PRINT & SHARE
Make your image look better on paper by following these simple steps
Framing a scene with balanced exposure, vibrant colours, details and depth can take lots of time and effort – however, this is only half the battle. To truly appreciate the outcome of your hard work, you should consider printing your image.
A print can be a beautiful reminder of what you have achieved and it’s also a great selling point to offer customers. But it’s important to remember that printing is an art in itself. Depending on the printer, paper choice and file settings, it can either make or break your shot.
It’s easy to forget that the preparation of a file is just as important as choosing the right shutter speed while shooting images. If you overlook certain key points during the printing process, the final result can end up looking very different from the original you edited to perfection over many hours. To avoid this, keep these steps in mind before you send your image to the printer. This way, you will translate your hard work behind the still into a lifelike printed version of the digital image.
Calibrate monitor
It can be frustrating when the image colours in print turn out different than the ones you saw and edited on your computer. Here, calibrating your monitor is vital. With a spectrometer or calibration software, such as Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra, you will achieve accurate colour representation, which makes a big difference in the quality of image prints. Calibrate your monitor regularly not only to avoid disappointments in print but also to ensure that digital files look great on any device.
Choose the colour space
Wherever you decide to print, it’s important to keep in mind the colour space used by most labs is sRGB. Setting your photo to this format will ensure that the print colours are accurate. Additionally, it’s best to save images in 8-bit rather than 16-bit, as most printers are not equipped to handle the latte
