How to Prepare a Photo File for Printing |  |
- How to Prepare a Photo File for Printing
- In With The Old, Using the Daguerreotype Photography Process Today (Video)
- How to Create Industrial Portraits in Harsh Sunlight (Video)
| How to Prepare a Photo File for Printing Posted: 20 Jul 2013 04:31 PM PDT Final Reminder: Only 1 day left! in the deal on: Photography Printing 101 The goal of this tutorial is to help photographers prepare digital images either originated by scanned film or digital capture for printing purposes. The main focus will be directed at printing by a professional service since they typically produce the best results in contrast to home printing. For those just venturing into professional quality printing there's a lot of useful information in this tutorial. Color ManagementWhat is color management? Color management is a procedure that maximizes the consistency of the colors and brightness from capture to output. The output is the final destination of the image, it can be in a device such as a monitor, a smartphone, or ultimately a print. Color SpaceThe first concept to understand is Color Space. When an image document is generated, a Color Space is attributed to it depending on the device used. A Color Space is the entire set of colors (also called Gamut) that can be expressed by this document. For photography and printing purposes we are only concerned with RGB Color Spaces, (CMYK Color Spaces are used more for press). The most common Color Spaces are:
 Different Color Spaces are better for different types of prints. Color ProfilesKeeping the definition of Color Space in mind makes it easy to understand the concept of Color Profile. Assuming that different devices have different characteristics in representing color and brightness of images, the goal of using Color Profiles is to translate the representation of the image between devices. Every monitor displays in a distinct way, so when you calibrate your monitor you are attributing a color profile to it that makes it to show color and brightness according to the standard Gamut of colors for monitors. In the same way, a print doesn't show the same Gamut that monitors do for the same image. A print is a reflective object, it depends on incident light to show the image. Moreover, it depends on the inks and the papers utilized in making the print, so it makes sense to utilize a Color Profile to translate the colors viewed in the monitor to those that will be printed to paper. Important: for those utilizing a professional printing service there's no need to worry about profiling for the printer and paper, but is very important to calibrate their monitor to have a maximized similitude between the image viewed and printed. Additionally keep in mind that the printed image will always look a little darker and less contrasty than in the monitor due the already explained nature of the different medias. Image Resizing and Image SizeImage resizing is the next big misunderstanding issue in printing. Most photographers, especially newbies, have problems when resizing their files for printing purposes. The most important information related to image size is the total number of pixels that compose the image. For example a typical entry level DSLR captures images at 5184 px X 3456 px, which translates into a approximately 18 Mb file. This means that you have 5184 pixels available horizontally for printing and 3456 pixels vertically. If printing in a resolution of 300 ppi (pixels per inch) your will need 300 pixels in every inch of printed image. In other words, the maximum size for printing at this resolution is: 5184 px /300 ppi = 17.28" and 3456 px /300 ppi =11.52", meaning, at 300 ppi, you can print an image roughly as big as 17" x 11". If the best quality is not that important a image can be resized at 240 ppi or less, consequently reaching a bigger size. Image ResamplingIt's very important to emphasize that we are not talking about "Resampling" the image, but rather "Image Size". The image below shows the "Image Size" Panel in Photoshop. The first section: "Pixel Dimensions" shows the actual original number of pixels in the image (as in our example 5184 px X 3456 px). The second section "Document Size" shows the size of a image at a 300 ppi resolution (17.28" X 11.52"). The 3 checkboxes in the bottom of the panel are crucial to understand the whole concept behind the Image Size issue, but only two are actually crucial. The first checkbox is out of the scope of this tutorial, so we are going to skip it. The next, "Constrain Proportions", when checked, will maintain the proportions between width and height. By keeping this box checked, the risk of odd looking images that seem stretched vertically or horizontally will be eliminated. The most important is the last checkbox, "Resample Image", and the idea behind it is pretty simple: if unchecked, the Pixel Dimensions will be kept as in the original capture when changing either width or height in either section ("Pixel Dimensions" or "Document Size"), therefore the resolution will change in order to keep the pixel dimension constant. On the other hand, if changing the resolution, width and height will change for the same reason. This ensures the best image quality.  It’s important to understand how the different sections and checkboxes will affect your image. If a bigger (e.g. for printing) or smaller (e.g. for web posting) image is needed, then "Resample Image" has to be checked. This implies that new pixels have to be "created" when "upsizing" or pixels have to be removed when "downsizing". The result is not as bad when going smaller as it is going bigger. Although Photoshop and other softwares do a reasonably good job when resampling, the best results are achieved when keeping the image at it's original size. CroppingAs a professional Master Printer, I notice that a big number of customers bring files cropped in a way that is more pleasant to their vision. There’s nothing wrong with that, at least when they don't ask for a standard print size that doesn’t match the same proportions of the cropped file. American standard printing sizes are normally sizes like 8×10, 11×14, 20×16, and so on. The standard sizes are handy because it’ easy to find cut sheets, pre cut mats, and ready to use frames. If you intend to use those standard sizes make sure that your image has the same proportions as the chosen standard size or something will be cropped, either in width or height, depending on the relation between the sides. You can stick to your proportions, but you will have to find custom paper, mat, and frames. BordersBorders are very important tools to enhance images, but there are a few things that have to be taken into account when deciding sizes and proportions for images including borders (a future tutorial will show how to apply borders in images).
ConclusionPrinting is the final expression of an artistic photographic vision. Learning and following basic principles can make this process much easier, faster, and less expensive. My intention was to explain the technical aspects of printing without worrying about the technical and artistic aspects of the capture and post production. I sincerely hope that this tutorial can help you to achieve your masterpiece. About the Author: For Further Training on Photography Printing:Like many disgruntled ink jet printer users, Pro photographer Ron Martinsen had almost given up on getting good quality prints. He found himself averaging about $50 per 4×6 print when you account for all of the clogged print heads, discarded printers, wasted paper, and ink costs. But through much research and in collaboration with Canon, Epson & HP he was finally able to develop a dependable printing workflow with great results. This eBook is a result of his efforts and we were able to negotiate a 25% discount for our readers which expires in 1 day, simply use the discount code PICTUREPRINT at checkout. It can be found here: Printing 101 – Introduction to Photography Printing Go to full article: How to Prepare a Photo File for Printing |
| In With The Old, Using the Daguerreotype Photography Process Today (Video) Posted: 20 Jul 2013 12:19 PM PDT In today’s digital world the art of photography is taking a serious hit. With the introduction of DSLR cameras and the instant gratification they provide many modern day photographers have little, if any experience, with the original methods of capturing an image. As sad as this may seem there still is hope. There is a small niche of photographers that seek to create and capture using the tools and techniques of our photographer forefathers. One such example is photographer, Dan Carrillo: Dan Carrillo uses the Daguerreotype process involving dangerous chemicals and tools made with his own hands to create stunning images that will last a lifetime.
His love of the art is apparent and hopefully contagious, encouraging others to put down there DSLRs and experiencing the zen of photography’s ancient arts. Go to full article: In With The Old, Using the Daguerreotype Photography Process Today (Video) |
| How to Create Industrial Portraits in Harsh Sunlight (Video) Posted: 20 Jul 2013 11:08 AM PDT Blazing sun in the middle of the day is not the kind of light source that photographers dream of. The high, harsh light casts dark, unflattering shadows on subjects. Most photographers avoid scheduling photo shoots during these un-golden hours. But sometimes there’s no other choice, and the photographer must work with the conditions at hand. Joe McNally is masterful at working with challenging lighting scenarios. He is an accomplished editorial and commercial photographer who contributes to high-end publications such as National Geographic, Time, and Sports Illustrated. In the following video, he deconstructs a photo from a mid-day shoot at a coal mine in Australia: Because he did not want to subject all of his lighting and camera gear to the heat and dust of the mining area, McNally relied on just a few pieces of portable lighting equipment: a Nikon SB 910 TTL AF Show Mount Speedlight with an extra battery pack, a small, 8.6 inch Lastolite Ezybox softbox, a painter’s pole, and a Kacey Pole Adapter. Aside from his bare bones lighting kit, the key to McNally’s success in the less-than-ideal circumstances he found himself in was to utilize open shade.
Placing the foreman in the shade cast from a mining vehicle at the scene kept the glaring sunlight from hitting the subject’s face. But without adding extra light to the set-up, the subject would either be lost in shadows or the sky would be completely blown out. This is where the speedlight came in. McNally used a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 AF-S VR II Nikkor ED-IF lens to compress the machinery in the background and create an interesting pattern. He metered for the background and then used high speed sync and the flash fired through a softbox on a pole to light the subject’s profile, bringing the foreman’s face back up to an exposure level similar to the sunlit background.
The final image is crisp and professional. Through the use of shade and a very small light source, McNally demonstrates a simple way to harness “bad” light to create a polished photograph with an industrial feel. Go to full article: How to Create Industrial Portraits in Harsh Sunlight (Video) |
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