How to prepare your images for print.

[@pixelasm]

After using photoshop for more than 15 years now, setting a curves adjustment layer blend mode to luminosity never crossed my mind, instead I did a slight desaturation with hue/saturation adjustment layer on top. What a BIG timesaver and GREAT tipp, thanks Mr. Taylor.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

+pixelasm Your welcome :)

[@71-l3n]

Hey Karl, Nice tutorial, also I learned a lot from your videos how to shot certain things & about lightning, your videos really helped me. However since my profession is DTP, photography is my hobby, I am quite familiar with print production & photo retouching and I think in this video is missing most fundamental thing, how to create printer-safe shadows. The big majority of people don't know the max ink limit of printers. I see lots and lots of tutorials how to prepare images for print and none of those include printer-safe shadows, so people than complain why their images are so dark. I hope that this comment did not cause any inconvenience, because that was not my intention. Really nice tutorials, and it is always pleasure to watch how professionals do their work.

[@fabricioantonello8023]

Fantastic video Karl, congrats and thanks so much for sharing the knowledge.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

My pleasure!

[@lwazihlophe8955]

I love your passion and your no bullshit approach to photography.thank you.

[@DOM_4GOOD]

thanks a lot for all those boost adjustements , just a bit more informations needed: what format you save it for printing ? jpeg, tiff?

[@martinconrad9260]

Great help---especially clarifying the use of the high-pass filter!

[@StefanoV827]

Hi Karl, i've a little problem with printing dark images ... I have a calibrated monitor, but every time i send a dark image to a printing lab, i get a total black image without details! I tried to use adobeRGB and sRGB, but is the same ... On screen everyone see a perfect image, but when a lab print my dark images, they are totally black! What can I do for it? Maybe i can set the black point not perfectly black (RGB 10 10 10) and convert image in CMYK before sending to the lab?

[@TheGazzadj]

+S.V. Design Hope you don't mind me jumping in, as I have had the same problem - I have now turned my brightness right down on my screen as it was way too bright even though it was calibrated. Get an image in Photoshop and duplicate it three or four times and on each image increase brightness by about 5 then save each image such as Portrait brightness 5 Portrait brightness 10 and so on. You could then do like a contact sheet and have all the images on one A4 by resizing them then when you get them back you will have a selection of images but with increasing brightness values. Hope that helps and sorry for jumping in!

[@VisualEducationStudio]

+S.V. Design Hi I don't ever have this problem, try using some different labs on the same pic and see how they compare. If they are all the same then it is likely their is a problem with your setup. I use Fitzlab.com and have no problems Reply ·

[@StefanoV827]

+Karl Taylor +TheGazzadj Thank you both :) I'll try your suggestions :)

[@brycenew]

+TheGazzadj Worthy advice (for someone who's a total beginner). Thanks for jumping in :) (I've been researching lighting of editing rooms (any room we edit in). It seems that the lighting level of the room should ideally be really dim so the monitor brightness can be lowered. Working on creating such a space.) Thanks again

[@romiemiller7876]

Mat paper is usually flatter.. I make test prints on all photos, including ones I have to send out so the lab has everything set according to my printer. Do you set your printer to perceptual or relative for sending out?

[@alberto_pessoa_professor]

Great video! I’m illustrator, but now a days We use more and more bitmap textures in our illustrations and We need this kind of knowledge about editions for printing

[@jazzman1626]

Great way of adding contrast using unsharp mask. I'm going to try the high pass filter too.

[@homayoonasgharzadeh5572]

thanks dear Karl but there is more question !! please give some advise about the format of print file . whats the best format for printing ?!! thanks

[@greyhoundrick5568]

Fantastic presentation Karl! Thank you so much for this. Very helpful and enlightening. Best to you, Rick

[@whitestar6178]

Wonderful tutorial and wonderful tips! I think I'll use them all. ;) Thanks a lot!!

[@abrahamgebru8919]

It was very useful. Thank you Karl.

[@antonielojeda5202]

This dude is an absolute master

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Very kind

[@endreherczeg]

Thanks Karl. Great tips as always.

[@Neopulse00]

Well done video that can save time and money (plus headaches).

[@TuvozAmerica_AsuaVozAmerica]

Muchas gracias, tu canal merece un premio, saludos desde el norte argentino.

[@tinakaramitros8542]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! Amateur photographer over here 😊

[@albertr915]

excellent video Karl. thank you.

[@hawg427]

Great tips Karl.

[@bismilgraphic]

I am using epson l220, the image on display and the image on paper are very different in color, please any advise for color management, it's only on people photos not on other mode photos or images like nature trees things, just on people photos the color looks different.

[@amiradaoud3253]

Thank you from all my heart ♥

[@VisualEducationStudio]

You're welcome

[@nikinik7503]

Hi Karl! Just great info as always, just you dont mention nothing about format and file type. JPEG or TIFF or? Wich one is the best to send it to Lab.? Regards from Bulgaria!

[@Fatboy53]

Thank you for sharing your expertise

[@mag_and]

I always soft proof for CMYK to be on the safe side, but (most of the time) I still export in a wider color space. Unless it is for true offset printing (C + Y + M + K) most industrial digital printers can give you a better result from integrated downsampling from a wider gamut.

[@KolorEnt]

AWESOME TUTORIAL THANKS !

[@gregorykapa94]

Hey Karl tell me please what about the profile of view that you work in PS,which one do you prefer?

[@pscully1969]

Thanks! I was just wondering about this subject the other day. Happy New Year!

[@vicky99937]

many times the colors what i see in the screen wash away in the print. the shadow,highlights, black and white goes haywire in the print. what may be the reason for that? Is its the color proof setup in photoshop or the output format that affects the print? Thank you.

[@kurtlindner]

+Rajeev Sao Either how the file is setup, or your printer. If a file is setup properly you can get amazing prints from _adequate_ print agencies. I've actually sold 2'x3'; prints upwards of $700 that were printed at FedEx/ Kinkos -I wasn't being a cheapskate though, the quality was _waaay_ beyond what I originally expected.

[@MdImteyaz-pj8hs]

kurt lindner xxx you are a little

[@NitoGamerzOfficial]

excellent tips

[@JuanLopez-oz9kh]

What format will work best for print? Good job!

[@mindfuleats4517]

hi . can you help? I used a vector from illustrator to design patterns in photoshop but ALL of my designs (many many many designs lol) are now blurry or pixelated. Any idea how ..or if..i can make the images sharper to be good enough to print. I would really really appreciate ANY help.

[@kirsten1301]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@VisualEducationStudio]

You're welcome

[@jkountz]

Excellent tutorial!! Thank you for posting!!

[@LigiaNunesS]

Great video, thank you for the tips!

[@zakariyabaker874]

If anyone can be of help, what kind of edits may I need to make in the case of photos coming out far too dark? Boosting the exposure? Brightness? I know I'm probably having these issues because of uncalibrated display, but trying to figure out a quick fix.

[@StefanoVenneri]

Hi Karl, i've a calibrated monitor but every time i print a dark image in lab printing lab, my image because all Black without details!! Printing lab says that is my bad, but everyone looks well the images on every screen, my monitor is calibrated, and i tried to use adobeRGB and then later sRGB ... But nothing... How can i do for it? Thank you...

[@VisualEducationStudio]

+Stefano Venneri Hi I don't ever have this problem, try using some different labs on the same pic and see how they compare. If they are all the same then it is likely their is a problem with your setup. I use Fitzlab.com and have no problems

[@kurtlindner]

+Stefano Venneri Often if you want deep blacks with detail you need to adjust the file depending on the paper you are printing on; matte, for example is far less forgiving than a satin or lustre. Also, unless a lab specifically asks, or states, they want Adobe RGB, prep the file as sRGB. It's a rare case that a lab will _actually_ print in the AdobeRGB space, also, sRGB gives you much smoother gradients. If the lab says it doesn't matter, they are either _really_ good or _really_ bad.

[@StefanoV827]

+kurt lindner Thank you :)

[@Papazapraidis]

is there a difference to send jpegs or tiffs for print? or its the same result ?

[@xereyksfernandez5947]

This is so awesome

[@fepgirao]

and what about lightroom's definitions to export JPEG? Are they reliable?

[@kurtlindner]

+Fernando Girão If you don't need to do work in Photoshop, yes, you can do it all in Lightroom's export dialogue, and its 'Sharpen for _____' option works very well with little artifacting.

[@dborato1]

Would you do the same for street photography?

[@kefahweb5815]

WHAT IS THE BEATER SIZE AND RESOLUTION FOR TSHIRT ??

[@scoopoutclub4677]

Sir, for this photograph which camera did you used?....

[@VisualEducationStudio]

I believe it was an older 22mp Hasselblad

[@scoopoutclub4677]

Tnk you for your time sir....

[@spiritwings9726]

Wonderful , Thank you !

[@AmolImpal]

Great Tutorial Thank you. I am beginner photographer. I can't print full page photos. It cut's the edges. please help me.

[@abulkashem5170]

Great technic

[@andrewtran1376]

Do these techniques to contrast, highlights, sharpening, etc., apply to Lightroom as well? I just noticed that you are left-handed! Thanks for the video!

[@tamaskovacs2139]

Great video, thanks

[@jackelynnoemybautistaperez9127]

Hi Karl, I have one question, I am recently sending out prints out to a lab and wanted to run some test prints on some digital images. How large should the test prints be? What would be your recommendation?

[@MikeJB]

Excellent tips, but sadly this video was missing probably one of the most important factors in sending images to a professional print lab; converting your images to CMYK. I'd love to see a video that explains how to do this properly without it messing up/shifting colours.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Pro Labs are better versed in the conversion of RGB to CMYK for inkjet. Some prolab printing devicies such as the Theta or Epsilon use RGB. In most cases a decent lab will use a RIP that will take care of the conversion.

[@MikeJB]

Thanks for the reply, Karl. It would be handy to know how to do it anyway, just in case. Vistaprint are an example of a print lab that state a preference for CMYK, although they will accept RGB begrudgingly. :)

[@jeffreybaer3746]

No need to convert image Files to cmyk. The rgb to cmyk color space conversion done at printers

[@madelinejoseph5838]

Thanks for that, I was rather hoping for a way to go from a 72dpi screen image to a 240 dpi ready to print

[@julijanagriffiths6861]

Awesome video!

[@Skarrald]

Thanks mate, lovely video :)

[@fernandopiresneto]

You're amazing! Thanks

[@jackdonachy9906]

Very helpful. Thanks.

[@ahmed_elalfy]

Hi Karl. A great video as always. Was wondering about the Colours. I mainly use Prophoto RGB. But when I save it, the colour looks a bit Weird. Do you recommend Adobe RGB or Prophoto. And finally I mainly have 16 bit images. Does it make a big difference to the 8 bit? Thanks a million.

[@FallingPT2003]

thank you

[@meltdownman1]

Karl, Can you discuss the use of ICC codes for color profiling? Is worth getting the printer's ICC profile codes from the printer, inputting them into your computer and subsequently making adjustments on your monitor to better try and match the printed output from a lab? Also, I was given a wide GAMUT monitor as a gift. Are there any considerations to take into account when using this monitor and its adjustments prior to sending my photos off to a printing lab?

[@VisualEducationStudio]

+meltdownman1 I've tried working with the labs profiles and this never worked for me. I edit all my images in Adobe RGB 1998 on an Eizo colour edge monitor which my lab also uses. I then let the lab do any profile conversion for their printers, I'm confident that once they see the image I prepared on their Eizo that they will match it.

[@aryamalick73]

Good job...

[@WaqasNasir]

No mentioning of file type ? Im sure its not the 60MB Jpeg you have ... may be tiff

[@michaelvestergaard4251]

But if you, at the beginning of the design process, compose a color palette that is within the cmyk range, you won't need color correction. ....... Correctly understood?

[@garyrowe58]

So, regarding the subject of preparing images for printing, your answer to many questions is..., I do nothing cos I let my lab handle that. That's your answer below for queries on cropping to different print ratios, soft proofing, printer profiles etc. Wow!

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Gary, any lab worth its salt will be running a RIP in which case it will convert from Adobe RGB easily which is the colour space I stay in to complete any post work. Cropping is something that any photographer should decide in advance, after all its your image and how you want it laid out is your creative decision alone. I've never considered different print ratios, the lab will print to my ratio and the print will be trimmed to match otherwise its not my work. Printer profiles are only any use if you are soft proofing and viewing on something like and Eizo screen which is not what most people watching this will have. The best bet by far is to build a good relationship with a good lab and work with them. I've been doing this for 30 years and have also worked in pro labs printing everything from Cibachrome to light jet, to RA4 and B&W, I've also sold many of my images as prints, if you'd like to take a look at my work then you can see it here karltaylorportfolio.com/ the tips i'm giving here relate mostly to sharpening and local contrast that can benefit images before the printing process.

[@garyrowe58]

Hi Karl, I never doubted your skills, you explained clearly in the video, and I love the photos you produce. My comment was regarding your answers to questions here in the comments, such as the one for different ratios where you said "I'm happy to let my lab decide the best area to crop if this was required." (so is it still your work? ;) And yes, I don't have an Eizo monitor (my lottery ticket would have to win before I could justify that) but I do have a printer, and answering technical questions about preparing images for printing with the fact that you use a lab to get things done is uninformative.

[@janetebrown4173]

Thank you for this...

[@beardrag7729]

thank you, it really helped, unlike other crap videos!! subscribed

[@vincentsequeira3723]

Thank you.

[@TOUSSIAGAMEPLAYS]

Thank you That was Very Helpful ; Try To use Noise reduction next time ♥

[@estebanleon3909]

Thanks Bro

[@Oggiwara1]

Thanks for this great tutorial, Karl! Very useful as always. :-)

[@TimBrownie]

To bad you've let out color proofing. It will make such a big difference if your lab uses a different colorspace then de adobeRGB. Always ask the lab what profile they are using, and if it's different, ask them for a PS download so you can do a soft proofing. Also satin/matte makes such a big difference.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

+Tim Bruijninckx The lab printing profiles are always different depending on the device they are RIP they are printing to, whether that be a professional inkjet or a colour RA4 process like a Durst Lambda. An often generic print profile would be sRGB but it is far better to let the lab make the final conversion from the space you are happy working with. As much of my work is destined for CMYK printing in magazines then I use Adobe RGB, but I have a very good relationship with my lab and their Eizo monitors are calibrated to the same standards as mine and their RGB profiles on that screen match mine so that they know the image I'm expecting should be close to the one they see on their screen. Obviously as you mentioned there are significant variations between paper stocks such as satin or metallic. I spent several years hand and digital printing in pro labs so have become familiar with their operations and i've always come back to the simplicity of having my Eizo match there's so they know when they are looking at my images what i'm expecting. This process really comes down to building a relationship with your pro lab and most of them are very accommodating if you will be supplying them regular work. Next week we will be posting a video from the lab I work with.

[@LIZANO262]

Gracias . Saludo .

[@simonheywood1286]

Thanks for sharing my brotha

[@adamleone8278]

This guy uses his mouse on he left hand side, I'm not sure i can trust him.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

I'm left handed like 10% of the population.

[@markkeller8418]

Adam Leone 😂

[@jsavak99]

Seems so complicated

[@dzieciou]

It only "seems"

[@samikdhar273]

Yana Gupta is a very pretty model

[@IainHC1]

Ta Carl :-)

[@studioedin5288]

rename video to "how to sharpen images"