Selecting rendering intents for soft proofing?

[rpenmanparker]

I find choosing rendering intents for soft proofing in PSP to be very confusing. The program says that Match (Absolute Colorimetric) is the default choice for the first rendering intent selection corresponding to the Monitor/Printer. When I choose that, I get an overall dull blue cast on the photo with either Match or Picture (Perceptual) chosen for the rendering intent of the emulated device. I get the best screen appearance and correlation to the actual photos with Picture chosen for the first rendering intent and Match chosen for the second. That is the combination which provides the closest match of the appearance on the monitor with the print. Picture/Picture isn't bad, but not as good as Picture/Match. I'm using the same Canon paper profile corresponding to what I am actually printing on for both rendering intent selections.

Since both the screen and photos seem best with the Picture/Match choices, and either RAW or jpeg output from my camera usually requires no color correction to look good with those choices, I am assuming that must be the right way to go about things. If I went with the Match/Match recommendation, I would have to shift color to an extreme degree to get the screen looking right. And then the prints would be awful.

Is there any way to explain this? What are other folks using?

[brucet]

It's called an inexact science. Or print by trial and error.

Yes there are folks who will tell you to do this or that. But the reality is that getting an exact match between monitor and paper has so many variables that it's an almost impossible task.
Software, monitor, paper, printer, ink, room lighting and final viewing locations are all pieces of the puzzle. Oh and there is monitor calibration. A whole nuther story.

I print/sell a lot of photos through museums. Some of these have to be spot on for colours etc. So here's what I do. - Calibrate my monitor by eye. Yes eye. It's cheap and reliable. Make sure you have all the correct profiles installed for paper, ink, printer. Do a print and go back to adjust your monitor to suit that print. Yes it sounds backwards but it works for me. One other major step is to use a dedicated printing program. I use QImage. It has great soft proofing. Once I have the monitor matching the print then following prints 'should' match what you see. Until you take the print out of the room or over to a window!!!!!!

regards

[rpenmanparker]

Thanks for the reply. I am really not dissatisfied with my printer output. It matches my monitor pretty well. I am just puzzled by how I have to get there WRT soft proofing rendering intent settings. But your method is very encouraging. Unfortunately I am one of the minority that finds QImage unintuitive and confusing. I like PSP just fine for printing. Thanks again.

[brucet]

Yes QImage isn't the easiest program to master. However their soft proof is very good. Simply ignore their printer features and open a photo and then open it soft proof.

regards