I have a 27" iMac 2.8ghz Intel Core i7 (late 2009)
OSX Lion 10.7.2
Im using PSE10 for mac for my image processing.
I shoot with a Canon 60D in RAW format.

My photo work is to print not web.

So recently I printed off a number of 10x15 at the local CameraWarehouse printers and whilst the quality, sharpness and overall output was great the colours where a lot darker than is displayed on the screen.

A few emails to a PC/Nikon friend on mine and he said "CALIBRATION" in a single word reply.

Hours later of trawling thru the net it's obvious this is at least the start of my problem.

I am looking for advice from fellow iMac users who have had similar problems and have used calibration hardware to correct their problems. Recommendations for the Spyder3 are everywhere. And for a price tag of $250 this is somewhat okay although probably the limit of what I wanted to spend.
I have however rad that the Spyder3 isn't all that great with the glossy iMac screens.

I have also seen the the display profiles in the Mac settings;
/Settings/Display/Color

They have an iMac default setting and then 3 others;
AdobeRGB 1998
generics RGB
sRGB IEC...

Has anyone played around with these to the effect Im looking for?

Any suggestions and help is appreciated. Thanks.

I found exactly the same thing on my iMac, and have switched to the sRGB profile (and havent printed anything, since.) I think its more likely to give you what you need, but I agree with the others, a separate screen of better quality is required. I've been considering a Dell 23-24" (I've decided 27" is lovely but way too overwhelming)

Originally Posted by Dutts

I have a 27" iMac 2.8ghz Intel Core i7 (late 2009)
OSX Lion 10.7.2
Im using PSE10 for mac for my image processing.
I shoot with a Canon 60D in RAW format.

My photo work is to print not web.

So recently I printed off a number of 10x15 at the local CameraWarehouse printers and whilst the quality, sharpness and overall output was great the colours where a lot darker than is displayed on the screen.

The problem with your prints being too dark is that your screen is way too bright. The only way to fix this properly is with some kind of calibration tool. I reckon the iMac screens are good enough, if calibrated properly, for the average user.

Do you intend to print images yourself? I had a Spyder2 and I was never really happy with it. I sold it and bought a Colormunki Photo which also lets me build profiles for my printer. A Colormunki might be a bit beyond your price range but in the end it can actually save you a lot.

I have calibrated a few recent iMacs (and also MacBook Pros) for a few people with my Colormunki and the results have been great.

Originally Posted by rpjallan

The problem with your prints being too dark is that your screen is way too bright. The only way to fix this properly is with some kind of calibration tool.

Dark prints is by far the most common problem for people who haven't got a calibrated system and rpjallan is correct that it will be because your screen is, like nearly everyone else's, way too bright.

If you can't afford to buy a jigger to do it for you, then use the inbuilt system which can be accessed from the Displays module of System Preferences. It's only just OK and won't help with the brightness, but is better than nothing. Before you do that though, turn your screen down as much as you can cope with. You'll get used to it. Once you've calibrated it with the inbuilt system, get a few more prints done and keep adjusting the brightness and then recalibrating until you get it close enough to be acceptable.