Monday, February 7, 2011

Soft Proofing in Photoshop

Soft Proofing an image is the most accurate way to achieve the look of how the print will appear on paper.

Ever noticed that your print doesn't come out quite as vibrant as it looked in Photoshop? Surely there are a host of reasons outside the scope of this article, but I'll make the assumption you already are familiar with image preparation and color profiling, paper selection and the how of printing basics. Once you have these down the next step is to get your image to the very closest that your camera's image sensor captured.

Open your file in Photoshop. Next choose View, Proof Setup, Custom. The window reads Customize Proof Condition. Select Device to Simulate, then proceed to choose the paper profile you will be printing on. There will come associated with the imbedded profiles Photoshop and your printer software has already configured. You may also have added a few for certain papers or profiles from your print shop.

Select the one you wish to print to, for example I chose Premium Luster, an Epson favorite of mine. I also made sure that one of Relative Colorimetric or Perceptual was selected along with Black Point Compensation checked, a must for accurate color retention. Finally put a check next to Simulate Paper Color.

Now go to Image, Duplicate and click OK. Then go to Window, Arrange, Match Zoom & Location. I actually had to correct the zoom manually so both images matched precisely in the lower left hand corner which shows the zoom level at 25.66%. The key here is to compare your selections. The original image will look exactly as your profile converts it, but with a somewhat diminished vibrancy. The reason is that a printed copy will not ever match the brilliance of an lcd with backlighting. So you'll need to attempt to bring some of that back as much as is possible without, unless it is your intent, pushing beyond the limits of accuracy.

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You can do this to the duplicated image by massaging with Layer, New Adjustment Layer, then Curves, Brightness, Hue, Saturation. And as they are side by side you'll see clearly the differences as you make these adjustments.But I think you'll discover a great new way to compare rather than just using feel as a manner of comparing your image variables. It is the most accurate method of judging the final print, and can obviously save you a bundle on ink costs. You probably won't find this article on any ink manufacturer's web site.

Printed out of course, with all the variables, you'll find some will not meet your expectations, but as you become more and more comfortable with the adjustments, you'll get closer to what you are expecting of the printed outcome.

The images above are low resolution (96 ppi) images for online viewing only.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Why is my PC running so Slow?

Writing this short PC Health piece is something we can all benefit from. And rather than running all over the www world through search engines, I'll recommend my personal favorite website for quick descriptions and facts about pc health and help. It is called PCPitstop.

Much of the time our laptops and pc's run like a dream. But every so often we experience a hang or a slow start up. These are not random events we should ignore. As a photographer with large images and large applications hogging memory I need to know that my desktop is running at peak performance at every action required whether I am working on a file in Photoshop or Bridge, LightRoom or uploading to a website which hosts my images for sale. And even if you only surf the net, you need your laptop to run smoothly and efficiently. So where do you find out about the processes that are running while you are doing whatever you do?

PCPitstop's Libraries

However unless you are familiar with executable files you'll want to read and think before immediately taking action as most of the files you'll read about are necessary for your pc to run normally. So if you are experiencing any slows, hangs, crashes of browsers or applications, go here to read about the possible fixes. Proceed with caution as it can be a real pain to get back to where your pc performed well, and you can potentially risk losing all data if you ever need to use a Restore Point.

There is also a forum at the top to register in and ask questions or share your knowledge.

I am not being compensated in any way for this article.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Rating Artists Galleries Online

Rating Galleries Really Helps an Artist Gain Attention

The idea behind rating artists galleries, be they a photographer like myself, painter or a sculpture, weaver, pottery artist or an array of other artists, can be to give them the kudos they deserve. But more than likely it brings awareness to buyers in the field. After all most artists, whether they admit it or not, do seek income from their work. We will ask for ratings so that our art stands out from the rest, but only if you feel it deserves your highest rating. Artists spend a lot of time and money heading to destinations and shooting, and equally as much effort in editing in Photoshop or Lightroom, which can take many hours. We spend a lot of money, many of us do, on equipment, camera bodies, numerous lenses, accessories and software, external hard discs, RAID storage, much more DDS3 memory, portrait backdrops and light stands, strobes, battery packs, remotes, and on and on and on. No matter who you decide to rate or comment on, please consider the effort and financial aspects of our work.

On a Facebook page, certainly most ratings and likes are given because of a friendship, which is fine. But at my art site, Fine Art America I seek ratings for discovering what viewers think of my work and for the potential income that follows. And in asking for your rating I should hasten to add that I am just beginning at this new site, so you won't have to wade through thousands or even hundreds of photos I've taken and edited, there's just a few thus far.

I appreciate your visit to my Galleries link. When you get there, if you choose, please add a comment. Those comments are at least as helpful as your ratings.

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Do You Have a Presence Online?

If you're also an artist, feel free to add your blog or site and we'll get it up in front of tons of viewers here at Shooting Outside. We will make sure it is not spammy but if it passes the sniff test, we will leave it alone. And at no charge that ain't a bad deal. Thanks for reading.

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

How to Measure Sharpness in DOF Terms

Link this to your 'Lovers of Photography' friends, they'll thank you I promise.

Often we wonder how photographers get those amazing shots that keep the entire landscape in focus, or those where we can only see a single subject in focus, while all the rest is a blur. How they do that involves some real familiarity with your camera, or some calculations which, because they involve math have always boggled my mind. Sorry most artists are right-brained. So here's a calculator I found that can save you a ton of trouble and time.

Assume you have a subject in mind, you take the shot and find that along with your subject, everything else is also in focus and you want your subject to be the sole sharp feature in your capture. How do you go about creating this effect?

You have to think about why everything in the Depth Of Field, or DOF, has that sharp focus. The calculator below will give you the opportunity to play around with. A basic rule of thumb, is that the closer you are to your subject, the greater the tendency for your photo to have a blurred effect or shallow DOF, which is true in the flag photo above. Tendency being the keyword. There are other settings to consider, the distance you are from your subject, the focal length in millimeters, say 17mm vs 300mm, and the aperture or f-stop.

Depth of Field Calculator

Camera, film format, or circle of confusion

Focal length (mm)
Selected f-stop
Subject distance

Subject distance	40 ft

Depth of field
Near limit	20.9 ft
Far limit	451.5 ft
Total	430.5 ft

In front of subject	19.1 ft (4%)
Behind subject	411.5 ft (96%)

Hyperfocal distance	43.9 ft
Circle of confusion	0.03 mm

Use the actual focal length of the lens for depth of field calculations. The calculator will automatically adjust for any "focal length multiplier" or "field of view crop" for the selected camera.

Focal lengths of digital camera lenses are listed here .

Focus at the subject distance, 40 ft

	430.5 ft
20.9 ft		451.5 ft

	Focus at the hyperfocal distance, 43.9 ft

	Depth of field extends from 21.95 ft to infinity

Depth Of Field Calculator

Article written solely for reader benefit as no affiliate income is being received and full credit is given to the website dofmaster.com.

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