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Post-production photography: A look at "Output Quality"

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
Asher did initiate a discussion about planning photography for quality output, mentioning the aperture that could be used too "small", i.e. ƒ16 Here
Many aspect including photosites size/ƒ ratio.
An interesting debate, always good to learn (well, what I understand, at least).
Thanks for that!

Here I would like to introduce a "based on experience" post production tip.
Although it is "based on experience" this does not mean that theory cannot explain… (Allo? Bart? Doug? do you hear me? ; )

So, one main aspect I realized is that when sending a file to be printed, till a short while, I have always sent JPEGs with minimal compression (setting 12 in PS).
Mind you, sent a tif instead and you'll recover many micro details that were lost in the minimal jpeg compression.
Of course this is particularly true with detailed original file and large prints.
The labs or printers will claim that they loose time as ripping takes many more minutes to achieve, but why spend long time to prepare the files if a lot of qualities will be lost when ripping.
Of course sending a 16 bit tif file would be even better, but there are not so many rips accepting these…

So, even before avoiding shooting at ƒ16, shoot raw, work your files in tif 16 bit and print 8 bit files.

: D
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
So, one main aspect I realized is that when sending a file to be printed, till a short while, I have always sent JPEGs with minimal compression (setting 12 in PS).
Mind you, sent a tif instead and you'll recover many micro details that were lost in the minimal jpeg compression.
Of course this is particularly true with detailed original file and large prints.

Nicolas,

Labs need to be educated to take responsibility for getting every bit of beauty of color transitions that superior workflow has captured. Despite losses from tiny apertures and jpg artifacts, there is potentially major loss in color expression. I enjoyed visiting with you in beautiful Bordeaux, watching as you worked with the master printer and Remember being in the 5000 degrees K light and then outside in the sunlight to get the best color that you worked for in taking the boat interiors? The entire investment in the massive Linotype Hell printers and experts to run them depends on the resources in reserve within your delivered file. If no changes are needed at all, then likely as not, your print color will be close to sublime, given your impeccable taste and technique. But I know you have feelings for color and a memory that needs to be utterly satisfied. You have never gone for anything artificial. That reality and native beauty that only you can deliver from your files by judging every proof does require adjustments, because no camera has your sensitivity.

Well, with a 16 Bit file, there's going to be a more robust file, (by orders of magnitude mathematically) and with all the rich numerical resources to get more exactly the nuances of the wood, fabrics, leather, water and sky that only you can distinguish and settle on. Of course, your prepared the sRGB files do well anyway! But large gamut and discrete data of the massive color possibilities of the 16 BIT Adobe RGB or Prophoto RGB gives the expert colorist printer so much of a "better bank of colors" to work with you.

All art shops here in LA, at least, try to obtain from us the 16 BIT TIFF or PSD file. Especially when printing with CMYK color space, that conversion should be made, by the printer, from the uncompressed full TIFF or .PSD file.

For books, (where there are only 14-25 copies), your work merits only the printers who are willing to fully realize the 18 months to 5 years of hard work you, the architect and builders have put into each of your technically pristine and beautiful pictures. Anything less is leaving outstanding beauty on the table. Even if the average person wouldn't notice the difference, you would be moved, and feel that better for it!

Of course, if the picture does not need adjusting and is going to be mass-printed, too small for detail, then the fast route may be totally satisfactory to everyone.

I have made a rule with one important client that they are not allowed to do any compressions or conversions to CMYK and must deliver the files as Adobe RGB or wider in 16 BIT to the master printer or they get no more pictures. You may not have that leeway in every case.

Asher
 

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
Thanks Asher for this long post!
Just a quick note: I really prefer to do the CMYK conversion myself soI can check the potential drift…
The printer has absolutely no clue about the colors I wish. How could he knows?

Regarding the large prints for exhibitions or shows, when the decision is mine for the printer, I deliver Prophoto 16 bit to Central Dupon images as the young woman who will rip and print them knows my work for years and I trust her… just as before, in the old times in previous century when prints were made from film, photographers had their "tireur"…
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks Asher for this long post!
Just a quick note: I really prefer to do the CMYK conversion myself soI can check the potential drift…

I was horrified that the graphic designer laying out my work in a brochure, did his own CMYK conversions and he was no way as experienced as the master printer! Unfortunately, some folk have no idea of the damage they can do to a picture we treasure.

Asher
 

nicolas claris

OPF Co-founder/Administrator
I was horrified that the graphic designer laying out my work in a brochure, did his own CMYK conversions and he was no way as experienced as the master printer! Unfortunately, some folk have no idea of the damage they can do to a picture we treasure.

Asher

I can understand that!
But Claris is a "all in one" production company… we just subcontract the printing to the best (offset) printer close to us as anyway, I systematically go to sign the proof on machine for each page(s)…
This is a service that clients agree to pay for.
 
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