topic How do you save images like a wedding photographer for perfect prints? in Professional Photo Printers

How do you save images like a wedding photographer for perfect prints?

JoeyMPI — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 13:48:48 GMT

I have a Canon Pixma PRO-100. . . with a Windows 8.1 PC. . . and printing through Adobe Photoshop Elements 11.

I just printed some wedding pictures - which I got from the "wedding photographer". When I printed them - they were an exact match to what I saw on my screen (which I've calibrated) - looked great... ...

I'm wondering what a wedding photographer does to their images to make them so "solid" in printing. How do they "save them"?

When I print something from a Raw(NEF) photo or even from a clean JPEG - there always seems to be a color or quality problem? I'll need to print several versions before I get one I like.

How can I save my images like a wedding photog does - to get perfect prints?

Joe B

Re: How do you save images like a wedding photographer for perfect prints?

ebiggs1 — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 15:25:08 GMT

First off you must not let the printer set anything. Turn off every bit off control it has. You can do this with the Canon My Printer under the Printer Settings tab. Do you know how? I will guess, yes, for now but if you don't get back to me.

Second, you need to have your photo editor handle all settings and color matching. You know how to do this? I prefer Photoshop.

And lastly, it is essential you get some settings on your monitor that somewhat matches what the printer is printing. Your printer may be doing exactly what you are telling it to do and you have no idea it is, because your monitor is off. If you don't do this step, you can forget the other steps. However, there are only a few things that you need to be concerned with. You don't need any fancy extra add-ons to do this. No additional sortware or gadgets, etc.

But you must get the grey-scale very close. You need to get the brightness very close and you need the contrast very close.

After you do these things you can make adjustments to your prints by just looking at your screen. Because you know the monitor and printer are on the same level. One more point, you can NOT get a printer to print every color exactly the way you saw it. It isn't possibile as all colors and adjustment effect all others. My goal is to get the skin tones right. That is what people notice most. Remeber you are dealing with two different disciplines here. One is colored light and the other is colored dyes. They are not the same thing.

For instance, I know my Pro-100 tends to print darker than what I see on the monitor. So, I automatically know to set it's prints one stop brighter in Photoshop, in my case. It also prints with a slightly warn tone. Most of the time, with protraits especially, this if OK but sometimes it is not. In that case I adjust the "temp" setting slightly cooler in PS.

Make sure you have the correct ICC profiles and you are using Canon brand ink and paper untill you get good with the printer. Very, very important, otherwise you don't know if the printer is doing exactly what you are telling it to or not.

Also, use the USB connection until everything is right. You are just adding another issue when you try to set up the printing and the wireless all at the same time. Just like using Canon branded products until it is a go.

Re: How do you save images like a wedding photographer for perfect prints?

JoeyMPI — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 14:45:26 GMT

you are correct in most of them...

I will read this again... and double check all

the ICC profile is the only one I'm not sure about

thanks

Re: How do you save images like a wedding photographer for perfect prints?

ebiggs1 — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 17:13:16 GMT

"the ICC profile is the only one I'm not sure about"

If you are not using the right ICC profile all else is useless. If you don't use ICC profiles, you must set everything by yourself.

This includes how much and how long a certain ink jet is firing, and for each and every color amoung other settings, etc.

It is possibile but not the faint of heart.

This is the biggest reason I say to use all Canon branded products at first until you understand exactly how this works. Canon has all this figuered out and written in an ICC profile.

Another very good source is Red River Papers. They have ICC profiles for almost all their papers. And they have them for the Pro-100.