Mastering Soft Proofing: How to Get Accurate Colors Every Time

Between editing and printing there is one important step we often forget: the soft proof. With a calibrated monitor you can accurately preview your print colors on screen, and make any necessary edits before you make the print. This webinar covers all things soft proofing.

Skip ahead to these sections:

00:57 Lightroom Intro
01:30 To soft proof effectively, you have to calibrate/profile your screen
03:10 How to soft proof in Lightroom
06:22 Display gamut warning in Lightroom
07:40 If your print profile is not displayed in Lighroom, here is how to add it
09:00 Comparing paper gamut using soft proof
11:11 Should I edit my image to keep all colors in-gamut?
14:06 What are the main differences between matte and glossy when soft proofing?
16:27 How to show gamut warning (highlight color) in Lightroom
18:12 Should I create a mask based on the gamut warning to adjust colors?
19:13 How do I soft proof if I send my photos to a lab for printing?
21:00 Create a virtual copy to make edits for a print
24:55 How can curves be used to edit out of gamut colors?
26:20 Soft proof in Capture One
30:36 Why does my image look ‘flat’ when I soft proof with a matte paper profile?
31:38 Rendering intent in Capture One
35:20 What is the best rendering intent to use when printing?
36:30 Should I ask my print lab if they use custom ICC profiles?
39:25 Soft proof in Photoshop
40:42 Opening a RAW file as a smart object
42:06 Displaying the soft proof
43:20 Displaying gamut warning in Photoshop
46:45 Can I soft proof in LR and print from PS?
47:50 Is there a way to open a smart object in PS from LR?
49:30 What is the technique for using layers in Photoshop to adjust specific colors?
Using curves, HSL, and masking to adjust specific colors or tones in an image
1:04:35 After calibrating, my print seems darker than it should. What can I do?

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[bywayz]

This is the most understandable and useful explanation of soft proofing I've found, after viewing many. I especially appreciate Jim's assurances that letting a color or colors remain a bit out of gamut is "not horrible." Not at all! In my final prints, some colors that are a bit out of gamut has not mattered. Thank you!

[Argyll]

Great video and helped me solve a number of problems with out of gamut issues.

[WeAreAlienBand]

thank you so much, this has been super helpful.

[elmafudd]

I'm old-fashioned, but I still prefer Photoshop, as I have a choice. Especially in the rendering intents, where I feel it is vital to try them all to see which works with which image. I also like an actual copy, not a virtual copy that can be lost by the matrix.

[rogerwalton]

(at about 22.26 question on screen) When softproofing in Lightroom, once you start to make any adjustments LR asks if you want to make a virtual copy for this anyway.

[rlast]

Really like your explanation and demo Evan! But it is a pity that because of the video quality anything demonstrated in the darker tones can't be seen!