1) Why doesn’t Adobe Lightroom show some ICC color profiles?
Adobe Lightroom can only access ICC color profiles that are in the RGB color space. This includes all color profiles created for photographic prints. Color profiles for giclee prints (Fine Art Inkjet or direct prints), are created in the CMYK color space. These cannot be used in Adobe Lightroom. However, you can use Adobe Photoshop for soft proofs, as it supports both RGB and CMYK color profiles.
To top2) Does WhiteWall offer color management (ICC color profiles)?
Yes, for most products, we offer ICC color profiles for softproofing. You can find them linked near the bottom of the product page. Please note the aforementioned limitations of CMYK color profiles if you use Adobe Lightroom.
Note: These ICC profiles are only used to display a soft proof. Please do not use these profiles for a (colour space) conversion and do not embed them in the image data.
| WhiteWall printing technique & material | ICC profile |
|---|---|
| Fujicolor Crystal Archive DP II (220g/m²), velvet | |
| Fujicolor Crystal Archive DP II (220g/m²), matte/glossy | |
| Fuji Silk | |
| ultraHD on Fujicolor Crystal Archive DP Maxima (247m/m2), glossy | |
| Metallic ultraHD Photo Print | |
| Fuji Flex | |
| Kodak Pro Ultra Endura (250g/m²), matte/glossy | |
| Ilford B/W Paper |
Please use the black-and-white standard profile Gray Gamma 2.2. |
| Ilford Baryta Paper |
Please use the black-and-white standard profile Gray Gamma 2.2. |
| Hahnemühle William Turner | |
| Hahnemühle FineArt Pearl | |
| Hahnemühle Photo Rag | |
| Hahnemühle Torchon | |
| Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta | |
| Canson Arches Aquarelle Rag | ICC Profile Arches Aquarelle Rag |
| Canson Baryta Prestige II | ICC Profile Baryta Prestige II |
| Canson Rag Photographique | ICC Profile Rag Photographique |
| Canvas glossy | |
| Canvas matte | |
| Textile print, glossy | |
| Direct print on aluminium Dibond | |
| Direct print behind acrylic glass | |
| Direct print on Forex | |
| Direct print on brushed aluminium |
3) How can I calibrate my monitor?
In specialty shops, there are various devices for this available that measure the brightness and color display of your monitor, in order to create a color profile for your monitor. You can then use this to make sure your monitor has a calibrated display. A prerequisite for this is also using a graphic monitor capable of this.
To top4) How do I embed an ICC profile?
ICC profiles not created for individual programs, but for each operating system. Proceed as follows, depending on your operating system:
First, download the ICC profile (file will have a .icc extension).
Installation on macOS: Manually copy the .icc file into the folder:
MacintoshHD:/Library/ColorSync/Profiles
Installation on Windows 7, 8, or 10: Right click on the .icc file and select “Install profile”. The file will automatically be copied to C:/windows/system32/drivers/color
To top5) How does soft proofing work?
A soft proof simulates the results of the printing or developing process. This takes the printing or exposure method into account as well as the medium on which your picture will be produced. That means, for example, the white tone of a Fine Art paper or the maximum possible color space of a photo paper will be simulated. In this way, you can judge the effect of your photograph in advance and make targeted adjustments. It is important, however, to use a calibrated monitor for this.
Soft proofing with Adobe Photoshop:
- Open Adobe Photoshop
- Open the file you want to simulate
- Menu > View > Proof Setup > Custom
- Under “Device To Simulate”, select the profile
- Do not select "Preserve RGB values"
- Rendering intent: "Relative Colorimetric" with “Black Point Compensation”
- Optional: "Simulate Paper Color"
- Click OK to confirm
- Check your color profile in fullscreen mode against a gray background
The soft proof is now active for the open image. You can switch it on and off with the keyboard shortcut CTRL + Y.
Additionally, it can be helpful to show the gamut warning (SHIFT + CTRL + Y). These marks the out-of-gamut colors for the intended print paper. This makes it possible to optimize larger color spaces to the gamut of specific output devices. In Adobe Lightroom, you can use the following softproofing method:
- Open Adobe Lightroom
- Switch into the Develop module
- Beneath the displayed photo, check the soft proof box to activate it.
- In the toolbar on the right-hand side, you will see the soft proof settings
- Under Profile, you can select from all the profiles installed on your computer and activate the simulation. Note that Adobe Lightroom can only show RGB profiles. CMYK profiles will not be shown.
- In the histogram in the top right, you can activate the gamut warning for the selected profile. Lightroom will mark the colors that cannot be optimally reproduced in red. This way, you can make precise adjustments.
6) What printing processes does WhiteWall use?
In addition to various giclee printing processes, we also use traditional exposure and chemical development. Depending on the product and medium, different processes are used. We do direct prints on rigid mediums (Forex foam core, Dibond, Wood) using state-of-the-art UV pigments with large flatbed printers. For prints on Hahnemühle papers, we use a high-quality Fine Art printer from Epson. Canvases are made with a latex printing system.
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