Advice re: ideal workflow when cropping + exporting with ICC profiles

[Atma Singh]

hi,
i have a fully calibrated high quality monitor and am able to get ICC profiles from the labs i use. this will be the first time i need to output files via lightroom for print-purposes.
i shoot 21MP raw files via the Adobe RGB colour space - i aim to output these as either TIFFs or maximum-sized JPEG's
my workflow/needs are:
- having edited the images, i want to crop them to generic dimensions and then add a small white matte border to my files (is this best done before or after the cropping?)
- i want to batch export images at a resolution of 24'-3''dpi in the sRGB space
- i want ICC profiles to be involved so i get the greatest accuracy possible
i'm confused by the following:
- my RAWs are in the Adobe RGB space whilst LR uses ProPhoto RGB as it's space right; how do I know which space is actually active and which should i go with if i need to change a setting?
- i don't really understand how ICC profiles work re: printers/papers; do they change the way my monitor behaves so that it represents what the printer will print or is it something attached afterwards for the benefit of the lab's colour management and if this is the case, why do i need to handle it; why can't the print-lab just take my files and apply the ICC profile themselves?
- any tips re: best temp, gamma and luminance values. victoria bampton suggested that on my Eizo 24W' i select: Printing / 65''k temp / 2.2 gamma / 1'' cd luminance
thanks for any advice. i will be trying to output around 1'' wedding images within the next week so would really appreciate some help. i haven't started editing them properly because i figured that i need to ensure that my colour-management is spot-on first.
thanks.

 

[Sean McCormack]

1 Raw has no colour space. The Adobe RGB space applies to Jpegs from the camera. With Lightroom a profile is only applied on export for Raw files.

2. Go to http://digitaldog.net/tips/ and read read read. As to the lab, just apply the profile they've supplied in the export dialog under 'Other' in the Color Space menu in the File Settings section. Lightroom will convert to this and embed the profile on export.

3. Victoria is bang on, although forcing an LCD to a fixed temperature isn't always recommended, so Native WB might be better. It's more than possible the monitor may not go down to 1''Cd/M2. My dell 24'8 only goes down to 13'. That's still in the recommended bounds (1''-14'), but I have to remember that it may cause my prints to be slightly dark, because the monitor is bright.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

EIZO's do tend to start that low - their recommendation for some of their monitors is 8'cd/m2! Which EIZO is that Atma? They are usually very close to 65''k, so 65''k or native would be just fine.

Which lab are you going to use - and what are they asking you for? Different labs have different requirements.

 

[Atma Singh]

sorry for the delay in replying - have been away and without access to internet.

sean,

1. thanks Sean; forgot that RAW's don't get 'baked'

2. whoaaa - that's a lot of resources; will try to pick out the stuff i really need to cover.

victoria,

it's a CE24'W.

i'll use Peak Imaging for prints and Pro Canvas for canvases. both provide ICC profiles. both take JPEGs or TIFFs.

what i really need to do is work out how to crop to certain sizes, add white borders (staying within size) and export...without going through each image more than i have to.

i tried to use LRMogrify but noticed that when exporting, it wouldn't change image res to 3''ppi (does that actually equate to 3''dpi - you know, i have never really made sure that's the case images stayed at 72ppi.

i think LR needs to become a lot more friendly and intuitive when it comes to easily cropping images to a certain size, adding simple borders etc. to be fair, i also need to learn the print module - as i don't print from home I have not had to touch it and with my first print job coming-up since moving to LR, i need to learn...but i was hoping LRMogrify could do all my bordering, up-ressing.

what would be cool is if from within LR you could just input exact sizes you want your crop outline to crop at e.g. 9"x6", and at what resolution e.g. 3''dpi. then you'd crop away - if you could automatically add say 4mm white borders at the same time, that would be just to cool. then you could just say to LR 'you know these images i've just cropped, please start exporting them please....aahhhh, that would be so nice!

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Keep dreaming, I think it'll be a while before you see that.

For now, set all of your export dimensions, ppi, profile etc in the standard export dialog, and then just use LR/Mogrify to add your border. You might want to set the export dimension in pixels, so you can deduct the border from your calculations, i.e. 9x6 @3''ppi would be 27''x18'' pixels, less a 1' pixel border you want to add to each side, so set LR's export to 268'x178'px and add your 1' pixels on each size in the Mogrify section. (I'm using 1'px as an easy example, so you'll need to work that bit out).

I'd add a keyword for each size, so that you can go through cropping to the right ratio, and then select the contents of each keyword to export with the right crop dimensions. Once you get into the flow, it'll be pretty quick.

 

[Atma Singh]

thanks victoria,

i didn't quite understand this bit: "keyword for each size, so that you can go through cropping to the right ratio, and then select the contents of each keyword to export with the right crop dimensions". i'm not the sharpest knife in the kitchen,,,

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Are they all going to be the same size? I thought I read somewhere that you were cropping to different sizes, but it might have been hypothetical in your feature request link. If they're all the same size, you could ignore that bit. It's just an easy way of setting it up if you're exporting different images in different sizes/ratios.

 

[Atma Singh]

Thanks.