Proof images and manage color

The printer, paper type, and color profile settings all affect the way your photos are printed. Onscreen proofing allows you to check the color in your photos, before you print them.

To use onscreen proofing, choose the proofing profile that most closely matches the characteristics of the final output device, and then turn on onscreen proofing. When onscreen proofing is turned on, the photo is converted using the selected profile before it is sent to the printer.

Choose a proofing profile

  • Choose View > Proofing Profile, then choose the profile you want from the submenu.

Turn onscreen proofing on or off

  • Choose View > Onscreen Proofing (or press Option-Shift-P).

When onscreen proofing is on, a checkmark appears beside the item in the View menu.

Turn off color management for your printer

For best results, you should turn off color management in your printer when printing a photo using Aperture. By default, most printers are set to convert the photo to the printer’s color space. However, Aperture is designed to perform this conversion internally. Each printer manufacturer creates its own Print dialog. This means the setting for turning off color management in your printer varies depending upon the manufacturer of your printer and the printer model.

Note: If you have multiple printers connected to your computer, you should create a print preset and turn off color management for each printer.

  • Refer to the owner’s manual that came with your printer.

For more information about using the Aperture onscreen proofing feature, see Set up the Viewer for onscreen proofing.