The key difference between screen and print
When you edit images on a computer screen, you’re working with light that’s being emitted. A monitor produces its own brightness and colour, which means your images will always appear consistent as long as your screen is calibrated.
Prints, on the other hand, behave very differently. A print is made of pigments on paper, and what you see depends on the light that falls on it. Because paper reflects rather than emits light, a print will never look the same in every viewing environment.
This is why prints can look perfect in one space and unexpectedly warm or cool in another.
Colour temperature and why it matters
The main factor behind these shifts is colour temperature—a way of describing the tone of a light source.
- Daylight is considered neutral, sitting around 5000K–6500K.
- Household bulbs often sit around 2700K–3200K, producing a warm, orange glow.
- LEDs vary widely, but many “soft white” options mimic that same warmth.
At Folio, we calibrate our printers to assume viewing under D50 (5000K) lighting, the industry standard for daylight conditions. It gives us a consistent baseline. But if a print is then viewed under a warm household lamp, especially in autumn and winter when we rely less on daylight, the whites and highlights reflect that orange warmth.
Why it’s more noticeable in autumn and winter
In the brighter months of spring and summer, most people naturally view their albums or prints near windows, where daylight provides a neutral and balanced tone. As soon as autumn arrives, however, daylight hours shorten and we rely more on artificial lighting in our homes. These light sources tend to be warmer, so colours in prints appear warmer too.
On top of this, daylight itself changes with the seasons. Winter light is softer and cooler than the bright midday sun of summer. When prints are seen in these conditions, or under the warmer glow of evening lamps, their tones adapt accordingly. It’s why images that looked balanced in August may seem more golden or orange by December.
The role of your editing style
Your post-production style plays a large part in how prints are experienced under different lighting. If your editing is already on the cooler side, seasonal lighting changes are less likely to be obvious. However, if your style leans warm, adding golden highlights, lifting skin tones, or incorporating warmth in presets, then a print viewed under tungsten or LED lighting may appear even warmer than expected.
This is not a fault with the print but a natural effect of light doubling down on the creative choices made in editing. A balanced approach during post-production often produces results that feel more consistent, regardless of the season or environment where the print is viewed.
The impact of brightness on prints
It isn’t just the colour of light that matters. Brightness plays a big role too. A print viewed under a dim lamp may feel flat, while one under a harsh spotlight could look washed out.
As B&H educator Tom Ashe puts it, “subdued, controlled lighting helps keep colours accurate and consistent.” Evenness of light matters more than intensity. Harsh pools of light or mixed sources can confuse the eye and shift how colours appear.
How our eyes adapt
There’s also a human factor at play. Our eyes adjust to the lighting around us, often without us noticing. Spend half an hour in a warm, cosy living room and your brain begins to balance out the orange glow. A print may look slightly different at first glance compared to how it looks once your eyes have settled into that environment.
This natural adaptation explains why colours sometimes feel like they’ve “changed” when in fact it’s our perception that has shifted.
Helping clients understand
As photographers, it’s worth being proactive with this knowledge. Many clients won’t understand why their print looks different at home compared to your studio, or why it feels warmer in winter than in summer. On top of this, they’re accustomed to seeing images on screens—phones, tablets, or computers—which are bright, backlit, and designed to make colours pop. When those same images are viewed as prints, which rely on reflected light, they can naturally feel more subtle and responsive to the environment.
This difference can be surprising for clients who are only used to digital galleries. Getting ahead of it with clear, friendly language in your client communications makes a big difference. You don’t need to overwhelm them with technical jargon—just a simple explanation helps set expectations and builds trust.
Here are some phrases you could use in conversation, in your brochure, or in your email handovers:
- “Prints are living objects. Unlike screens, which always shine their own light, prints reflect the light around them. That means they’ll look slightly different depending on whether you view them in daylight, under a lamp, or even in different seasons.”
- “If you ever notice your print looking warmer or cooler, don’t worry, it isn’t a fault. It’s just your album responding to the light in your home.”
- “We print to a daylight standard, so your colours are accurate. From there, your print will interact with its environment, which is part of what makes it special compared to looking at photos on a screen.”
By weaving in language like this, you not only reassure clients but also highlight the unique value of print. Instead of positioning lighting shifts as a problem, you frame them as part of the beauty of a handcrafted, tangible product.
Advice for workflow
If you’ve ever felt your prints look “too orange” at certain times of year, or if clients have raised concerns, it may help to revisit your editing style. A move towards more natural colour can reduce the impact of seasonal lighting shifts and ensure consistency across environments.
The most effective place to start is with colour temperature and tint. In software like Lightroom, small adjustments to the temperature slider can make a big difference. Pulling back slightly from warmer tones, or balancing with the tint control, creates a more neutral base that holds up better under varying lighting.
Be mindful of presets too. Many popular presets are designed to create a warm, golden aesthetic, which may look beautiful on-screen but become exaggerated in print, especially under indoor light. If you use presets, take a moment to fine-tune them for each gallery rather than applying them uniformly.
It’s also worth soft-proofing your edits by printing a small selection and viewing them under different conditions. This not only helps you refine your post-production choices but also gives you confidence that what you deliver will feel consistent for your clients.
By leaning into a more balanced style, such as natural skin tones, accurate whites, and gentle warmth rather than heavy amber tones, you’ll produce prints that remain beautiful regardless of the season.
Embracing the seasonal shift
Rather than seeing these seasonal changes as a problem, you might frame them as part of the story of print. Just as daylight on a wedding day shifts from golden morning tones to deep blue evenings, prints shift subtly with the light they live in.
For clients, that means their album is never static. It interacts with their home, the time of year, and even the moment of day they open it. Instead of worrying about variations, we can celebrate them as part of the magic of print.
Summary
Prints reflect light rather than emit it, so their appearance changes with lighting. In autumn and winter, reduced daylight and warmer household lamps often make prints look more orange. Brightness plays a role too, as does our own vision adapting to ambient light. If your style leans warm, seasonal changes may amplify this effect, but moving towards a more natural colour balance helps reduce surprises. The solution is not to change your workflow each season but to keep your edits balanced, check test prints, and guide your clients through what to expect.
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