Watts Digital Imaging Blog

So you need a print bigger than your inkjet printer can handle, or you need a print on a specialty surface like FujiFlex Super Gloss - that means you’re going to have to outsource your printing. How do you know what Print Lab to use?

Recently one of my clients, Duane Chevalier (www.duanesphotogaphy.net), was having problems with the prints he was receiving from 2 different Photo Labs. They were way too dark and not even close to what the images looked like on his monitor.

To say that he was frustrated would be an understatement. Duane’s got a great “eye”, and his images are really good - - no problem with the “input” portion of the equation. But the print “output” from these labs? Not good - - He was under the impression that is was something that he was doing wrong. On top of that, he was getting conflicting information from the labs on how best to achieve the results he desired.

Truth is, other than a few procedural challenges (See this post for more on Color Management), there really wasn’t anything Duane was doing wrong - - This was mainly the fault of the Labs that he was dealing with.

So, what should you be looking for in a good Print Lab? Here are some questions to consider:

• Do they use and implement Custom Printer Profiles in their workflow? - If not, then you cannot properly implement sound Color Management procedures in YOUR workflow.
  
• Are their profiles readily available for download? - Are they on their webpage, or will they gladly send them to you?
  
• Do they include “preflight” instructions? - In other words, what color space do they want to recieve your file, at what ppi, with or without compression, as a TIF or PSD, etc.?
  
• Is there someone that you can talk to on the phone if you have a challenge? - - Customer Service could very well be one of the biggest oxymorons on the planet, particularly in the digital imaging realm. If they will not talk to you, or worse, talk down to you, how can you expect them to make a print of YOUR image?
• What is the Redo-Return policy? - - If the lab is prepping and enhancing the file for you, would they be willing to send you a couple of JPG “proofs” via email before printing? What about “redo’s”? How will they accommodate you if you do not like your print, even though you’ve followed sound Color Management policies? Are they willing to work with you?
• Do they offer FTP services, or have an FTP server? - See this post for more on FTP, which stands for “File Transfer Protocol”. It is a way for you to get your files to the lab over the internet.
• Will they offer you a discounted rate if you do all of the prep/enhancement work yourself? - This saves labs lots of time, and they should pass that savings on to you.

Please understand that you are going to pay more for good print services - A Mercedes, after all, costs more than a Yugo for a reason. But the results will be worth it!

Full disclosure: Yes, one of the services I offer is custom printing services - - see my website for details - - but that’s not the point of this post. The point is that there are a lot of choices for your print business: If you have not been getting the results you desire, you owe it to yourself AND your images to start looking for a lab that will print them right!

How about you? What experiences have you had with labs? What labs do you recommend?

Cheers,

John

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Tags: Color Management, Digital Imaging, Photoshop Info // Add Comment »

Hello to all….What are Palettes? Think of Palettes as miniature workspaces, each accomplishing a different function. There are almost two dozen different palettes available to you. If you are new to Photoshop, then I would suggest, in the spirit of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Super Simple), that you start with just seven, and add those you deem necessary as you gain more experience.

Below is a representation of the palettes I would suggest that you set up on your Photoshop desktop to create a proper workspace:

Photoshop gives you a set of predefined workspaces: You can access these by going to the “Window” menu → “Workspace”. I would start with the “Default Workspace”, then I’d suggest that you add or subtract palettes until you end up with just the following in your workspace:

1. Tools palette
2. Layers palette
3. History palette
4. Actions palette
5. Navigator palette
6. Info palette
7. Histogram palette

Why these Palettes?

These seven palettes are the ones that you will use most. As it is important to keep things simple (Remember K.I.S.S.!), stick with these to start – you cannot go wrong. I will eventually cover most of these palettes in detail in later posts - - If you need to know more about the function of each palette, see the “Help” section in Photoshop.

To add or subtract palettes:

You will notice in the default workspace that certain palettes are “docked” to each other: this is to save valuable “screen real estate” (By the way, “screen real estate” is not as critical if you use more than one monitor). You can easily ungroup these and move them around the workspace by dragging them with their tab.

To Relocate: To relocate a palette, place your mouse pointer over the name of the palette (the “tab”), hold you left mouse button down, and drag it to the desired location in your workspace.

To Resize: to resize, place your cursor over the bottom right corner of the palette, and your pointer will turn into a double sided arrow. Hold your left mouse button down, and drag the palette to the desired size.

To Delete: to delete, simply click on the “x” to the right of the name in the tab. Don’t worry if you accidentally delete a palette you need: you can access the “Window” menu to retrieve it.

The “Window” Menu: In the “Window” menu, you will see the names of the available palettes. You will notice that be palettes you have chosen will have a checkmark beside them. This is another way to add palettes — simply place a checkmark beside the palette you wish to add.

To Save your Workspace: Once you have set up your workspace, you can save it. Go to “Window” → “Workspace” → “Save Workspace…”, and when prompted, give it an appropriate name. You can easily access it again by following the exact same menu sequence: You will see the name of your saved workspace at the bottom.

Palette Options: In each palette, you will notice a downward facing triangle with three parallel lines next to it in the upper right-hand portion of the palette. This gives you access to the Palette Options. Each palette will have a different set of options such as the size of the icons in the palette, the view available to you, and so on. You should explore these — I personally like larger icons in my layers palette.

Other options in CS3: There are a multitude of ways to work with palettes beyond the scope of this book, such as hiding, resizing, collapsing, minimizing, stacking, and grouping your palettes. I must confess — I have lots of “screen real estate” (I have two big monitors) so I don’t take advantage of most of these functions. To see more of what is available, go to Adobe Photoshop Help, and spend some time with the chapter on Workspace.

Got any Palette tips that you’d like to share? Let’s hear your views!

Cheers,

John

Tags: Photoshop Tutorials // Add Comment »

Here is a continuation of Part I concerning Adjustment Layers in Photoshop - - If you did not read the first post, I’d encourage you to do so.

Two Ways to Create a New Layer:

1. You can create a new Adjustment Layer by clicking on the “Create a New Adjustment Layer” button. An Adjustment Layer comes “pre–loaded” with a tool or function, as well as a Layer Mask (see this post and this post for more on Layer Masks). You will create your new layers with this button most of the time. By the way, even though this button is not a true “Yin-Yang” symbol, it is common slang in the Photoshop community.
2. You can create a new layer by clicking on the “Create a New Layer” button. A New Layer is “empty”. You’ll create a tool or function that will be active in this layer manually.

To Edit an Existing Layer:

To edit, double-click on the Layer Thumbnail — It is the box on the left in an Adjustment Layer, not the Layer Mask Thumbnail on the right. Once you double-click on the Layer Thumbnail, the Dialog Box for that particular tool will pop up.
Layer Order:

The topmost layer in your layers palette will affect all of those below it. By moving the layer order around, you can see the effect of layer order. To change the layer order, simply drag your layer to the desired location.

Three Ways to Change the Numerical Values in an Adjustment Layer:

The three ways to change the numerical values in most (not all) adjustment layers are:

1. Move the desired slighter to increase or decrease the value. This works well for coarse adjustments.

2. Insert numerical values with your keypad manually in the appropriate box. This works well, if you have a particular numerical value in mind.

3. With your cursor placed in the numerical value box, use the arrow keys to make small incremental changes. This works well for fine adjustments.

To Reset your Values to the Default Settings in an Adjustment Layer:

Did you make a mistake in your input? Are you not happy with the results you’re getting? Want to start over, without closing the Adjustment Layer and reopening it?

With the dialog box still open, simply hold down the “Option” key on your Mac (“Alt” in Windows), and the “Cancel” button turns into a “Reset” button. Press “Reset”, and Voilà! You’re back to the default values.

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Now that you know more about the power Adjustment Layers, a whole new world will open up to you in Photoshop - Enjoy!

Cheers,

John

Tags: Photoshop Tutorials // Add Comment »