Best retouchers World has to offer?

SteveB2005 · #61 10-04-2007, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelzombie

yup, but i have yet to get past the rip with this kind of file...

Pixel, I just caught this thread. Have you tried assembling your job in Quark or InDesign and then RIP? Or have you already tried that? Could it be embedded in a pdf and see if that would work? It seems like there must be a workaround

I'll run this by my pre-press pal, who has seen it all and made the impossible happen with this type of job. He has seen a corrupted font choke and shut down the whole RIP/ImageSetter, problems with various versions of Quark and Illustrator, that's why he gets paid the big bucks, to solve these problems that can make one tear their hair out

Keep us posted steve

Markzebra · #62 10-04-2007, 09:20 AM

Modern RIP's have moved on, its better now. Not involved in Production any more but someone told me it partly depends on which version of Postscript they use

pixelzombie · #63 10-04-2007, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveB2005

Pixel, I just caught this thread. Have you tried assembling your job in Quark or InDesign and then RIP? Or have you already tried that? Could it be embedded in a pdf and see if that would work? It seems like there must be a workaround

I'll run this by my pre-press pal, who has seen it all and made the impossible happen with this type of job. He has seen a corrupted font choke and shut down the whole RIP/ImageSetter, problems with various versions of Quark and Illustrator, that's why he gets paid the big bucks, to solve these problems that can make one tear their hair out

Keep us posted steve

i havn't tried it for a few years, it might be possible these days with a pdf workflow.......it's not something that can be assembled in a layout application because of the interaction between the soft mask and the vector element......this goes back a away, but it primarily came about due to the "rivalry" between the mac desktop department and the guys on the Crosfield systems, the one huge advantage of the Crosfied systems was the ability to combine vector and bitmap with a soft mask and the retoucher and page assembler could pass the file back and forth with ease....so, ever since postcript 3 came out, i have been trying to reproduce such a file without any luck...

dvaught · #64 10-04-2007, 10:28 AM

Do the composite in InDesign. Place your base image in InDesign. Place your vector art in InDesign then save a transparent (masked out) PSD file of JUST the elements you want to be over the vector art . Duplicate your base image and move to the front so it covers the vector art. With the foreground image selected choose "re-link" and select the transparent (masked out) version of the image. As long as you have not altered the canvas size of the Raster images when you re link InDesign will maintain the X, Y coordinanats and they will line up flawlessley. InDesign's ability to handle transparencies created by photoshop is as flawless as Photoshops. And InDesign will suport a soft mask. Quark can utilize an alpha channel as a mask but it is horrible.

So you are basically sandwiching the vector art between 2 layers of the same artwork although the top layer has been masked.

Export as PDF X1a and you will have no worries with RIP. If your vector art is a spot color use PDF X4 because X1a will not support transparencies and spot colors.

Hope it helps. If you need further explaination or would like me to to one for you and upload a sample I would be happy to do so.

KR1156 · #65 10-04-2007, 10:44 AM

illustrator supports transparencies as well, and can export the same pdf settings.

when we do our complicated die-cuts, we do the mechanicals in illustrator, and the masked .psd is usually placed on a designated layer, named appropriately. usually use this method for touch plates with transparencies and masks.

pixelzombie · #66 10-04-2007, 10:45 AM

i will have to try that out, the place i am at now doesn't have a RIP so it'll be a while before i can actually test it...

pixelzombie · #67 10-04-2007, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvaught

Export as PDF X1a and you will have no worries with RIP. If your vector art is a spot color use PDF X4 because X1a will not support transparencies and spot colors.

Hope it helps. If you need further explaination or would like me to to one for you and upload a sample I would be happy to do so.

can't i just export as a pdf from photoshop?

dvaught · #68 10-04-2007, 10:50 AM

Correct, Illustrator does support the same transparencies and has the same limitations on Spot colors in combination with transparencies. It is just a little more cluncky or cumbersome than InDesign and while Illustrator is a fantastic tool and one I use quite a bit, it is not the right tool for this application even though it "can" produce the same results.

dvaught · #69 10-04-2007, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixelzombie

can't i just export as a pdf from photoshop?

I have not tried that. I guess in theory it would work but I can only give you what I have actually had results with.

I do know that Photoshop is a raster art tool with limited vector capabilities, Illustrator is a vector art tool with limited raster capabilities and InDesign is a layout tool meant to utilize and call upon both raster and vector art and output press ready documents.

KR1156 · #70 10-04-2007, 10:58 AM

lately, a lot of these small town vendors, (client vendors) that we have to use can't even handle the DCS files that we normally output. they ask us to just place each color on it's own layer, named "spot white plate" for example, in grayscale. guess it's easier for them.

Natasa Stojsic · #71 10-07-2007, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hello_taipan

what about the other tiny parts of the world that have great retouchers ?
any retoucher from London ? maybe Paris ?
i'd gladly do the slave/coffee guy for them. i might learn the job this way.

Christophe Huet is very good, he is catering to a number of photographers. To see more of his work you can visit the link named PHOTOGRAPHERS and basically browse their images to see more of his work.

He does so much work, he may need help.

Anyway, it doesn't hurt to try!

I HOPE THIS HELPS

Cheers

PostProcessor · #72 10-13-2007, 09:31 PM

Indrani
www.markusklinko-indrani.com

=]

Ant · #73 10-14-2007, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PostProcessor

Indrani
www.markusklinko-indrani.com

=]

Please tell me you aren't serious. Almost more of a hack than he is.

zganie · #74 10-15-2007, 03:28 AM

Hey Ant maybe you would like to list a few high-end retouchers you like
it would be appreciated to get a view from another slant

thanks zganie

Qstudios · #75 12-17-2007, 01:31 PM

There are so many good Retoucher out there in the industry. Only a few ever get any credit at all in the media, even online. We are the unsung hero's of the photography community. We are supposed to be the industries secret, that's why Pascal Dangin doesn't show any work on his site, never has.

http://www.boxstudios.com/

I've worked as a retoucher for over 12 years and have owned my own studios for 9, I think we do pretty good work.

Check it out.

http://www.qstudiosinc.com/

Thanks