Highlight and shawdow detail

[Steve_Burns]

Wondering if there is anyone who has prior experience with this.

Specifically what I'm looking for is when you out put to sRGB for printing on the Noritsu printers using papers such as luster ( as in wedding / portrait prints ) where the shadow detail generally disapears? ( 5, or 10 or 15 for instance ) Also wondering where the highlight blows out? ( 240, or 245 or 250 for instance ) It would be a big help in what I'm involved in at the moment as well as give some general guide line for out put parameters.

Steve Burns

You may want to contact a lab and speak to one of the production managers of the digital area.

Good luck

[Steve_Burns]

Bart:

The folks that I'm doing this for are doing exactly that, as their situation is lab specific. What I was looking for on the forum is a general consensious as to what other's experiences have been, IE a ball park.

Steve Burns

Sorry Steve, I was trying to lead you in the right direction. Personally, I never pay that close attention to the numbers. If it looks good on my calibrated monitor I go with it. Again sorry for not being more helpful.

[Steve_Burns]

Bart:

Nothing to be sorry about, my comment was not ment that way.

FWIW, I'm working with a mostly film based studio developing a digital workflow as well as doing some consulting for/to them. As a part of my business model, I do contract work with them and last Jan'04, told them, no more film as of Jan'05. Well that date has come and they have to move on or lose a very valuable shooter ;-}

Part of what I see happening is that I'm going to become part "lab" for them, until the bumps in the road are worked out. Just how much "lab" is at question. I shoot only RAW, and as such will be doing edit and process out of the files. They then could send them to their "normal" lab for proofing OR I could handle it. If I handle it, it obviously will have to become a profit center for me.

So I'm offering them shooting services, file edit & process services, possibly proofing out services and of course consulting serivces. The consencious I'm seeking (sp) would be of educational purposes to them as I'm pointing them in the direction of eventually processing their owm RAW files for the purpose of prints with a program such as Capture One.

Steve Burns

[RalphTomaccio]

The very general rule of thumb in trying to maintain detail in both shadows and highlights is:

No less than 10 for the shadows

No more than 245 for the highlights

Once you have gotten prints back with these recommendations, inspect them to see if you need to make any adjustments for your personal taste. You may find you can go as low as 6-8, maybe not. Or as high as 248 or so. It really depends on just how much detail you want to see. There may be times where you intentionally want to go more or less to achieve a specific effect. By knowing what a lab is producing with any given set of numbers will allow you to make these creative decisions.

If they are just getting into it make sure they start out shooting Canon Raw and they will be happy with the skin tones and a much easier time too. I have had guys shoot for me with Nikon and the amount of post work involved to get a good image from raw was extreemely time consuming and never looked as good as from the Canon cameras. I would recomend 20D's or 1DII's for weddings, 1DsII for studio work.

I do agree with the above poster that a learning curve needs to take place between the person processing the files and the lab who prints. It's extreemely important that you use a lab that is dead on consistant like www.Bayphoto.com who I use. The best skin I have seen and so consistant from the begining of the job to the end and several weeks later as well.

Also get them into good monitors and have them calibrate constantly. Good habits are very important, remember if you plant a potato most likely you'll get a potato.

As of late I have moved from a very accurate image to a more moody image. I have gone back to the art of directing the focus (I don't mean camera focus)of the image rather than counting eyelashes. I'm even darkening shadows for a more old hollywood look. Maybe it's a phase but I like it.

Phase one is a good choice or Bibble Pro for converting and don't count out DPP from Canon.

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