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Colour me a Rainbow! How pics should and shouldn't look

Fran Castens / 6 September 2016

Vintage-style camera on a wooden deck with a beautiful rainbow in the background - banner

🎨 How to Get Your Photo Colours Perfect for Print

We’ve all been there – photos that are just a bit too real to print! Today’s high-definition cameras capture every detail, blemishes and all. But a photo that looks perfect on screen can sometimes disappoint in print. Let’s explore what can go wrong and the pro tricks you can use to make your prints look fantastic.

🖌 Common Colour Problems

Illustration showing the difference in casts with various white balance settings: incorrect daylight, correct fluorescent, set on cloudy, and incorrect iridescent

☀️ White Balance

Ever had photos that turned out too yellow, orange or blue? That’s a white balance issue.

📸 Pro Tip: Choose the correct white balance setting for the light conditions you’re in. Most cameras have pre-sets like: cloudy, sunny, or incandescent. Get comfortable experimenting and learning when to use each.

🎇 Blow Out

Patches of pure white (100% white) won’t print. Instead, they’ll show up as naked white space, which can ruin the look of a photo.

🛠 Fix It: Use photo-editing tools to ensure there’s always some colour in your highlights.

llustration showing the perfect image alongside a blown-out image, with the blown-out area highlighted for clarity for you photos
Image explaining that red skin tones are more noticeable in print, highlighting the importance of colour correction in photo printing

🧑 Skin Tone

Skin tones are notoriously tricky. Without the right lighting, people might look too dark, pale, or red. Editing helps balance this.

💻 Monitor Variation

Did you know your screen might be lying to you? Monitors are backlit, making photos look brighter and more saturated than they will appear in print.

🔍 Pro Insight: Photos almost always print darker than what you see on screen.

  • View your images on multiple devices (monitors, phones, cameras).
  • Remember: higher-end cameras often have more accurate onboard screens for previews.

🛠 Four Pro Tricks to Prepare Photos for Printing

  1. 🎯 Avoid Blow Out: Keep highlights under control.
  2. 🖥 Fix White Balance and Skin Tone: Use editing software like Photoshop or Snapseed to tweak and perfect your images.
  3. 🌈 Use RGB, Not CMYK: Always save your photos in RGB colour mode for printing.
  4. 🔍 Monitor Your Monitors: Adjust for brightness and colour saturation. What looks good on-screen may need to be lightened before printing.

🎨 Why Choose RapidStudio?

At RapidStudio, we use cutting-edge technology to map colours with accuracy. Whether you’re creating a photobook, printing canvas prints, or ordering photo prints, you can trust us to deliver perfect, vibrant results.

✨ Just remember, here at RapidStudio, we have all the advice you need.

🛍 Get in touch and let’s make your prints shine!