How I EXPORT from LIGHTROOM for PERFECT Prints | For Lab or from Home

[@norbertalexy8803]

So well done, so well explained, step by step. With these wonderful prints on your walls, the OAKS standing out! Compliments Nigel! Please, keep doing this type of video.

[@JKMediaCorp]

Man... Enchanted Oaks is just magical. I could look at that forever.

[@curtsuneson6161]

No wonder your wife left you

[@johnw7265]

Super video. The entire process is comprehensive , very well explained and easy to follow.

[@Joseph-iu6ip]

Great explanation of color workflow. It’s a complex process, but critical if you want good prints. One of the things we say in the print business about printing CMYK is the fifth color is the paper. 👍👍

[@byoregon1]

Great video Nigel. Kudos for the (often ignored) section where you talked about choosing the right photo for the space. I’ve found there’s a class of photos that *only* look good on a backlit monitor, no matter how well lit your room space is. That huge acrylic print looks awesome.

[@robertnelson3179]

Thanks for this video. I especially liked how you explained how a picture displays on a monitor is not the same as on a paper. Made much more sense.

[@kyle.018]

Been waiting for this one- I have taken a lot of photos but have never printed a single image. Although there is a lot to think about, you've broken it down to a level that is less intimidating for me. Thank you for the step by step instructions, I hope to print some out someday soon 👏

[@rochederekmartin085]

Thanks for this Nigel. Your Enchanted Woods photo is one of my favourite photos.

[@DanielSextonHorizonDigital]

Thank you Nigel for your excellent instruction. When you come to Portland Maine, USA to photograph, I'll buy you a pint.

[@betht224]

Thanks for explaining ICC and printing. How prints turn out is one of the most frustrating things for me so I really appreciated this! As always you are a pleasure to listen to and your photos are amazing! Hope your back gets better soon!

[@bobtaylor364]

Brilliant instructional video. I’ve just sent my first images to print lab for test, will use info from here for next print run. Thanks.

[@RM831BC4E4]

Superb photography. Great location. You made the most of the dull gloomy conditions. Absolutely love the images in particular the jetty at the end in a minimalistic scene. WANT IT! x

[@mariebird01]

Very timely information, Nigel,as ever it’s been shown in an easy to follow way, perfect! Re your clarity in explaining how to choose paper types, calibrate monitor etc., it has helped me tremendously. I’ve just started to choose for my own walls, re which images I will enjoy most. Really helpful. I can’t thank you enough.

[@NigelDanson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@patrickbako]

Randomly stumbled upon this video, and I’m grateful that I did. So much useful information on color profiles and print. Awesome video, and beautiful photos, mate! Truly inspiring.

[@nsphotography4590]

Same.

[@rodbest5847]

They all look great Nigel!

[@lasouteavoile8550]

Great video Nigel, thank you for sharing.

[@paulcooper9187]

Thanks You, timing was perfect, about to order some large prints. It certainly stopped me from making one mistake.

[@jaspergoodall3206]

One thing I never got till recently is that when calibrating you have to set the target that the monitor aims for. It seems very hard to find much information about what that target should be, but the Canson paper YT channel was very good for this. Like what candela, what temperature to set etc etc. just saying’ calibrate your monitor’ is the tip of the iceberg really.

[@adam.bilton]

Awesome! What a great vlog. Thankyou

[@andeeleininger5968]

I love Whitewall. They are my go-to company for printing. Love how your photos turned out!

[@whitewall]

Thank you for choosing us!

[@astralbody]

You could not have timed this video at a better time. I'm printing one of my prints for a friend they would like. I totally needed a refresher for printing and such. Brain fart on forgetting about soft proof in LR...haha Enchanted oaks is magical, the lake district one is fabulous Love them! Cheers!

[@robertcalma413]

Great video; very helpful How would it differ if I’m am editing with LR on my iPad?

[@lizzietheoldbiddy262]

Really helpful video, thank you. Demystifying the alchemy that is printing and you've made it all very clear... Until I try it on my own! And by then I'll probably have forgotten everything. Your enthusiasm and excitement are contagious and I've shared your video with my camera club printing group (started because we're a bit wobbly about printing) So, thanks again.

[@cathywallace7535]

Thank you for creating this video. I've struggled with printing my photos through a lab because I didn't know how to adjust for the different paper profiles. Armed with this new knowledge, I hope to have better results. Keep up the good work!

[@nevvanclarke9225]

It's why I use a macbook pro 2022 16 inch ...it has a photography edit setting built in and it's. 100% accurate everytime

[@user-ly5np9pz4f]

Another great educational video. Congrats. Please for explanation - I have monitor without Adobe RGB color space. For printing should I choose sRGB or Adobe RGB? Thx

[@jamesoliver6625]

A better way of saying it Nigel, the way we used to explain it to customers when I was involved in high end offset print work, is that we have to set up a custom ICC profile to translate the data within the image to print on our big presses, Komuri and Heidleburg, to replicate the color space used within the image as accurately as that press CMYK translation will be able to do.. To that ICC translation we match the ICC profile of the proofer(s) and calibrate out monitors. BTW, there's not much file size difference between HR JPEG and a Tiff LZW compressed. Most printer RIPs translate LZW on the fly, at least they did when I retired ten years ago, so it shouldn't be any issue.

[@champagneshutterphotography]

Thanks Nigel - fantastic explanation of colour spaces, which I knew nothing about! Better check my camera colour space setting too!

[@allandavies1187]

What a marvelous tutorial I am so proud of you! Exemplary photographs

[@stevengroom6484]

Really enjoyed this. Watching your excitement displaying your own work is fantastic. You’re a lucky man, living the dream 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@pattymattes7124]

My calibration tool (Spyder Xpro) also does brightness levels. When I go through the calibration it specifically asks me to set the brightness level it indicates. Once I calibrate I don't change the settings because then I undo what I just did with the calibration. Not sure how yours work but that's how mine works. At least that's what it asks me to do when I get to a certain point in the calibration process. With the photo labs I've used, they typically ask for sRGB but for some products I can use Adobe RGB. Also, they will usually specify JPEGs. I've seen some say TIFFs are okay. All of that to say is to make sure you check out the lab's specifications as well as soft proofing before you order. Also, I discovered that a lab's printer color space is different. It's possible to have some colors out of gamut (CMYK can't reproduce). That's what they told me. Oh, and one other thing, some labs will do a color correction. Some do that automatically unless you specify not to. Others will only color correct if you specify. I've learned to make sure to read the fine print so to speak (no pun intended, lol). Thanks for another informative video!

[@markmuller3086]

This is such a helpful video Nigel. I don’t print myself (would like to one day), but the info you provide is just great. I especially like your advice to lower the monitor brightness to “four bars”! 🤪. So funny, and great to see you laugh at that!

[@bensaunders616]

Terrific! Would love to see more videos about printing, both at home and with commercial vendors. Where to find the ICC profiles is always a bit of a challenge. Thanks!

[@PMcDonnell]

That was an excellent introduction to getting your images printed by a lab! Very enjoyable and informative

[@kushi1515]

Exactly what I was looking for, this video helped me a lot, thank you!

[@dianevose9655]

Thanks for sharing this vlog Nigel, so very helpful and useful for printing! Absolutely marvellous images 😃👍🏻

[@z1522]

Around 11:00, the conversation around large print size in a narrow corridor totally neglects to account for an old artistic concept, of viewing distance appropriate to the image size. Imagine a photo taken through a window, then printed and hung next to the window - there is only one proper size that recreates in the viewer's eye the effect of looking through the window, where lens focal length matches what the eye sees. Larger or smaller prints, or different viewing distances, affect the mind's intuitive perception of the scene as right, or off. We have become so oversaturated by myriad images, usually large to gigantic, that the sense of correct proportion has been demolished, and too many images that can't be viewed from a correct distance end up being decorative wallpaper. It is sometimes subtle, but when understood the effect can be near-magical, even in black and white.

[@Nickcaunce]

Amazing detailed info! Exactly what I needed!! Great vid!

[@danilotavecchio8558]

Hi Nigel. I see as many video you run as I can, very interesting and very well conducted. At 20:48 I see you treat sharpening as a non relevant. I agree considering pre-sharpening process should be already but in your example the reference is to OUTPUT sharpen and it is referred to a SCREEN device, not a PRINTER. So, leaving it to a STANDARD value gives me a little bit of confusion: why apply a standard video sharpening output to an image i want to print? Sharpening for printing is quite interesting, imho, when you have heavy textured papers and/or big measure. Am I wrong?

[@noodles1m]

This was a great video and I've saved it to refer back to in future. Please could you do something similar for the workflow when printing at home?

[@noodles1m]

Ignore me, I've just been through your channel, and it's a trove of great information related to my request...doh!

[@jimwlouavl]

Thanks for this. If one applies output sharpening when exporting, is that in addition to any sharpening during post processing?

[@sethie_shots]

This super helpful! I love the technical breakdown. I have a client printing reproduction of her art. This is perfect.

[@paulbegg3489]

Awesome video, Nigel. It's what we all try to do but never quite get around to it. Well-structured approach to printing; looking forward to printing some on my own on metallic.

[@laurencedunkley8097]

Brilliant video Nigel, rather like your images, great step by step presentation on how to achieve a professional looking image , have thought about using Whitewall for prints and yours look fantastic, the packaging looked impressive too ,which shows they care about their customer's artwork.

[@whitewall]

Thanks!

[@andersphansson]

Great video and explanation and how to do printing! 👍🏻😄

[@galesaunders4120]

Great informative production as always, I have used Whitewall and they are brilliant, as you said everything is packed well and their website is so easy to use. Thank you for the information on the options for printing

[@whitewall]

Thank you for your amazing feedback!

[@billytetlow]

Thanks Nigel for an excellent video helping to demystify things like colour space, It would be good if you took us through the steps that you use when you print on your own printer from Lighroom. Just another point, I don't remember you using the word AMAZING. Which was truly AMAZING.

[@wendybagnall1353]

This is super helpful Nigel. Like you, I have my own printer and print on FS papers. I have been keen to explore some of the metallic and aluminium prints. Thanks!

[@duncanmeechan5694]

Hi Nigel, I really enjoyed watching you go through all of this, it was so helpful. There was so much in this that I didn’t know about printing and lightroom, I have always wondered what an icc profile was but never had the courage to ask anyone in case I looked stupid or something, I was too embarrassed to ask ( I know, I should have asked ). A really useful video which I will watch over and over and see if I can improve my printing options and get a better output. Thank you for making this video and explaining things simply and so well 😁👍

[@CalebWeston_dubland]

Thanks for the video. It’s funny I just ordered a metal proof of one of my pics from Whitewall yesterday. It’s my first time trying them out.

[@whitewall]

Hey! Thank you for your trust in us :)

[@roberthennessey5702]

Thank you Nigel , your printed photos look amazing. Loved all the different mediums, loved the acrylic, and metal. Recently I ran into a issue on resolution on a large print 30 x 60. The printer wanted 300 ppi, I noticed when you sent to processor you were like 240 ppi. Could you possibly do a follow up vid to this one about increasing the resolution, do you do in Photoshop, or LR? Etc etc. thanks so much Nigel.

[@MsPernickety]

One word "Brilliant"

[@johnthomasdoyle1964]

Hi Nigel, thanks so much for this information. I'm just about to launch my website, but I was stuck on who to use for printing and packaging, I think whitewall might be the most convenient way to go. Thanks so much.

[@MarkPariente]

Excellent video, very good explanation of the end to end printing workflow. One slight correction - cameras also have their own color space that they can capture within, and these can differ from sensor to sensor. The RAW files have information (color matrix) that lets software like Lightroom transform the raw data from the camera's color space into a standard color space like CIE XYZ, which then can be converted into working color spaces like ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB.

[@andrewherbert9938]

Excellent Vid Nigel , very interesting and informative. I usually print my own but would like some bigger prints , always worried about using a lab in case the colours are out but I now have a bit more confidence to give it a go

[@alandargie9358]

Really helpful video, thanks Nigel.

[@K.JD66]

Hi, do you use D65 or D50 when calibrate the monitor for prints? Thanks .

[@TheZ3roCool]

This really helped me in my printing...really struggling getting my prints to match. Had calibrated screen, used ICC profile but always having to adjust my print in Canon Print software to get anywhere near the screen. Did the ICC Soft Proof in LR and now spot on and do not have to adjust in Canon Print software. Saved my bacon :D Thanks.

[@smurgy99]

Coming back to printing after a long layoff, and thiso vide arrived at a timely moment, so has been great revision material. On your Apple monitor, what screen profile do you use? Is it the default profile that you turn down to 4 bars? I'm wondering if you have tried using 'Photography (P3-D65)' rather than the default as the docs say: Use this mode for typical digital photography workflows. This mode uses wide colour P3 primaries with the D65 whitepoint typically used for screen-based viewing and is designed for appropriately set up and controlled viewing environments. On this profile you cannot change the brightness of the screen, on the other hand it looks brighter than turning down to 4 bars.

[@MB-vn3np]

Fine video. I would like to see a follow up about B/W printing. I experienced that to be way more challenging, especially, when having a high dynamic range, details in the dark get so easily lost and I have not yet figured out a good way of creating print files for BW, also most of the times I have to make them wayyy brighter than in would look good on a screen to have it printed properly. All tips here are highly appreciated :)

[@leric4205]

For information Nigel, Nikon has just released a new firmware for the Nikon z5, which "revolutionizes" its autofocus which was already not that bad..

[@leniehulse1621]

Great video! What width is your hallway? I have a hallway about 2 1/2’ wide and never hanged frames there as I thought the hallway was too narrow 😩

[@johngiatropoulos3848]

You mention that after your monitor calibration, you set your monitor's brightness. Curiosity question: Does the Spyder not include brightness as part of the calibration? (I have a NEC monitor and use the NEC Spectravision software and brightness [intensity] is one of the variables I can set).

[@johnaustin8510]

Thanks for the video - great explanations! Can you please explain why you export in Adobe RBG and not ProPhoto RBG? Why not export in ProPhoto since it covers more of the spectrum?

[@DavidJones-iq8hp]

I did have a question what size file did you need to send? I know you said the largest file possible? But what was the file size? Is there a guide somewhere of how big or more importantly how small of a file is needed to go as big as one can ...thanks again so much

[@nevvanclarke9225]

Also ....it depends on what you print on ...in Australia metal prints are the go ..paper printing is slowing up. Canvas is dead ...metal and glass prints look great ...but the prints come up lighter than..why ..it's the process of how the ink is. I've spent time at the printing studio watching tne process. Great video Mark

[@NigelDanson]

Mark?

[@nevvanclarke9225]

@@NigelDanson Oh sorry I got your name wrong because I was watching another video and replying to too comments. Sorry mate the video was really useful as well. It’s interesting. I’ve been going to my local printer and getting some work done as the printer is fantastic and I’m able to see the process. Love your work Nigel. Your work inspired me to do my own calendar as well this year, and that was really fantastic. Thank you so much for the guidance with your videos a lot of what you say really does help me

[@1redgate8]

I still love paper, not so keen on the metallic etc myself but will say some images look terriffic on that medium. Printing in general with good labs is getting expensive though :(

[@nevvanclarke9225]

@@1redgate8 yeah I'm lucky where I live. I've got a reasonably affordable professional Printer who does my work at a good rate. An AO size print only cost me $46. The framing is the most expensive part of the process.

[@SaraWC72]

⁠@@nevvanclarke9225 who do you use for your printing? I’m in oz too & looking for a printing lab….also you said printing on metal comes out lighter?

[@MichaelJones-jm2me]

Great Video explaining color space and ICC profiles. I have played around with printer calibration and ICC profiles and they definitely improve the output but very impressed with your photos you hold up next to monitor and how close they are!! What type of light are you lighting the print with next to your monitor?

[@mellyju]

I get a purple tinge on all my black and white photos when i print from photoshop CS 6, so I’ll try lightroom and see what happens. I don’t know what’s going on with PS CS6 at the moment. Thank you for all this very good info, much appreciated. So helpful.

[@73smoo]

Should I put my X-T3 to Adobe-RGB when I want to print photos?

[@KijkEenVogel]

Looks fantastic, I'm jealous 🤭 I'm wondering, why use Adobe RGB and not the profile of your calibrated monitor?

[@TaylorHuston]

Apologies if this is covered in another video, I just discovered your channel, but I'd love some general guidelines on choosing the medium. As in, when would you choose metal over acrylic over just paper? Matte or glossy? Etc. That's probably really subjective, but your opinions would be really invaluable!

[@tompetersphotography]

Awesome video buddy, they look insane

[@williamjoseph6144]

Hiii... Can you please tell me how to get perfect borders and crops for pics ??? N the crop used and all???

[@alpharho_photo]

Great video, Nigel! You hit a nerve with me on this one as I've been wondering how to prepare a file suitable for faithfully printing my images. I do have one concern, though. The ICC profile that my printing service sent me is CMYK and Lightroom will not support it. Do you know what can be done in this case?

[@bencollins7684]

Nigel, is there a way to get Lightroom to automatically correct for the ICC profile (so that it looks the same as before the profile was created) or do you have to do it manually?

[@Swallowtail34]

Hi Nigel your videos are fantastic, very helpful, just one question, how do i load the icc profiles from White Room into Lightroom? Hope you can find the time to help on this.

[@garrettstrahan2218]

Great video, Nigel. Can I ask you is that a live edge desk top you have? In addition to photography I've just taken up woodworking!

[@jpdj2715]

4:01 - explained in a video here as well (points to right hand upper corner) and no URL appears

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks - sorted!

[@error60091]

Thanks for this video and congrats on landing a sponsor with Whitewall... have not tried them, but based on what I've read, they are among the best... question re: calibration (actually anyone else is welcome to answer, too): but for calibration brightness, what nits setting is best or at least has given you the most consistent printing results? Apparently the recommended range during calibration is somewhere between 80-120nits/cd2... I've kept my brightness somewhere in the middle of that range, actually 105 nits atm... what has continued to work for you? Second, is re: white point... D65 or D50? Most info I've come across recommend D65, but I am curious as to which white point you've used in your home printing....

[@TessCreations]

Interesting questions… I would like to know the answers to your questions😊

[@jeg569]

Is the brightness setting on the Spyder5 software when calibrating the monitor too bright for printing?

[@jeffnewman8261]

Beautiful prints!

[@annor5725]

11:29 Is there enough space in this corridor to capture such a large photo in its entirety? How about a thematically related series of smaller photos instead? This series could tell a story that can literally be captured step by step.😊

[@chrishall6364]

Thanks for the video Nigel; interesting you export your images from Lightroom before printing rather than use Lightroom’s Print module (which is what I do before uploading to a print lab). Perhaps it makes little difference in practice!

[@californiasounddesign3921]

Great video….question for you…once u turn on the paper simulator and make an adjustment, it’s ask to make duplicate. Now after the adjustment (on the duplicate) do I need to turn off paper simulator before I export? Or is that voided on the export and is only for viewing and doesn’t matter?

[@lingshuangzhang362]

Hello Nigel, just curious, how did you capture the beach bubble effect? Thank you!

[@gregs2862]

Thank you Nigel for explaining the colorspace. When you print, do you crop for standard print formats or always print to custom dimensions?

[@antoniorussell9893]

Thanks for this. As someone who has recently ordered a few prints from Whitewall I was wondering what your experience was with the 70% image optimisation feature? I think you left it on, correct?

[@whitewall]

Hey! You can choose the percentage of the image optimisation from 0% to 100%. We recommend to have it on becasue it doesn't really change anything if yo have already optimised your picture before.

[@nicolastroussard8482]

⁠​⁠@@whitewall thanks. On images that I have soft proofed in DXO with your ICC profiles (calibrated monitor), I noticed your 70% optimization still significantly brings shadows and midtones up. Is your software mostly trying to compensate for the fact most people have a monitor that is too bright or is it mostly doing a soft proof in a more expert and consistent way we could possibly do at home? Also, I couldn’t find what rendering intent you recommend, perceptive or relative? Would appreciate if you could provide us a bit more details. Thanks.

[@rigbyphoto]

Thanks Nigel, a really helpful video, though some printers don't seems to accept Adobe RGB images. On the website of my, todate, favoured printers it says "Please always ensure your working space is sRGB for any uploaded files." Also, one thing I've always struggled to get my head around is why work in ProPhoto RGB when I can at best calibrate my monitor to Adobe RGB? Can you please shed any light on this?

[@paulinekerr870]

Great video Nigel. A quick question……when you profile your monitor, how do you use the lights in your room/ studio? Do turn all lights off, Close any curtains or blinds or do you leave the lights around you on? Always wondered about this. 👍📸

[@photoman3579]

The light in my Computer/print room is 5500K I always have it on.....I calibrate the screen with it on, once calibrated if my prints look darker I turn my screen brightness down to match...then brighten image in LR before exporting...it seems to work very well for me !

[@vncntms]

Hi @NigelDanson, These videos are a great help! I was just wondering about the image optimization that Whitewall automatically aplies at 70%. I noticed you didn't turn them off, or reduced them, in the video. Do you recommend applying this image optimization when ordering your print at Whitewall, even after you've soft proofed the image in Lightroom?

[@maureenmarshall1070]

Helpful video as usual and great prints. I found the reflections in the glass a bit distracting though. Why not use non reflective glass?

[@timmahoney66]

This was really informative.

[@MrOzphoto]

Brilliant images, and wow factor, I have a printer like you but put my prints on foam core or swap out images in frames I already have. I would love to have metal and acrylic prints but the cost is prohibitive for me and most photographers I would think? The cost of ink is ridiculous too. Framing is extremely expensive as well. I would hate to think what your printing bill would be?

[@jimsmith556]

Very impressive photos and explanation of your workflow Nigel. One thing I was hoping you would address is how you set the brightness of your monitor. You mentioned four bars for the Mac, but didn't talk about how you chose the setting on your Benq. This is important as you noted because the monitor needs to somehow match the expected brightness of the prints. Even though I have my monitor calibrated every few months with the Spyder, I sometimes find my prints too dark and the shadows blocked up a bit, and that's with the monitor set at 50% brightness as suggested during the calibration. So, how do you set your brightness? Thanks Nigel!

[@DavidJones-iq8hp]

Nigel, very nice informative video, Loved seeing the before and after, the prints look amazing. This is probably just me, but it has become a pet peeve of mine, and mostly want to know what others think. And that is when a photographer spends the time and effort to get prints just right, with fine art paper with all of the amazing textures that are part of the paper itself. then to display behind any glass material it loses that richness. For example when I go to an art museum or an exhibition and in order to see a print, I have to fight for a good angle just to see the print because of the reflections, and by the time I actually see the print the impact is mostly gone. I know there are protective sprays, and why they are not used.....thanks for any thoughts from anyone and Thanks Nigel

[@gregl.7465]

You can get "museum glass" which is basically regular glass with a non-reflective coating, similar to what we have on our camera lenses. Not sure if Whitewall has this, but it is much more expensive than regular glass. I think they also have acrylic with the same coating, also expensive. I've used it on occasion and it does do a great job knocking down reflections--worth it if you need some sort of glazing or protection, IMO.

[@brickmier]

Such an interesting and informative video. Question- how do I know if the resolution of my photo will work on a large print? Would there be enough resolution to enlarge????? Obviously I wouldn’t want to have too much grain ( pixels) to distract from the image. Again, great video.

[@NigelDanson]

I usually divide the pixels by 180 and that is it in inches... (gives 180 ppi) but depending how far you stand from image you may want to go to 150 or 240

[@jimbruton9482]

Nigel, this video is very helpful. I'm curious, what is your opinion or policy of placing a watermark on your images and prints?

[@NigelDanson]

I don't like water marks. But each to their own I suppose.

[@thomassorensen9749]

I love White wall, just wish they had a shop in USA…

[@whitewall]

Hey! We have a store in New York! We produce everything in Germany but we ship worldwide! We would love to welcome you as a part of our community in the future :)

[@thomassorensen9749]

@@whitewall all ready am ! Have a few prints from you folks. Why no printing in the USA?

[@whitewall]

@@thomassorensen9749 We only have one production and that is in Germany - but we ship worldwide!

[@nevadaxtube]

Very informative video Nigel. Now I need to get sell my house to afford the prints :)

[@parkerphegley6536]

Hey Nigel! What printer do you use? I’m in the market for one at the moment but trying to decide which one is right for me.