| ||||||
exchanging specific thoughts and ideas. | ||||||
|
Victor:I think it's neat when a dialogue can be open to discuss different opinions on ideas. Plato wrote that nobody ever had an original idea, Therefore, I sticking in "My Two Cents" to express, quoting someone I love, "This is my arrogant Opinion" In counter-pointing (how's that for a new word?) last weeks round table, I would like to comment to Melanie. A monpod is an unstable tripod where you are the other two legs. To get the sharpest images. . get use to carrying a tripod. I know that it's a definite pain-in-the-ass for everyone. However, the difference it makes is well worth the trouble. As far as Elements are concerned, if you have made the conscious decision that the "Digital Darkroom" is the way to go (and it is) then spring for the tools that do the best job. If your going to be a person that builds houses and the only tools you have are a screwdriver and hammer, the quality of the house would be suspect. The same for photography. Buy Photoshop 6.0 and learn that, in the application, that is a must to know. You'll be amazed at how gratified you ' ll feel. Hey Bob, here is how to install Photoshop 6.0 When Adobe put out the install disk, they screwed up first class. So now the have a whole department dedicated to tell customers how to really install their software.
If you like to control B&W, read my net "My Two Cents." I'm' going to cover that subject intensively. I think you'll enjoy it. Don't be too disappointed that the Epson 200P can't print B&W. Boy Greg, you're doing some serious upper bodybuilding with the weight you carry around. Your images show that it's well worth while. I think you images are fantastic. I hope that I'm going to be able to ease your confusion in printing and calibration. If I can be of any assistance, feel free to contact me. Yo Steve. I've got to take issue with you on a few points. The Adobe Gamma calibration is a giant SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) It is impossible to calibrate a monitor by eye. The are several fairly inexpensive software (with a puck) that do a great job. Also, it is not something you do once and forget it. Here we do it every day. Depending on how much you use your monitor, it should be calibrated at least monthly. To calibrate to your printer profiles are created for every variance in inks, printers and PAPERS. As I mentioned in My Two Cents, doing this yourself can be a serious learning curve and expensive. You are far better off having a professional house produce the profiles for you. I mentioned profilecity.com. Check 'em out. For your Working Space used in Photoshop sRGB is the gamut for images to the web. For prints you should select either Colormatch RGB or Adobe 1998 for the working space. To calibrate your scanner, for transparencies or slides you must use an IT8 target. Not a slide! The scanner should also be calibrated to your Working Space as is the computer and printer. If you use a digital camera, that's where the Greta MacBeth color chart come in. If you 're not thoroughly confused by now, then I haven't done my job well. I know that my comments might have confused, made angry or even, by some remote chance, helped. I anxious to learn your thought, comments and problems. Steve:Well I am sure you are right in all regards, Victor! However, I prescribe to the KISS principal - keep it simple, stupid. Not necessarily by choice, but by time limitations, monetary constraints, and the shear complexity of the subject. And so I have gone the simple route - one scanner, one monitor, and one printer. The basic idea is to make the print look as close as possible to the slide. A fairly simple concept. I use a McBeth slide, a portrait slide, and a landscape slide when making adjustments. I start with the default settings on my slide scanner. Then I use Adobe's super simplistic gamma correction along with the appropriate color temperature setting. Now my monitor is in the ball park. Now to the film scanner. Using my "very sophisticated and highly trained eye" I make adjustments in my scanner profile so the images look right on my monitor. (Because of 40 years of color printing I can spot a 10cc magenta shift from across the room so this part really is easy. Perhaps that's my advantage.) Lastly, I adjust the printer profile so the prints look like the slides. I have only two printer profiles for one set of Epson inks and two of their papers. And I get near perfect prints on the first time. Sometimes I make small adjustments as personal preferences. No color casts in the highlights, no weirdly tinted shadows, and a proper color balance. My point being, it can be done quite successfully by the experienced printer without sophisticated software and profiles. Of course in your line of work this approach would NEVER work. We are coming from different directions. As for my monitor shifting color, not yet! I use a Viewsonic - graphic version. Really does work as advertised. VICTOR:OK!! Who can argue with experience. My point was and is that very few people have as much experience as you to fall back on. Therefore, they really should know how the rest of the world does it. I certainly can't spot a 10cc shift from across the room. I'm lucky if I see the far wall in the room, no less its color. We both know that as long as you stay with the Epson printer, papers and ink, you'll be golden. It must work for you, as your images are terrific and the colors dynamic. So, who can complain. Certainly, not me. I used to subscribe to the KISS principle, but, I started to get emotionally involved :-))) Peace Brother;_)) Steve:Great discussion. I hope others might gain as much as I have. You really are an expert in your field! If you have any comments or questions please e-mail Steve Bingham. | ||||||
 |