Compensate for too much yellow

[Idophotos]

I'm having some calendars printed at Staples. Their printing process, online photo submittal with download to store for printing on Xerox 550, results in a darker print with more yellow than my screen copy. I can compensate for the darker print by lightening the photo before I submit it, but I can't figure out how to compensate for the heavy yellow print color. Anyone have some suggestions on what kind of change I can make to my final photo before submitting it so there is less yellow in the final print? I realize this is a RGB to CMYK conversion issue, additive colors being transformed into subtractive colors, which is why it is such a challenge. Staples folks are pretty much clueless about color management and the Xerox is password protected by the service tech so the store employees can't make any changes. They don't even know what print profile is used for the Xerox so I'm using sRGB for the workspace, sRGB Color Space for the printer, and using proofing selection in the color mgmt dialog. I've adjusted and calibrated my monitor so the on screen photo is acceptably close to a printed copy for some reference prints I've had run.

Thanks for your help.

[gbotes]

I normally use the magic wand tool to select the color, then just desaturate the selection until I'm happy with the final result. Unchecking "contiguous" allows me to select all of a particular color within an image.

[hartpaul]

Two possible ways:
1. Use Color > Red/Green/Blue and add blue (or reduce Red and green) - this will remove yellow (assuming that the image finishes with an overall yellow cast.

2. Image > Split Channel > Split to CYMK, then choose the yellow channel and apply Adjust > Brightness/ Contrast and decrease the brightness. This will again reduce the yellow. Then Image > Combine Channel > Combine from CYMK

Only problem with this method is that you cannot see the result til you recombine.

Lastly you might download a test chart image from the net which includes skin tones, colors and grey scale and then send that to the printer and see what they produce with that. That will give you an idea of how far they are off with a calibrated test image if it is their problem. Otherwise the test image will also allow you to correct your monitor so that the test image looks correct.

[brucet]

Another route. Go to Adjust/Hue and Saturation/Hue Saturation Lightness. In the Master drop down menu select yellow. Move the left hand slider down until you see the yellow get to where you are happy. (Make sure the Preview on image is selected on the upper right).

regards

[Idophotos]

I normally use the magic wand tool to select the color, then just desaturate the selection until I'm happy with the final result. Unchecking "contiguous" allows me to select all of a particular color within an image.

Thanks, but I think I'll pass on this approach. The color range of concern is too wide and dispersed to for the magic wand.

[Idophotos]

Two possible ways:
1. Use Color > Red/Green/Blue and add blue (or reduce Red and green) - this will remove yellow (assuming that the image finishes with an overall yellow cast.

2. Image > Split Channel > Split to CYMK, then choose the yellow channel and apply Adjust > Brightness/ Contrast and decrease the brightness. This will again reduce the yellow. Then Image > Combine Channel > Combine from CYMK

Only problem with this method is that you cannot see the result til you recombine.

Lastly you might download a test chart image from the net which includes skin tones, colors and grey scale and then send that to the printer and see what they produce with that. That will give you an idea of how far they are off with a calibrated test image if it is their problem. Otherwise the test image will also allow you to correct your monitor so that the test image looks correct.

I thought the split channel approach was it, for sure, but it just didn't adjust the way I needed. I even tried going the CMYK split and adjusting the contrast for yellow instead of brightness but that didn't work for me either.

[Idophotos]

Another route. Go to Adjust/Hue and Saturation/Hue Saturation Lightness. In the Master drop down menu select yellow. Move the left hand slider down until you see the yellow get to where you are happy. (Make sure the Preview on image is selected on the upper right).

Thank you for this suggestion.

This approach appears to get me somewhat close to what I want. What I'm doing for a test is take some test final jpgs, changing brightness to +35 and then dropping the yellow down to -55 on half of the jpgs, and down to -70 on the other half. One of the test jpgs is a reference color file, which I will include in the job as the calendar cover with no adjustment as well as with the two adjustments. I'll upload this group of 13 jpgs to Staples online service and see what the final product looks like. As I mention above their copier tends to darken the print and add yellow (so it appears to my eyes anyway). I'm guessing this combination of subtracting beforehand what they add will give me a final print that looks reasonably good. It's another $8.50 out the window but that's better than spending $400 on the final job only to have it not look decent. I have to upload 13 jpgs or the job won't go, 12 months plus cover.

[brucet]

When you use the The Hue Saturation method click on the small 'wheel' in the center of the colour wheel and turn clockwise and counter clockwise a bit. You may find that the colour variation is just enough to capture a better range of yellow. Using this wheel in combination with the left hand slider gives much more felixability.

regards