Neil Barstow Imaging and Colour Management Seminars

Seminar News

Generally, we've not been producing seminars of late, mainly our training has been customised on an individual client basis. For example, we produced a number of 1 and 2 day sessions for the image processors and repro. guys from Christie's (the art auctioneers). Actually, we think that's generally the best way to provide training, some thoughts below.
However, if you click here to register an interest in any future events or appearances, then, we'll keep you posted.
Of course, we will add you to the list, it is possible we may do more of our own seminars in the future, or contribute to others.

I hope readers will not mind a few thoughts:

Seminars are, of course, potentially quite useful. I our field it seeems that they can mainly serve as an introduction to ColourManagement concepts, easy or advanced, and the Image Optimization options for "preserving original vision", which become available to users with properly managed workflows. However, we have found that trying to teach a mixed ability room the whole package is somewhat difficult. Here are 2 reasons: one - your own particular workflow will be unique, two - it's a big picture. With sometimes many hours of presentations and taking notes in a talk and later trying to apply them back in the studio can be very difficult.

What a user needs, ideally, is just the parts of the jigsaw which are, or may occasionally be, relevant to them. That's why we offer on-site consultancy and training, mostly one-to-one, but also for small groups. Sometimes this can be done alongside hardware/software setup and custom profilemaking. There is plainly no substitute to having an experienced specialist sitting next to you when going through the early stages of colourmanagement adoption. [Or, indeed, perhaps for an occasional top up on a specific issue].
We do phone backup too.

We spend many hours a month on research and testing so that our clients don't all have to repeat the same work - thus saving a working photographer, artist, printer or designer from wasting an incredible amount of time trying to search out relevant [and constantly evolving] info from the internet and from books.

Of course, it's a totally personal choice, but if added value for clients is what you are after, and in the current environment that seems very valuable - if not essential, then sooner is a lot better than later, of course.

"The Colour Management Steamroller is on the move, either jump on or become part of the road." It's a nice quote from way back in the late 90's.

Please forgive the apparent persuasion (hoping this doesn't sound like a sales presentation), we're evangelists here. Spreading the word is very important to us. We all struggled with the way digital devices treat colour numbers in an unpredictable way so know only too well how important it is to take control of the inevitable assumptions which are automatically made within certain applications - and which constantly interfere with images in a non - colourmanaged [or incorrectly colourmanaged] workflow.

In the meantime you may like to look at a book which Neil Barstow co-wrote, Getting Colour Right -

Title :	Getting Colour Right
Ref. No :	661777
Publisher:	ILEX
Authors:	Michael Walker, Neil Barstow.
Price*:	Ł12.97 RRP: Ł19.95 Discount: 35%

September '04, Apple UK headquarters:
Imaging Seminar with Steve Upton of Chromix
- colour guru and inventor of the profile toolkit Chromix ColorThink.

We had a great day at Apple UK with Steve who was over in the UK for a few days. Steve and Neil spoke about general colour management issues and gave a taster on ColorThink PRO

'04 Imaging Seminars with Pixl

We had a great feedback from our 2 day Colour Management and Imaging Seminar at Apple UK in May , featured alongside Neil Barstow were, among others, Richard West of Apple, Emma Lomax of Epson UK, Thomas Holm of Pixl Aps in Copenhagen and, author of Photoshop CS for Photographers , Martin Evening.

GATF, Arizona '03

Neil Barstow was invited to speak in a seminar entitled Advanced - Better Scanner Profiles and Customer Files at GATF 2003 in Arizona - also taking part in a Lab session with Derek Brown and Steve Upton - Setting Up Digital Camera Profiles and a few very interesting panel sessions. It was a very interesting event with many vendors present and the opportunity to met amny of the worlds top colour guys aswell as to address a big audience of mainly press and pre press guys. Yes, Standards based Printing on press has taken hold in the supremely cost conscious USA too.

MacWorld NewYork '03

Neil Barstow was involved in a day long Colourmanagement seminar featuring some real luminaries ::: Brian Lawler Graphic Arts Consultant ::: Don Hutcheson Hutchcolor (home of the HCT scanner target ::: John Zimmerer Apple's color and imaging product manager ::: Kevin O'Connor Event chairman and Colour Management Consultant ::: Son Do from Rods and Cones ::: Steve Upton from Chromix (home of Colorthink) :::

March '03, Neil Barstow was invited to give a talk on at the Association Of Photographers in London - "ColourManagement ::: why do we need it and what is it" .
April '03, Neil Barstow presented a session on ColourManagement at the annual BIPP INFOT seminar.

feedback on our seminars

Thomas Holm, of pixl and Neil Barstow presented seminars in Manchester and London, on Colour Management and Image Integrity.

some delegate comments (thanks guys):

Douglas Burns, www.francisfrith.com:
Just to say thanks for the interesting and entertaining seminar you gave in London (in June).
I have been wrestling with the concepts of colour management for some months now, reading every book and article that I could find, but having someone actually explain it to me in plain english has been a major help.

Mike St Maur Sheil:
Would just like to express my thanks to Thomas Holm and Neil Barstow for their fantastic CMS seminar in London. So much enthusiasm and information that I can only stand amazed that so many chose not to go: either there are an amazing number of people out there who know all about profiling and colour management or ostrich farming is back big-time.
Not sure I will be able to get it right but at least I now know what I am doing wrong. So thanks guys [ and Janet ] for all your efforts. When is the next one please?

Giancarlo Zuccotto, www.sciencephoto.com:
An excellent seminar. My only criticism is that the subjects covered were too many in the time allocated.

David Townend, www.davidtownend.com:
Many thanks for an enjoyable, informative and intense day out! Where did the hours go? Suddenly it was 6pm and so many more questions!! I am no longer intimidated by the CM beast!
Cheers.

Julia Claxton:
It was indeed as promised - all Beef and no Bull. Which in practical terms meant that it was all knowledge and no sales talk - a refreshing change. Having said that, the opportunity to see the performance of the Apple Cinema Display against the Gretag MacBeth viewing cabinet [which they used to show examples of colour matching and metameric effects] finally convinced me that critical colour accuracy really is possible in a flat screen. Where's that lottery ticket...<G>

Lawrence Kittel, www.sciencephoto.com:
It was a really interesting seminar and I learned a lot - thanks

David Preutz, www.preutz.com:
Very informative. Covered all the topics with just the right amount of depth without being too scientific or boring.

Kirsty McLaren, www.kirstymclaren.com:
Just want to send a message of thanks to Thomas and Neil for a fantastic Colour Management workshop yesterday in London.
The day was absolutely packed with great stuff, with much to think about and ponder over. The topics covered were so spot on and relevant to the working photographer - covering all aspects of the scanning/input process through to editing in photoshop and printing output - giving us insight into how colour management affects ALL aspects of the workflow.
Although this workshop covered many complicated theoretical aspects, this was always soundly encased in good practical information and demonstrations about the digital workflow as a whole - which is great stuff for us photographers who need a bit of a helping hand to understand and apply a method to our working practices.
As colour management issues can so catastrophically undermine all our hard efforts, I for one, as a photographer, feel greatly supported by the knowledge that there are wonderful people like Thomas and Neil out there, who help us make sense of all this tricky stuff - and knowing that they are constantly testing and perfecting these techniques and methods with such high standards themselves, takes some of the strain off away from us. Hopefully this means we can concentrate more on our own work as photographers, whilst integrating these practices without incurring quite so much pain along the way!
well done Thomas and Neil, you make a great team!

Martin Beddall, http://www.beddallphoto.com:
Excellent seminar - dead keen to race my Mac and try out some of the issues raised. Thanks a lot.

Bernadette Feely, www.bernadettefeely.com:
Very clear, concise and easy to understand.

Nicola Webb, www.emmerichwebb.com:
I just wanted to say what an excellent, informative digital seminar given by Thomas Holm and Neil B in London yesterday.
All those questions you needed answered but could never find the info in one place, or work out who to ask. Many of the topics covered that crop up on the dig list all the time. Cheap at the price!!!!!!

Pat Shirreff-Thomas, www.greenshoots.co.uk:
Very useful and informative. Great value but a lot to pack in - brain dead now!
Well done guys, a great day.
Pat at Greenshoots

Chris Lomas:
Thanks for the outstanding seminar in Manchester! I am fired up and ready to set the colour wheels in motion.I am bloody glad you persuaded me to attend the Monday session.For me that is when the theory all came together into an understandable whole. Cheers Neil.

Paul Herrman, Redeye (North West Photographer's Network) chairman:
In general a very useful day and a sign that digital imaging is growing up. Thanks very much for all your effort in this-it really is appreciated!

James Davidson, www.jamesdavidson.co.uk:
My head hurts but the CM fog is definately clearing! Fantastic day and benefited greatly - many thanks.

Mike Usiskin:
Just a brief note to thank both Thomas and Neil for their seminar in London the other day. My heads still reeling, I'm working in a darkened room and all I can see is colour!! Thanks ever so much guys, your depth of knowledge is astounding and your patience (with trains and dumbarses like me) legendary. The management of colour (and colour spaces) has had more light shed on it in those few hours than I know what to do with!!
Thanks guys - it's all a little less of a mystery!

Jane Sharp:
Content was very good - how about a follow-on session with more hands on Photoshop 7 skills to show how to get the most from a desk top printer?

Tony Riley:
Very pleased with the day - excellent value, thank you. A contact list would have been useful.

Peter O'Keefe, www.titchfieldstudios.co.uk:
Excellent seminar - thanks for all your hard work.

Ian Blantern:
This seminar was all I had hoped for and cleared up many misconceptions.
GREAT.

Richard Davis, Secretary and webmaster, Down's Syndrome Association London Branch,
www.downs-syndrome-london.org.uk :
Many thanks for the superb seminar I learnt a great deal.

Val Evans, NMGM, www.nmgm.org.uk:
Excellent presentations which included vast amounts of information, swiftly delivered although rather a lot to pack into 1 day. It was all relevant to aspects of digital photography and design and very useful.

Richard Riddick, www.othens.co.uk:
Good speakers - extremely informative. I will now have to re-evaluate my opinions on SRGB!!!

Steven Byrne:
Excellent day - I understand a lot more about colour management.