Colour management is fundamental to photography yet it’s often overlooked and see as a dark art. There’s also a misconception that our computers and monitors come pre-calibrated and should display colour and tone correctly straight out of the box, however that really couldn’t be further from the truth.
Maybe it’s this train of thought that means that in a recent survey a shocking 40% of photographers asked said they only had the bare basics of knowledge when it came to colour management.
Datacolor the company behind the research had over 400 responses that captured a snapshot of the industry. They queried how photographers were working and delved into their working practices and equipment in thiscolour management survey.
The feedback from the survey revealed plenty about the industry as it stands today and the work that is needed to bring all photographers up to speed with best practices.
A few of the highlights from the survey included;
63% use a standard monitor when editing photos
85% edit their picture in RAW until they’re happy with them
70% use desktop computers to edit their photos
65% experienced disappointment with colour reproduction when using a print service provider
40% said they only have ‘basic’ knowledge of colour management, with only 15% believing they have good knowledge
The value of this research to Datacolor who deal with colour management hardware is obvious, but to us, as photographers, it shows that colour management is an area we need to invest more time and resources into.
Datacolour has recently launched the ‘Spyder5 eBook: Color management can be easy’ ebook which can be downloaded by clicking the link in the sidebar to the right. This will link you directly to the first chapter, with more chapters to follow soon. It’s a good place to start on your colour management journey.
If you download the book then you’ll also find a 20% discount offer on the Spyder5PRO and Spyder5ELITE. Datacolor has also teamed up with FUJIFILM Fotoservice to offer 50% off premium print products. Again you’ll find more details in the download.