PSP 2019 Color Management Still Broken

[CHoffman]

Being ever the optimist, I recently upgraded to 2019. Sure enough the color management issue hasn't been addressed. PSP does a credible job printing sRGB images. If that's all you do, and you can manage the complex Windows procedure to get the paper profiles associated with the printer, you'll be pretty happy. (You have to do the association so the profiles show up in the PSP selection list for the printer.)

If you want to use a larger color space like ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB (1998), forget it; the program doesn't convert the printer data correctly (at all?) and print quality will be dismal. Use Qimage instead for great results.

There are various previous threads on the matter, but it's very frustrating that there's no way to get this addressed in release after release.

[JoeB]

You might as well give up trying to get Corel to fix this issue. People have been complaining about it for years and not only has Corel not addressed it by fixing it, not one Corel person (to my knowledge) has even responded once to the multitude of complaints about it in this forum, let alone suggested that they are willing to try to do something about it. They obviously simply don't care, or don't have the expertise - or are unwilling to expend the effort necessary - to fix it and don't want to admit it.

[CHoffman]

Actually I did get somebody to try and get it addressed, but never heard from him again. Still, I figure it needs to be a periodic topic, just so new users are aware of the limitation and not waste the hours I have, trying to find some way to make it work.

BTW, why did they put an effort into opening raw images when one of the big reasons for using them is to apply wider gamut profiles like ProPhoto that are useless if you can't print them?

[JoeB]

BTW, why did they put an effort into opening raw images when one of the big reasons for using them is to apply wider gamut profiles like ProPhoto that are useless if you can't print them?

Maybe because promoting the fact that PSP can do RAW images makes the program sound more appealing to prospective purchasers? After all, marketing graphic programs involves promoting the good stuff, not pointing out the limitations that the good stuff might encounter when continuing with the other features the program does - or does not - offer.

[CHoffman]

On a positive note, 2019 does seem to correctly save prophoto images. I'm pretty sure earlier versions had trouble with that, so as long as you don't use PSP to print them, they edit OK.

[bruce1951]

Why did they 'fix' the raw conversion at all? They have Aftershot. So where's the logic?

Color Management is a complicated issue. You need to get everything right in the chain. PSP needs to be correct. Screen needs to be correct. Printer needs to be correct. Paper and ink profiles need to be correct. And on and on it goes. I think Corel hasn't the 'experts' to realise there is a problem in the first place. And to be fair the vast majority of PSP users won't know, nor care, that the Color Management is broken.

I gave up long ago. I use QImage for any color critical printer.

bruce

[CHoffman]

"Never give up, never surrender." Mathesar

Actually, color management shouldn't be that hard. IMO, the printer is the first thing to worry about. If one is using the right icc file for the paper, it should be possible to print one of the many online reference images and get near perfect results. If that doesn't happen, something's wrong and needs to be figured out. Only then should the monitor be tweaked to match the image (if one doesn't have a calibration device) and grey scales. As far as my needs, at that point it's job done. I think it only becomes a nightmare if one is using non-factory inks, if the paper isn't supported by either the printer manufacturer or the paper supplier or if the software has some kind of translation bug.

BTW, the latest version of Qimage now has a gamut warning check box in the proofing view.

[FLmom]

My whites are yellow. In previous versions of PSP, I went to File>Color Management to change to sRGB to fix it. That option is not available in PSP 2019 Ultimate. Anyone know how to fix the problem in 2019?

[Kathy_9]

Are you in the Essentials workspace? If so, try switching to Complete.

[FLmom]

Oh, yes. That's what I needed. Thank you so much, Kathy_9!

[ehume]

Are you in the Essentials workspace? If so, try switching to Complete.

Complete should be the default, not Essentials.

[JoeB]

Are you in the Essentials workspace? If so, try switching to Complete.

Complete should be the default, not Essentials.

Everybody seems to know that except Corel. Not to mention that if you start with the Complete workspace you can use PSP's extensive customizing abilities to reduce the Complete workspace to as essential as you want to make it - and YOU get to decide what's essential for your workflow instead of Corel making the same decision for everyone. Another unnecessary "feature" introduced by Corel for no practical reason.

[LeviFiction]

Essentials shouldn't remove features. I have no problem with it being the default, you want new users to feel comfortable, not overwhelmed. And long-time users should be familiar with the fact that Corel screws everything up, read the information in detail before installing. xD The problem is that some of the ways that they "simplified" the Essentials workspace make no sense. It doesn't actually simplify the main program, it simplifies the advanced features. And still looks just as easy/confusing to new users as the complete workspace does. They haven't improved the look to make it easier for new users, they just removed features.

That just makes no sense at all.

[ehume]

Essentials shouldn't remove features. I have no problem with it being the default, you want new users to feel comfortable, not overwhelmed. And long-time users should be familiar with the fact that Corel screws everything up, read the information in detail before installing. xD The problem is that some of the ways that they "simplified" the Essentials workspace make no sense. It doesn't actually simplify the main program, it simplifies the advanced features. And still looks just as easy/confusing to new users as the complete workspace does. They haven't improved the look to make it easier for new users, they just removed features.

That just makes no sense at all.

You are right. The Essentials workspace does not make sense, and the UI is not helpful for new users. They should reformulate the UI, renaming it Basic. The Complete workspace contains the advanced features, to get which is why we longtime users buy the new editions. And it should be the default.