outdoor photographer - creating outstanding prints

8/7/2019 Outdoor Photographer - Creating Outstanding Prints

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Text And Photography By Iberionex R. Perello

here's nothing like the experience of creating a beautiful

print. While viewing a successful image on your camera's

LCD or a computer monitor is rewarding, holding that final

print in your hands is inreplaceable.

This experience is all the better when the print captures every-

thing you intended and mote when you released the shutter. Although

inkjet printers have made it possible to produce fantastic prints at

home, they have introduced some new challenges. Getting the print

to matoh what's on the monitor, adjusting size, oolor and contrast,

or setting the printer driver conrectly can be frustrating, if not down-

right disheartening, when you're not sure what to do.

That's why we've put together 10tips that will dramatioally improve

the quality of prints from your inkjet printer. Follow these suggestions



Your Color Space. The two most common colo

you'll encounter when working with digital images ar

B and Adobe RGB 1998. The sRGB color space usuall

default color space for scanners and digital cameras. Whil

it's a smaller color space than Adobe RGB 1998, it still produces

fine prints whether output on your own Inkjet printer or through

custom color lab. By using the sRGB color space, you eliminate th

need for an additional step in photo editing and reduce the poten

tial for any data loss as a result of the conversion.

Adobe RGB 1998 covers a wider color gamut, whioh is preferred

if you intend to perform extensive enhancements to your image. Th

wider range of colors supplies the means to make more precis

color adjustments.

A wider color gamut doesn't automatically mean a better picture

Since printers accommodate a smaller gamut than any color space

you'll have difficulty noticing any difference

prints made when minimal enhancements ar

applied to the images. Try it and see. However

if you're a photographer who makes many adjust

ments to an image, convert your color space t

Adobe RGB 1998 when prompted after openlnq

the file in your photo-editing application .

. . l i li 'or".t"" Your Monitor. This is

it all starts. Since any adjust-

of your image will be based on

you're seeing on your display, It's

crucial to make sure that it produces the

most accurate and best image possible.With a calibrated monitor, you can make

changes to your image with confidence

and minimize the frustration of outputting

prints that bear little resemblance to What

you saw on screen.

Adobe Photoshop provides an Adobe

Gamma Wizard for calibrating your mon-

itor, but it's dependent on your visual eval-

uation of the screen, which can be advetsely

impacted by ambient light or even the

color of a surrounding wall. Companiessuch as ColorVision, GretagMacbeth,

Monaco Systems and Digital Light & Color

offer easy-to-use software and colorime-

ters for proper calibration.

When doing any calibration, make sure

that your room light is typical of the con-

ditions in Which you normally use your

computer. Also, position your desk and

monitor so the monitor doesn't reflect light

from a nearby window. If using a CRT

monitor, allow 30 minutes for the displayto warm up.

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Scale Sty les

IUUDBln. All digital images.whether scanned or

from the difjital camera, require some

of sharpening to achieve a satisfactory

The Unsharp Mask tool gives you all the control

with its threeadjustments:Amount, RadiusandThresh-

old. The Amount increases the contrast between dark

and light edges to sharpen the image.Radiuscontrdls

the number of pixels to which shatpenlng is applied.

The Threshold controls at what point tonal valueswill

be affected. The higher the number, the greater the

difference in values before sharpening is applied.

In respect to sharpening settings, it may seem thatthere are as many recommendations as there are pho-

tographers. However, for outdoor images, we suggest a

starting point from which you can experiment to achieve

your own best results. For images from a digital camera,

begin with anAmount of 100 to 150 (for scanned images,

between 100 to 200). The Radius should be set between

1.0 and 1.5 for imagefiles between10 and 20 MB.Decrease

it for images less than 10 MB, and mcrease it for larger

files, but by no more than two pixels. The Threshold will

reduce the impact of sharpening on {jrain or noise. For

images with little or no grain or noise, choose a setting ofzero. For images with more noise or grain, increase it to

between 3 and 9. You'll be able to see the effect of all

these settings in the Unsharp Mask's preview window.

The Image. After enhancingcolor and

but before printin§ your lrnaqe, resize

file for correct resolution and print size. An

directly from a digital camera comes into your

software at a default resolution of 72 dpi, which isn't

helpful for any real use of the image.

To create a quality print at a more reasonable

size, launch your Image Size window. Uncheck the

Resamplelmage box and input a resolution between

200 to 300 ppi/dpi. You'll see the width and height

of the image automatically change, depending on

the resolution you input. There will be no quality dif-

ference by selecting a different resolution as long as

Resample isn't checked, but it will have an impact

on image size.

If you desire a specific resolution or output size

outside of the 200 to 360 range, check the Resam-

pie Image box. The file will be interpolated to create

th'e specific' size at a given rssolutlon. However,

enlarging an image by 150% or greate~may result

in some quality loss. Any change in size wil.1affectsharpness,so only the final file should be sharpened.



The Right Paper. Just like tra-

photography, the paper with which

choose to print will make a big differ-

ence in the look of your prints. A glossy sur-

face win reproduce colors that appear mere

saturated and contrasty. A matte surface will

result in a more muted look. The whiteness of

a paper also varies, producing a warmer orcooler tone. You can achieve different looks

using watercolor or other fine-art papers. There's

no "best" paper choice-the best paper cholce

will be relative to the image and how you want

your final photograph to look. EXperiment to

find what works for you.

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Advanced I

Your Printer Driver. To

intain the color accuracy of

ur image, 'it's essential to set

yo r printer driver correctly. When

you're ready to print, click on the Print

Preview option in your File menu and

select the Color Management option,

In the Print Space Window, under Pro-

file., select Printer Color Management.

Next, within the Print Preview win-

dow, click en Print, which launches

the printer driver. Now, select the

hiqhsst-quailty setting, output size,

orientation and paper type.

The most important thing to set

is your paper type. The printer will

adjust the amount of ink used based

on whether you're using a matte,

glossy, pearl or other surface. An

incorrect paper setting will result in

prints that lack proper color, density

and contrast. Ifyou use multiple types

of paper, always double-check this

setting before creating a new print.



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Iandle Your Prints With Care.

fter your print is finished. lay it

on a flat surface and let it dry

overnight before mounting it or putting it

in an album. Always handle the print by

the corners, especially glossy paper, to

avoid smudging and fingerprints. Use an

archival box to store your finished prints,

such as those available from Ught Impres-

sions. Store the box flat on its back to

avoid the potential of damaging the cor-

ners of your prints. Mount and display your

image under glass for longest life. Of'

.nlilntr'n""n~,'" of various

and styles of paper,

save your settings inthe ddver

menu. By doing so, you elim-

inate the need to reset those

controls each Ume yQU sit

down to create a print. Click

the Save Setting button and

create a name that's easily

identifiable, such as "matte

5x7 vertical." These prefer-

ences are saved even after

you close the application.

Resources

1 0 0 ColorVision I (800) 554-8688 I www.colorvision.com

,.. Digital Light & Color I ( 80 0 )243-1515 I www.dl-c.com

.. GretagMacbeth I ( 8 0 0 )622-2384 I www.gretagmacbeth.com

.. Light Impressions I (SOO)828-6216 I www.lightimpressionsdirect.com

... Monaco Systems I (978) 749-9944 1 www.monacosys.com

«.]iIION THEWEB)

W W W . O U T O O O H P H O T O S R A P H E R . C O MS e e : ' B i g i l a l l l n r ~ D f ls ; I t' s W o n h A l ~ s r ( J a i l / f e b . ' 0 3 ) "

" D i ~ i l a l l l o r i l D n s : T h e I n k j e t R e ' o l u t i o f I N o v . ' 0 2 )" lr u ly A r n h iU l i I P r in t s " W U i . ' 0 0 1'[l3ft 0 1 P h o l D u r a ~ h y R e v i s i t e d ' ( S e p ! . ' 0 0 )

http://www.colorvision.com/

http://www.dl-c.com/

http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/

http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/

http://www.monacosys.com/

http://www.monacosys.com/

http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/

http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/

http://www.dl-c.com/

http://www.colorvision.com/

outdoor photographer - creating outstanding prints

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