Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
TIP
If your camera takes photos in sRGB and you've been editing them using Elements' No
Color Management or “Always Optimize Colors for Computer Screens” settings
(Edit→Color Settings), then don't choose Adobe RGB for the printer profile, as the colors
in your images may shift drastically. If for some reason you want to change the color
space for the printer, first go to Image→Convert Color Profile, and then apply the Adobe
RGB profile to the photo. If you aren't absolutely sure that your printer understands
Adobe RGB (many inkjets don't) and you don't have a compelling reason for changing
the color setting, then it's best to leave them alone.
You can configure Elements' color settings in a zillion different ways, and you may need to
experiment a bit to find what works best. (See the box on
Economical Print Experiments
for
advice on how to cheaply test out a bunch of different print settings.) If you go looking
around for more info, you'll find that this subject is controversial—everyone has a different
approach that's the “right” one. But in fact, many different options can lead to good results.
WORKAROUND WORKSHOP: ECONOMICAL PRINT EXPERIMENTS
If you've just bought some top-quality photo paper, you may be suffering from a bit of sticker
shock and perhaps are even thinking, “Oh, great. Now I'm supposed to use this stuff up
experi-
menting
? At that price?”
The good news is that, while you have to bite the bullet and sacrifice a sheet or two, you don't
need to waste a whole box of paper. Try this: Make a small selection somewhere in a photo you
want to print, press Ctrl+C/
⌘
-C, and then go to File→New→“Image from Clipboard.” You get a
new file with only that small piece of the photo in it; this is your test print. Next, go to
File→Print, and then drag the partial photo to the page's upper-left corner. Then try printing the
page using Elements' standard settings.
If the print looks good, then you're ready to print the whole photo. If, on the other hand, you don't
like the result, then press Ctrl+P/
⌘
-P to bring up the Print window again. This time, drag the test
print over to the right a little bit. Adjust your settings (keeping track of the changes you make),
and then print again on the
same
piece of paper. Your new test prints out beside the first one.
Keep moving the test area around on the page, and you can try out quite a few different combina-
tions of settings, all on one sheet of paper.
