I've noticed a lot (or it seems like a lot) of threads lately about not getting good colors in print.
I thought I'd start this thread to kind of try and round up a few things into one place.
I'll start...
First, I know virtually nothing about getting good prints from computer printers since I don't use them. Some of you more enlightened computer printer users will have to contribute any jewels of knowledge you have in that specific area.
What I know a little about is getting good prints if you take your dig files to the local photo lab.
The first "jewel" I'll contribute is to make sure your image isn't over-saturated or too contrasty. It looks great on your monitor, but doesn't usually work out well on photographic paper. Photo paper doesn't "see" vivid colors/bright primary colors well. It doesn't distinguish well between black and almost black or white and almost white either. I can't spout out all of the technical reasons, but it hates really bright primary colors, especially red. Remember the good ol' days of school photographs when they sent home a sheet telling parents what colors NOT to dress their children in for school photo day? There was a reason for that. Photo paper these days handles things way better than it did then, but can still be a problem if the thing is too saturated. Optical prints from film have less problem with it since the colors haven't been artificially enhanced (except for what's built into the film emulsion) and photo paper is (more or less) related to film in the way it "sees" color, so they sort of "understand" one another.
Digital is different. We can put things there that, to the photo paper, must seem like it's from some other planet...
When you scan a print (at least this is the way it is here in my world) it looks flat when you display it on your monitor. The tendancy for most people (I think) is to want to "punch it up" a lot. Add a bunch of contrast and brighten up the colors.
No matter how good that looks on your monitor (transmitted light), it's probably not gonna look real good on photo paper (reflected light).
For actual chemically processed photos, more subtle is usually better...
I thought I'd start this thread to kind of try and round up a few things into one place.
I'll start...
First, I know virtually nothing about getting good prints from computer printers since I don't use them. Some of you more enlightened computer printer users will have to contribute any jewels of knowledge you have in that specific area.
What I know a little about is getting good prints if you take your dig files to the local photo lab.
The first "jewel" I'll contribute is to make sure your image isn't over-saturated or too contrasty. It looks great on your monitor, but doesn't usually work out well on photographic paper. Photo paper doesn't "see" vivid colors/bright primary colors well. It doesn't distinguish well between black and almost black or white and almost white either. I can't spout out all of the technical reasons, but it hates really bright primary colors, especially red. Remember the good ol' days of school photographs when they sent home a sheet telling parents what colors NOT to dress their children in for school photo day? There was a reason for that. Photo paper these days handles things way better than it did then, but can still be a problem if the thing is too saturated. Optical prints from film have less problem with it since the colors haven't been artificially enhanced (except for what's built into the film emulsion) and photo paper is (more or less) related to film in the way it "sees" color, so they sort of "understand" one another.
Digital is different. We can put things there that, to the photo paper, must seem like it's from some other planet...
When you scan a print (at least this is the way it is here in my world) it looks flat when you display it on your monitor. The tendancy for most people (I think) is to want to "punch it up" a lot. Add a bunch of contrast and brighten up the colors.
No matter how good that looks on your monitor (transmitted light), it's probably not gonna look real good on photo paper (reflected light).
For actual chemically processed photos, more subtle is usually better...
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