Nikon, Color, Mac.

[itou]

i've been a proud owner of a d70 for years now and i don't think i'm using it to its full potential.

i've been researching on the web for a few weeks about color management and workflow. what exactly do i need to get the ball rolling on proper color management and a good workflow for my d70? ultimately, i just want to shoot great photos that edit great and print great.

i don't have a display calibrator. i might invest in one later but now's not the time. i'm not sure also if the d70 color profile is installed on my mac. chances are, it isn't. i don't think i need this right? when i import the raw NEF into aperture, it'll convert for me right? maybe this is where it's going wrong!

i've got aperture installed and have been using it just to archive photos and just do some basic photo editing like exposure settings, etc. i've been editing almost every photo i take to make it look decent!! i'm tired of it! i want them looking decent from the get go. what am i doing wrong?

i've heard of these plugins that i can use with aperture. are they any good? they're all "demos" on apple's site and i'm wondering how effective that is?

please help.

 

[wheelhot]

hmm, usually there is nothing wrong with Aperture, have you installed the latest version of aperture with the latest updates? Also since the D70 is 2 generations older, shouldn't be a problem, or at least to what I know of.

Can you post some of your photos so we see what is happening?

 

[Maxxamillian]

i've been a proud owner of a d70 for years now and i don't think i'm using it to its full potential.

i've been researching on the web for a few weeks about color management and workflow. what exactly do i need to get the ball rolling on proper color management and a good workflow for my d70? ultimately, i just want to shoot great photos that edit great and print great.

i don't have a display calibrator. i might invest in one later but now's not the time. i'm not sure also if the d70 color profile is installed on my mac. chances are, it isn't. i don't think i need this right? when i import the raw NEF into aperture, it'll convert for me right? maybe this is where it's going wrong!

i've got aperture installed and have been using it just to archive photos and just do some basic photo editing like exposure settings, etc. i've been editing almost every photo i take to make it look decent!! i'm tired of it! i want them looking decent from the get go. what am i doing wrong?

i've heard of these plugins that i can use with aperture. are they any good? they're all "demos" on apple's site and i'm wondering how effective that is?

please help.

A few things--stuff that will hopefully be expanded on by others here (not to mention corrected if I am wrong)...
1. Your monitor is absolutely critical for what you are doing. Make sure you not only invest in calibration equipment, but also in a monitor that can be calibrated with a good degree of accuracy. The pro's spend big money on this. I don't think you need to...I just switched from using an Apple 23" LCD to an HP DreamColor. The Apple would hold a calibration for about a week and did a pretty good job. If you cannot get the monitor you are proofing / doing PP on to match with what is showing on the web and what you are printing then you will continue to be frustrated.
2. Aperture has different color spaces you can work with (View>Proofing Profiles). Changing color spaces is handy when you know what you are going to do with the picture. For example. sRGB is a color space for web work and is also used for print. Adobe RGB gives you a wider gamut to work with, and if your monitor and printer can handle it then you may want to work in that color space. If you go this route you will want to know if just how much of the RGB color space the monitor / printer will accurately display. Beware of monitors that use dithering to accomplish this as color accuracy becomes an issue. Do your research and be patient--any old monitor will NOT do.
3. Post Processing. You've opened up a can of worms here. Undoubtedly some purist will get on this thread and talk about how he / she doesnt do ANY PP at all. You can go this route if you would like...all the power to you. This will allow you to focus on technique--for which there is a thriving fan club out there.
All I can do is share what I do... I simply PP the photos I like or that my clients want. The rest either go into the trash or get archived. There is no way I would PP each photo I shot off...just simply not enough time (and I'd rather be learning new things). At the end of the day, the more you understand your camera and good photographic technique then the less PP you will end up doing.
4. Plugins: It wont cost you a penny to play with a demo. There is a lot of good, good stuff out there. If you are more specific in what you are trying to do then I am sure there will by many who will chime in and let you know of a good plugin to use. At the end of the day tho...it's just like your camera. You have to play around with it and study theory / technique to improve your skills.

I've yammered enough. There will be plenty more from others I am sure.
Good luck!

 

[sonor]

i don't have a display calibrator. i might invest in one later but now's not the time.

You have to calibrate your monitor. You can't expect good results until you do this. I use an Eye-One Display 2, which I'm very happy with. It's very easy to use and my prints match what I see on my monitor. This has to be the first step of your workflow - it's not worth worrying about anything else until you get this sorted.

 

[itou]

now i'm starting to look at a calibration device. it seems like a sizable investment but i think it'll pay for itself at the end if i'm serious.

also, the plugin demos.... what's "demo" about it? only usable for a few days? or i can only see them on screen and not "save" the changes? what about lightroom? i've been playing around that more and more. it seems very good with the presets and stuff. it moves quicker too, although i've got this huge library already and would hate to start organizing it all over again.

 

[itou]

is there a way also to calibrate my d70?
colors look very.. yellow for some odd reason suddenly. quite literally.
all skin tones are looking brownish yellow which is very good and i'm tired of PP every photo i take to look "normal".

 

[cube]

Did you change the camera's white balance?

 

[aaronw1986]

is there a way also to calibrate my d70?
colors look very.. yellow for some odd reason suddenly. quite literally.
all skin tones are looking brownish yellow which is very good and i'm tired of PP every photo i take to look "normal".

What kind of computer are you using? If it's a MBP, could have the yellow screen issue.

 

[likeavaliant]

No sort of monitor calibration or imaging software will help if you arent using the white balance, exposure, ISO, etc right.

Your D70 is fine. The yellow skin tones is your white balance. You need to mess around with it. Sometimes AUTO does the trick, other times you need to manually adjust it.

 

[Mr.Noisy]

Sometimes AUTO does the trick, other times you need to manually adjust it.

Auto is normally fine, Try Auto -3, Iso 200 (only bump to 400 is dull and grey) then your good to go, shooting RAW the WB can be adjusted in processing anyway don't worry to much, but the D70 still produces some good results

 

[itou]

i'll try the ISO and the -3 setting.
the WB might be screwy.. how do i calibrate it? i've used it in auto and it's still not looking quite right.

i've got a 23" ACD and all other images look great. even my point-and-shoot Lumix looks better than the D70. it's odd

 

[Mr.Noisy]

i'll try the ISO and the -3 setting.
the WB might be screwy.. how do i calibrate it? i've used it in auto and it's still not looking quite right.

i've got a 23" ACD and all other images look great. even my point-and-shoot Lumix looks better than the D70. it's odd

what do you mean by not looking quite right ? too dark, too light, too yellow ish ?? try shooting in RAW so you have complete control over WB in Processing, still may be worth calibrating the Monitor, you will notice a difference, but keep the ISO low, have a play with Auto -2 or -3 and take test shots using matrix and centre weighted metering, centre weighted is nice for people shots, not so hot for lanscapes, where matrix is better (or so i find), good luck