Korean Job Discussion Forums

[doc_ido]

I printed a few photos off at my local photo cafe (that is, small store with one of those HP auto-printers) and they came out rather dark, with the colour saturation too high. I tried adjusting them on the computer and on the machine itself, but the results were the same (needless to say, they looked fine on my laptop).

When I look at my photos on other computers (i.e. other monitors), they also look darker than I remember. I think it may be worthwhile trying to calibrate my laptop monitor, as I haven't been able to find a colour profile online (it's a fairly standard HP 530).

Now, as I'm not a professional or even a serious amateur photographer I don't really want to drop a few hundred dollars on a hardware calibrator...but I do need the services of one. My question is: does anyone know if there's a photo place in Seoul that has one I could use/rent if I brought my laptop down there?

I know that this topic is considered nitpicky if you're not making your own prints (besides, I don't have a colour profile for my camera either), but it irritates me that when I want to send some prints home for my grandparents (who don't have internet access) or parents (who have dial-up and can't look at large pictures) I have to apologise for the quality. Any help appreciated.

[swigs]

If your laptop supports external displays, you might want to invest in an other monitor. Try and pick up a used one if money is an issue. Many low level and mid level laptop displays are known for having issues with color and contrast accuracy, and of course the angle that you view the laptop monitor can also greatly affect how the image looks.