Sorry to all if you receive this email twice, I did not see it on the list... greetings Markus >>-----Original Message----- >>From: Markus Maurer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >>Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 6:14 AM >>To: [email protected] >>Subject: RE: Digital printing kiosk quality >> >> >>Hi Brian >>thanks for your report and the useful information regarding >>histogram settings. >>Lately I printed an old portrait on the Epson 2100 photo printer >>and lost every shadow detail in the darker areas >>(middle of bottom) of the black clothes and the veil on the print >>- all was printed black. >>On screen it looks fine, I had to make the photo quite brighter >>to look so-so on the print. >>I used the quad tone rip for the Epson 2100. >> >>Have a look at the portrait if you like at: >> >>http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=3315957 >> >> >>I had to restore the photo from a compressed JPG file, because >>the original negative is lost forever >>and had to fix a lot of scratches. It's (c) by Mireille Weber, >>before you ask ;-) >> >>I wonder what would have happened to the details in the dark >>areas when ordering prints? >> >> >>greetings >>Markus >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>>>-----Original Message----- >>>>From: Brian Dunn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >>>>Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 6:36 AM >>>>To: [email protected] >>>>Subject: Digital printing kiosk quality >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>( In response to all this talk about optical vs digital prints, >>>>film is dead, etc. ) >>>> >>>>Here's an area which you'd figure digital would have helped >>>>tremendously but which seems to still be a big problem... You'd >>>>think by now that anywhere which takes a digital image in sRGB >>>>and produces a digital print on the spot would more or less have >>>>its colors and contrast optimized such that 255 is white, 0 is >>>>black, and skin tones look human. >>>> >>>>Take an sRGB image, put it onto a CD, and go around to all the >>>>various printing kiosks and order some 4x6s. Amazing variance in >>>>results. Whites which go blue, blacks which go green, saturation >>>>and contrast cranked way up, colors which are more yellow, cyan, >>>>or red than the other machine at the next place, etc. >>>> >>>>I had the very same digital file printed in both 5x7 and 8x10. >>>>The 8x10s seemed ok, but the 5x7s produced on the very same >>>>Frontier machine at the very same time came out too green. The >>>>only difference seems to be the paper sheets themselves. Perhaps >>>>these age? >>>> >>>>The same images at one place with one brand of dye sub came out >>>>super saturated and another place with another brand of dye sub >>>>came out too yellow. >>>> >>>>Most everyone cranks out the contrast such that a wedding dress >>>>or a tuxedo lose a lot of detail. I made some test images with >>>>gray scales to determine where the black and white disappear into >>>>oblivion, and decided with this one Frontier machine that all >>>>images should have their histograms scaled to fit between 20 and >>>>235. Anything below 20 is solid black, and above 235 is solid >>>>white, when printed. >>>> >>>>These are all digital output machines. You'd think at least the >>>>dye-sub places would be totally consistant with each other, since >>>>their chemicals are dry, but you get wildly different results >>>>depending on who made the kiosk printer. >>>> >>>>One bizzare thing is, many digicams have 'vivid' saturation modes >>>>on them, but then the images has its contrast cranked up even >>>>MORE when it is printed. Hyper color and blasted details. >>>> >>>>Brides don't understand why buying prints from the photographer >>>>might be a good idea, and even when I explain it to them they >>>>still choose my CD only pricing option to get more images than my >>>>CD and prints option to get actual 4x6 prints. I reduce the >>>>contrast on their files so that they at least have a chance of >>>>getting a decent print. I also give them a few samples so that >>>>they can see what a decent print should look like. I can also >>>>direct them to a few better machines to have the prints made. I >>>>tell them to make a few samples before placing a big order. I >>>>cannot control what their relatives do when they get copies of the CDs. >>>> >>>>Looking forward to the day when you could bring an image anywhere >>>>and get more or less the same results... >>>> >>>> >>>>Brian >>>> >>>>http://www.bdphotographic.com >>>> >>>>
