# Darker skin tones appear orange, how to fix this...????



## MaVBG (Jun 14, 2013)

When I take a image of a a lighter skin person, the pics turn out great.  When I take a pic of a darker skinned person, the skin tones appear orange.  I am losing my mind trying to fix this.  I am running my pics rough LR4 and they look great or true to color.  I send them over to CS6 and they still look good.  Oh, my machine is a Win 7 64 bit.  When I print them on my Canon 9000 MK ii, the skin tone appears orange.  The pics are daytime and in the shade.  The WB is set to daylight.  I'm using a 580 EX 2 to light my clients and using shutter speed to control the ambient light.  Pics are printed on glossy paper.  Any props, their clothing, trees and the grass turn out like they are supposed to.  It's just the skin tones on a darker skin person do not come out.  I know a lot but it is obvious that I am still learning.  Thanks in advance for your help.


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## Gavjenks (Jun 14, 2013)

Sounds like a simple case of a low quality printer/ink/whatever.  Or if the printer is CMYK, maybe a color space conversion issue?


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## unpopular (Jun 15, 2013)

Gavjenks said:


> Or if the printer is CMYK, maybe a color space conversion issue?



Uhm..... where to even begin.


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## MaVBG (Jun 15, 2013)

I use Canon inks from BH Photo.


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## Vautrin (Jun 15, 2013)

Are you saying the photos are fine until you print them?

You might need to calibrate your printer and screens.  

"Color space management" is a huge topic you should maybe do some googling and you'll get a lot of info.

Basically you buy a tool to make sure colors are the same color.

Easiest way to describe this is to have you look at the picture on the left of the below page.  What color is the woman's dress supposed to be?:

Digital Photo Printing Courses | Theprintspace.co.uk


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## Ysarex (Jun 15, 2013)

Sounds like you're printing from CS6.

In the CS6 Print dialog there's a section labeled Color Management.

What do you have set in the drop box labeled Color Handling? It should be set to Photoshop Manages Colors and then in the next drop box you select the ICC profile for the paper you're using. Do you have a profile for the paper you're using? And as Vautrin noted have you calibrated your display and if so with what device?

Joe


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## unpopular (Jun 15, 2013)

Vautrin said:


> "Color space management" is a huge topic you should maybe do some googling and you'll get a lot of info.



Photoshop for Photographers has (or at least had) a very good chapter on this topic - it's a great book, and really the only one I recommend for digital darkroom.


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## KmH (Jun 15, 2013)

Many discover an entire sub-set of new knowledge has to be acquired to make high quality prints.
It is generally cheaper and much simpler to have a pro lab make prints than to make prints yourself.

While electronic displays are back lit, prints are fore lit.

Digital cameras and other input devices use the additive RGB (Red, Green Blue) color model, while output devices, like inkjet printers, use the subtractive CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color model.

As mentioned above, you have the option of having your image editing application controlling the color management or having the printer controlling the color management.

Here are some other online tutorials you may find helpful:
Tutorials on Color Management & Printing
Photoshop Help | Printing


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## MaVBG (Jun 15, 2013)

Yes, I am printing from CS6.


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## Designer (Jun 15, 2013)

Something that nobody has mentioned yet; get the latest firmware download from your printer manufacturer.


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## skieur (Jun 15, 2013)

Darker skin is darker than the grey card used for average exposure.  The answer is simple.  Dial down to under-exposure by the meter.


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## unpopular (Jun 15, 2013)

skieur said:


> Darker skin is darker than the grey card used for average exposure.



Well this is going to get politically incorrect REAL quick.


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## skieur (Jun 17, 2013)

unpopular said:


> skieur said:
> 
> 
> > Darker skin is darker than the grey card used for average exposure.
> ...



Only from your dumb comments.


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