver media settings- can make all the difference between a so-so print and one that he would be happy to send out as a sample to his commercial clients. Test images for media selection.
Adjusting your monitor 'by eye'
Not the best way, but better than nothing at all
Colour management and the web - why getting good colour on web sites is not as easy as you thought
Removing Adobe Gamma - Adobe Gamma is often installed by default on Windows PCs, this short note describes how to deactivate it.
Dual monitor profiling under Windows XP SP2 - A brief note on profiling and calibrating dual monitor systems under Windows XP SP2.
Camera Profiling for ACR with the DNG Profile Editor
Using a ColorChecker card, we've created custom camera profiles for the Ricoh GX200. Used for processing RAW camera files with Adobe Camera Raw. Applicable to any camera producing RAW files that can be opened in ACR.
Using the ColorMunki for black and white with QTR
A special version of our black and white test print for reading linearisation data for QTR
Using QTR and PrintFIX PRO for better black and white prints
By using the PrintFIX PRO to take readings from a greyscale test target, you can create luminance only icc profiles that can give a noticeable improvement to black and white print set-ups. It can even be used to improve the results from the likes of Epson's new 'advanced black and white' print settings.
Colour Management
Links to articles and sites we've found useful.
(Please do let us know if you find something useful that we've missed)

Equipment and software reviews

X-rite (ex GretagMacbeth)

ColorChecker Passport - test card for photography. Also allows DNG camera profiles to be built for the Adobe ACR raw converter
i1iSis OBA compensation - Optical brighteners can cause problems in profiling some papers. Article shows why, and reviews X-rite's approach to building corrected profiles for different lighting conditions with the iSis.
ColorMunki Printer profiling - A detailed review looking at the ColorMunki ICC printer profiling system from X-Rite. This expands on this particular aspect of our initial review of the ColorMunki. Covers making and optimising printer profiles, with notes on profile evaluation.
ColorMunki - an initial review of this printer/projector/monitor calibration/profiling device.
i1 Beamer - A software upgrade and hardware attachment device for using the X-rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer for digital projector profiling
i1 Display 2 - Monitor calibration and profiling device from GretagMacbeth - also allows ambient light measurement. (see also updated Pantone version)
i1 Match update - updated monitor calibration functionality
i1 LT (i1Basic) - review
Basic X-rite i1 spectrophotometer package for monitor calibration, light measurement and basic printer profiling.
i1 XTreme - review
Complete i1 profiling package, printers, cameras, projectors, scanners.
i1 Design
A Spectrophotometer and software for monitor calibration, light measurement and basic printer profiling.
Measuring ruler - update to measuring ruler for the i1 design.
i1 scanner profiling
Using the Eye One with a scan target to get better results form your film or flatbed scanner.
i1 Camera profiling with the SG colorchecker
i1 printer profiling
More advanced printer profiling with the Eye One.
i1 profile editing - The Eye One Match software from GretagMacbeth (now X-rite) now allows you to edit icc printer profiles. How easy is it to use, and what things should you consider before editing profiles.
The Eye-One iO automated scanning table - review - An automated solution to improving the quality and accuracy of target measurement for printer profiles when using the i1 (ex Eye One) spectrophotometer.
i1 iSis - advanced measuring device for printer profiling.
An automated whole chart reader for printer profiling test charts. A3 and A4 versions provide spectrophotometer readings for both UV and UV-Cut (filtered) measurements.

May 2010 X-Rite annouce new profiling software for Q4 2010

i1 Match and ProfileMaker Pro will be superseded by i1Profiler later in 2010. We have some notes and press info in the X-rite information section of the Northlight blog. For purchases after April 1st 2010 here will be free upgrades, along with other offers when the software is available.

Sept. 2008 X-Rite and the current i1 range

It now consists of two options. The functionality is the same as we have reviewed, but exactly what you get varies. As a result of this rationalisation, the i1Photo, i1Photo SG, i1Proof and i1XT have all been discontinued, and the i1 range now consists of:

The i1Basic - i1Pro measuring device with monitor profiling software
The new i1XTreme - professional monitor, RGB and CMYK printer, camera, scanner and projector profiling, plus profile editing

With the i1XTreme you can calibrate and profile:

Monitors - LCD, CRT and laptops
RGB output devices
CMYK output devices
Scanners
Digital projectors
Digital cameras*

Datacolor (aka ColorVision)

Spyder3Elite V4.0 - Review of the improved and updated software for the Spyder 3 elite - Monitor and Projector calibration.
Spyder3express - review of Datacolor's basic calibration equipment and software
Spyder3Print SR - Full review of the latest printer profiling system from Datacolor. Updated spectrocolorimeter allows for strip and patch reading.
Spyder3Print - printer profiling package for creating icc printer profiles. Allows considerable optimisation of profile qualities, including black and white.
Spyder3Pro - monitor profiling with multiple monitor support and ambient light measurement.
Spyder3elite - review of the comprehensive monitor and projector profiling system with multiple monitor support and ambient light measurement.
Spyder2express - entry level monitor profiling system from ColorVision for Macs and PCs.
A review of the Spyder 2 pro monitor calibration system.
Projector profiling with the Spyder 2 Pro.
Spyder2PRO Ambient light measurement
The Spyder2PRO now allows you to measure your ambient room lighting conditions before deciding on monitor calibration settings.
PrintFIX PRO
A considerable upgrade to the PrintFIX. The new version uses a Spectrocolorimeter to let you create printer icc profiles (Not sold directly any more - you can ugrade the software for free to Spyder3 Print)
Updated PrintFIX PRO - better colour printing and B/W too...
PrintFIX PLUS
The software only version of PrintFIX PRO that allows you to create icc profiles without your own patch reader.
The original PrintFIX review
Printer profiling system (not sold directly any more)

Pantone

Pantone Eye One Display LT - monitor profiling. The mid range monitor profiling solution in the trio from Pantone. The measuring device is an Eye One Display LT from GretagMacbeth, and uses the Eye One Match software.
Pantone Eye One Display 2 - monitor profiling. The measuring device is an Eye One Display 2 from GretagMacbeth, and uses the Eye One Match software. This review has additional information to that in our original GretagMacbeth Eye One Display 2 review, and compares features between the Display 2, Display LT and Huey.
Pantone Huey Pro - review
Dual monitor support and and improved set of options compared to the basic huey.
Pantone Huey - review
The Huey is a new and relatively inexpensive addition to the monitor profiling market. Keith looks at how it performs, including its novel capacity to modify your monitor setup in response to changing room lighting.

Others

Desktop Print Viewer - PDV-3e - A review of the GTI print viewer, showing why having a well defined print viewing solution helps with print evaluation and soft proofing. Good lighting is a key factor in print consistency and prints looking more like you see on your monitor.
GrafiLite
A review of the Ott Lite based print viewing lamp.
ColorEyes Display Pro
Monitor profiling software that works with a variety of measurement devices.
Kodak Professional Colour Management check up kit - review
Print Profiler - review
An i1 based print and monitor profiling system from Colour Confidence.
Print Profiler - update
An improved version of the Print Profiler package.

Other areas of our site that may be of interest...

Digital Black and White photography and printing. Based on a magazine interview with Keith. Some of his thoughts, techniques and tips for those interested in a digital approach to black and white. We've many Photography Articles and Photographic equipment and software reviews on the site aimed at helping you get the best out of your own photography.

There is a gallery of landscape photography and fine art prints.

The What's New page showcases new site features.

Visiting Leicester or wondering where it is? We have views from the Leicester traffic cameras.