What you see on the camera is sometimes disappointing
Many people are disappointed from the outcome of the photographs they thought would turn out well. This is not an uncommon thing, as what we see on the screen on the back of the camera is not always a true indication of the actual color nor what the actual picture looks like from a quality perspective. Note that the screen that you are viewing the small thumbnail image from is just there as a guideline for you as to what you can expect prior to editing and post. Literally, you need to just observe your composition for cropping, and the color compensation and white balance. Some cameras will provide a histogram option, which will display the light lights, mid tones and the shadows. This will allow you some accuracy in your settings.
Once you have downloaded the images onto your computer from your memory card, you have the opportunity to select the best and delete the “bad ones”. There are many free, as well as included preview and selection packages that are either on your computer, or that you can download to make this process a bit faster, especially when you have high volumes of images that you need to sort from. For those that use The Adobe Suite, which unfortunately is a subscription that you need to pay for, there is a great program called Adobe Bridge. Lightroom, which is another editing software package is also great for this purpose.
Why your image looks different on each device
The monitor, or the screen on your computer will vary due to the specs, like the graphics card, and the quality of the screen and its colors. Screens can become very pricey depending on your expectations at the end of the day. Screens and monitors are also designed for various uses. A computer screen used to display content, like that of the Microsoft suite and related such programs, is very different to the screen that is used by photo editors and graphic artists for high end editing and commercial use. This applies to video editors alike. In these cases, size does matter, and will also affect the price. So, if you intending to do high end editing, and want good results from your images, you will need a decent monitor or a computer with a well specked screen. Remember that the less you have to edit, the better the quality of the image, so try take the shot properly the first time around, and if possible, in a RAW format. If you have doubts, attend a short course or workshop, it will make a huge difference to your photography. The same applies for basic editing, depending on your genre and editing knowledge, attending a short practical 121 tailored course that equip you with the basic and necessary editing skills that all photographers require is a good idea. Unfortunately, most photographs require some form of color correction and a slight edit, so there is no escape there, you just need to decide how far you wish to go and what your budget will allow…
Avoid the disappointment
Shooting for Online
It is import to firstly decide on the purpose of the photoshoot. If you are just planning to have the images on your external hard drive for online use only, or are you/ your client, intending to print them. If the intention is just for online usage, you can get away shooting in a jpeg format which is small, followed with a basic edit on your mobile device or computer. Unfortunately, there is little that you can do if the color varies from screen to screen. Each device has a different color profile, and works differently according to the spec and the hardware of the device. Also remember that the software and the apps that are available are all different and will generate different results.
Shooting for Print
When you are taking pictures for print, things will change… As mentioned, shooting in a RAW format will count in you favor and the same will apply to the standard of your computer and monitor. Without mention, it is essential that you have some form of editing skills on hand as this this plays a major role in every regard, from the outcome of the image on the screen, through to the final result of the printed image.
Once you have completed your edit and saved the image in the correct format, such as a TIFF, you need to ensure that the color profile meets that of the printer. For those people that are not sure what I am referring too, ask your printer to adjust your images to meet their color profile before you proceed with printing your image, and, perhaps do a test print on a small selected part of the image to ensure you are happy with the colors, tomes and the quality. This is very import, as you could either become despondent at the result, or you would have a lot of explaining to do to your client as to why the image looks so bad.