.

Printing – Proofing

Printing  Comment
0 Likes



–
Proofing is an essential part of making the finest prints possible.
While color management and softproofing get you 90% of the way there, there are all kinds of things you still need to check in hardcopy – materials, ink limit, sharpening to name a few. Every time I print an image, I create a BAT (a final proof) that I archive for future reference. The next time I print the same image the BAT tells me how I got the best results the last time it was printed. That then becomes a starting point for future improvements. Combine advancing technology (printers, ink, substrates) and good color management / proofing practices and you’ll find your print quality will constantly evolve.
Do you proof? What kinds of things do you routinely proof?
Check out my DVD 6 Simple Steps to Good Color Management here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.
Check out my Proofing downloads here.
Find out about my digital printing workshop series The Fine Digital Print here.

Photography.Book.Now Winners Announced

Books, Contests  Comment
0 Likes


Congratulations to the winners of Blurb’s Photography.Book.Now contest.
The winning photographers and their books are …
– Grand Prize:                            Beth Dow, In The Garden
– Category Winner, Themed:       Jonathan Smith, The Bridge Project
– Category Winner, General:       Talia Chetrit, Reading
– First Runner-up, Themed:        Cara Phillips, Singular Beauty
– First Runner-up, General:         John Lehr, Something is Happening
– Second Runner-up, Themed:    Panar, Johnstown / Lowy, Iraq Perspectives (tie)
– Second Runner-up, General:     Michael Corridore, Roadworks
Which Blurb books you enjoy most? Comment here!
Find out about the contest here.
Check out all the winners and the honorable mention and preview their books online.
Check out my Blurb book Antarctica here.

Printing – Glass / No Glass

Printing  Comment
0 Likes


It can be helpful to see what presentation behind glass / plexiglass will do to print quality. The appearance of prints can shift slightly; darker and/or towards blue or green.
You can preview this before framing by keeping a sheet of glass/plexi-glass in your printing area and looking at final proofs and finished prints under glass / plexiglass to see the impact it will have on print quality. On occasion you may want to make small adjustments to a final print based on what you see. But remember, glass is often replaced. If you compensate for glass and the glass is replaced, make sure the new glass matches the old glass.
What kind of glass do you use for presentation? Do you use it? Comment here!
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.

Find out about my The Fine Digital Print Workshop Series here.

Printing – Dot Structure

Printing  Comment
0 Likes


What’s the big deal about dot structure? Fine detail. Smooth gradients.
It’s more than small dots (picoliters). It’s also how the dots are placed (screening algorithms). And, how precisely the dots are placed (piezo-electric or heat-based). And, what shape they are. And, which colors are used with other colors. It’s complex! Thankfully, inkjet printers are easy to use.
I print a lot of smooth gradients. Gradation is a key component to the way I use color. All my exhibition prints are made on an Epson 11880. The dot structure and gradation generated by the latest generation print heads and screening algorithms from Epson are simply the best on the planet.
Dots structure has advanced so far, so fast it’s dizzying. A decade ago inkjet printers produced prints that looked like Roy Lichtenstein paintings. Now you have to look very carefully to see the dots. Sometimes you may be tempted to confuse grain or noise with dot structure, but if you look more closely you’ll see the difference; grain/noise is usually larger, softer, sometimes more random, and sometimes it collects in distracting clumps. Pretty soon, you won’t be able to see the dots in inkjet prints with the naked eye.
Find Epson printers here.
Check out the Epson Professional Imaging website here.
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Find out about my digital printing workshop series The Fine Digital Print here.

Printing – Ideal Viewing Distance

Printing  Comment
0 Likes


Scale changes ideal viewing distance.
To see a 4×5” print you have to get close to it. You can’t see anything but its shape and color from the end of a long hall. To see a 6×10’ print in its entirety you have to stand well away from it. If you stand very close to it, you won’t be able to see the whole image, much less anything else.
The rule of thumb for determining ideal viewing distance is to stand at three times a print’s diagonal dimension. This tends to place the entire image well within a viewer’s field of vision in such a way that overall general detail can be resolved at once, minimizing panning and scanning.
Of course, zooming happens. Both artists and viewers tend to view works of art from many different distances; examining details closely and evaluating a total composition distantly. Viewing distance changes perceived scale. Viewing distance subtly changes the quality of the viewing experience. So viewers tend to compare a variety experiences, dynamically forming a total impression of a work of art.
What do you think the ideal viewing distance for prints is? Comment here!
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.

Find out about my The Fine Digital Print Workshop Series here.

Printing – Test Scale

Printing  Comment
0 Likes


When it comes to scale, there are many factors involved – aesthetic, practical, commercial. To determine what scale(s) is most appropriate for your work, you need to weigh all of these factors and their importance to you. Only you can determine this. My recommendation is to test scale with your work. View your work (projected and/or printed) at many different scales. If possible, make side-by-side comparisons. Do this and you and your work benefit in many ways. There’s no substitute for actually experiencing what scale can do to or for your work.
Do you have to settle on one size? Certainly not. If you choose to present your work in multiple scales, that is a statement in itself. An artist makes many choices in order to craft a total statement with his or her work. Your choices determine what your work becomes. Make your work even better. Make conscious informed choices.
Do you have a favorite scale for photographs? Comment here!
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.

Find out about my The Fine Digital Print Workshop Series here.

Printing – Big Prints

Printing  Comment
0 Likes


Scale can have a dramatic impact on the way images are experienced.
We’ve been printing up a storm here! All the prints are made on an Epson 11880. The prints can be very large. Up to 64″. How big do I typically print? Generally under 30×40″. Would I like to print bigger? Yes! Why don’t I print bigger more often?
Here’s the problem. How do you handle them during production? How do you present them (framed or unframed)? How will they fit in the exhibition space? How do you store them? When you get really big, all of these practical considerations become really significant.
New possibilities bring new opportunities and challenges.
How big have you printed? What did you do to overcome these considerations? Comment here!
Check out my Printing downloads here.
Check out my DVD The Art of Proofing here.

Find out about my The Fine Digital Print Workshop Series here.

Picture Perfect South American – Cruising Through Life

Workshop  Comment
0 Likes


Vincent Versace, Laurie Excell, and I will be coteaching in a South America cruise February 5-17.
There are some fabulous landings scheduled. Find out more here.
M, February 5   6 PM                 Valparaiso, Chile
T, February 6                             At Sea
W, February 7    7 AM – 6 PM     Puerto Montt, Chile
T, February 8                             At Sea
F, February        7 AM – 8 AM     Pio Xi Glacier, Chile
S, February 10    6 AM – 7 PM     Punta Arenas, Chile
S, February 11    12 PM – 8 PM   Ushuaia, Argentina
M, February 12    8 AM – 9AM    Cape Horn
T, February 13    8 AM – 6 PM    Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
W, February 14                          At Sea
R, February 15                           At Sea
F, February 16    8 AM – 5 PM    Montevideo, Uruguay
S, February 17    6 AM               Buenos Aires, Argentina
What do we do at sea? Seminars. Find out more here.
T February 6
9-11    Excell     Photography Basics
3-5    Excell        Beyond the Basics
R, February 4
9-11    Caponigro    Illuminating Creativity
3-5    Caponigro    6 Simple Steps to Good Color Management
F, February 6
9-11  Caponigro    Creating a Master File
1-2    Caponigro    Essential Camera Tests
4-6    Versace    Lighting on a Laptop Like a Sunbeam
S, February 8
9-11    Caponigro    Creative Sharpening
M, February 9
9-12    Caponigro    The Power of Color
1-3    Caponigro    Black & White Mastery
4-6    Caponigro    The Art of Masking
T, February 11
9-12    Versace    Lighting on a Laptop Like a Sunbeam
1-3    Versace    Seeing Is Believing
4-6    Versace    Image Harvesting
W, February 12
9-12    Versace    Retouching on a Laptop
1-3    Versace    Unleashing the Raw Power of Capture NX
4-6    Versace    Framing Versus Composition
What do you do with the little remaining time? Have a great meal at one of the many onboard restaurants. Get a message at one of the onboard spas. Go swimming in the pools and hot tubs. Or, enjoy retail therapy in the onboard shops. Find out more here.
Want to come? Sign up now here!
Insights Members get $1000 off. This offer is good for the next 5 members that register only.

Photoshop World Highlight – The People

Event - Seminar  Comment
0 Likes



–
Sure, the training is excellent! But, the best thing about Photoshop World is the people. These people are not only talented, intelligent, and passionate but they’re also one of the nicest groups of people to work with anywhere. You get this feeling everyone here: with the instructors, the staff, and the attendees. The folks at NAPP are an exceptional organization, not just professional, but personal. I told Scott Kelby how impressed I was with this when he welcomed me to my first Photoshop World. His response said it all, “They’re not customers; they’re members.” The sense of community is very strong here.
Find out who all these people are here.
Find out what you missed here.
Watch for upcoming announcement for Photoshop World Boston in spring 2009.
If you attended any of the sessions, let us know what you thought! Comment!
Check out cobloggers coverage of PSW at the links below.
Corey Barker
John Paul Caponigro
RC Concepcion
Dave Cross
Laurie Excell
Martin Evening
Scott Kelby
Matt Koslowski
Deke McClelland
Joe McNally
John Nack
Moose Peterson
Jeff Schewe
Colin Smith
Ben Willmore
David Ziser