Any reason not to keep soft-proofing on all the time?

[AFairley]

When I started using soft proofing, I would get the image looking the way I wanted on the monitor, then open a duplicate next to it and turn on soft-proofing on, and apply adjustment levels to the soft-proofed image to get it as close as I could to the original non-soft-proofed one (I found that aside from any gamut issues, the soft-proofed image would look a little darker, flatter and  cooler (Epson 3800 with EFP), then print the adjusted image.  Then I started wondering why not just keep soft-proofing on all the time, since I only print on one paper?  Is there a reason not to?  I'm never trying to color match, just to get a print that looks good within the limits of looking natural.

[Schewe]

Then I started wondering why not just keep soft-proofing on all the time, since I only print on one paper?  Is there a reason not to?  I'm never trying to color match, just to get a print that looks good within the limits of looking natural.

The limiting factor is that for your master RGB image you wish to keep long term, you don't want to be influenced and any one media and printer, do you? While you are only using 1 paper and printer now, you will prolly change printers at some point. If all your images have been adjusted to only look good when printed to your current printer it will be a limiting factor in the future.

[hjulenissen]

The limiting factor is that for your master RGB image you wish to keep long term, you don't want to be influenced and any one media and printer, do you? While you are only using 1 paper and printer now, you will prolly change printers at some point. If all your images have been adjusted to only look good when printed to your current printer it will be a limiting factor in the future.

Given that all printers/papers/displays have a different ("non-ideal") response, you would have to re-tune your images when swapping anything anyway, right?

-h

[Schewe]

Given that all printers/papers/displays have a different ("non-ideal") response, you would have to re-tune your images when swapping anything anyway, right?

You would retune the soft proofing adjustment layers, yes...but not the baseline RGB master. I only softproof at the very end of the process after all baseline color correction and retouching is done. Don't get me wrong....I strongly advocate softproofing. I just don't think it's a good idea to turn it on until AFTER you've arrived at the color corrected master RGB image.

[AFairley]

The limiting factor is that for your master RGB image you wish to keep long term, you don't want to be influenced and any one media and printer, do you? While you are only using 1 paper and printer now, you will prolly change printers at some point. If all your images have been adjusted to only look good when printed to your current printer it will be a limiting factor in the future.

Right, that is so embarassingly obvious....

Thanks