Wall art - need help please

[i know nothing]

I took a photo of the wife a few months back that I would dearly love to have printed as "wall art", looking at 75cm x 50cm or maybe even bigger.

I like the look of the glossy acrylic wall art prints, but I've never had anything printed that large and I want to get it right.

So..... I was having a photobook done by Photobox and some prints and opted to have a 15" x 10" photo printed as I was already paying for postage/delivery to see what my chosen photo might look like. I was dissappointed. What I saw on my screen and what they printed were completely different. They advised me to switch off "enhance photos" and they printed it again, slightly better, but not what I wanted. Here's what I'm talking about:-



Colours are not right and it looks underexposed.

I'm not sure what to do, I really want to print this photo out as wall art, but I'm worried that the results will be similar.

Is there anybody out there who might be able to help? I could send (email) the RAW file as well as my edited .jpg. I'm simply not experienced enough I'm afraid.

 

[i know nothing]

Probably a colour profile thing - has your monitor been calibrated? Have they sent you an ICC profile or are they expecting you to send it in sRGB (for example)?

If you're really serious about getting it nailed then use someone who takes this stuff seriously like Loxley. You'll pay more for it but it'll be right - every Loxley print I've ever had has been absolutely bang on.

I kind of know what you're talking about, but I don't...

It's a decent monitor DRZ, I've never had it professionally callibrated, but I understand that it was callibrated at the factory. It's 3-4 years old. I've never had a problem before. It's the first time I've had something printed that looks way off.

As for colour profile's I have no experience of them, I'm not sure how to use them or even if my simple editing software can accomodate them. All my photos are saved as sRGB.

Edit: I've sent an email to Loxley DRZ to ask if they can help.

 

[i know nothing]

It's quite common for prints to turn out much darker than what appears on screen for a couple of reasons.

1) Your monitor probably has the brightness set too high. When using a calibration device, aim for about 80 - 120 Cd/m
2) Your monitor emits light so will be bright under most conditions, whereas a print reflects light so it's brightness will vary hugely depending on the ambient lighting conditions.

It's likely the photo needs to be edited to brighten it, but care will be needed not to over expose some area, or introduce noise.

For wall art, the Loxley Alumni wall art product is stunning. I've done quite a few of these and I'm always impressed by the print quality, finish and overall presentation. Yes they are expensive, but worth it for special pictures.

I have since aquired a Colormunki and I have now calibrated my monitor. The brightness level was set too high.

Loxley Colour did get back to me and as well as suggesting that I callibrate my monitor first, they pointed me in the direction of their free test prints, something I was unaware of. So, back to the drawing board with the editing and I will then be asking them to print some test prints before committing.

I appreciate the help.