Kodak Gallery Prints-How to?

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tomp

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I am trying to make sure that when I submit my photos to Kodak Gallery or another processor I get back the same photo I am looking at in Lr.

I generally export jpg photos into a folder I call email and then upload to Kodak Gallery. I the past I have experienced the cropping that happens from Kodak Gallery and I get back photos not quite right. I am using a Canon Rebel Xti that lists an image sensor size of 22.2x14.8mm, 1'mp, and aspect ratio of 3:2.

I could use some advice on which settings to use in the export dialog of Lr. What quality to choose on the slider under file settings, and what width/height to choose (I can choose pixels, inches, centimeters and what resolution??

Maybe the best way to phrase this question is to simply ask which export settings to use if I want a 4x6, 8x1' size print sent back to me.
 
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The first thing you need to consider is at what aspect ratio are your images now and what aspect ratio do the need to be to be printed. Your camera is a 3:2 which means that the 4x6 print is a perfect match. The 8x1' you used in your example is a 5:4 aspect ratio. When you are sending a file to your lab (Kodak) you will need to crop your photo to an 8x1' prior to sending it. If you want a 4x6 and an 8x1' of the same image you will need to send two copies: one cropped for each print's aspect ratio.

Once you have your images cropped to the correct aspect you can begin to worry about what settings to use. I don't use Kodak but I can assume their specs are similar to WHCC which I do use.

In your Export Dialog, under File Settings choose JPEG, sRGB, Quality of 85
In your Image Sizing, Check Resize to Fit, Long Edge, Size of your long edge in Inches, and resolution of 3'' pixels per inch.
Under Output Sharpening: Check Sharpen for and choose Matte or Glossy depending upon your print type (Luster=Glossy also)

If you like, I offer a set of WHCC custom export templates for free on my website. They will work nicely with your Kodak Gallery settings. http://www.fleetingglimpse.com/services/lrkeywordlists.htm

Remember, most digital labs will enlarge your image 1.5-3% when printing so make sure your crops for the various aspect ratios have a little extra room at the edges. It is important (if you want complete control) to make certain that you send a different file for each different print aspect ratio.

Good luck!
 
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[quote author=RikkFlohr link=topic=9333.msg62826#msg62826 date=1268227'46] When you are sending a file to your lab (Kodak) you will need to crop your photo to an 8x1' prior to sending it. If you want a 4x6 and an 8x1' of the same image you will need to send two copies: one cropped for each print's aspect ratio.

Remember, most digital labs will enlarge your image 1.5-3% when printing so make sure your crops for the various aspect ratios have a little extra room at the edges. It is important (if you want complete control) to make certain that you send a different file for each different print aspect ratio.

[/quote]

OK thanks that was helpful and leads to more questions.

I notice that in both the library and develop mods I have the option to choose different aspect ratios (original-8.5x11 and custom). Since most labs do a slight enlargement am I always going to have to make a slight adjustment to one of the preset crop ratios in Lr? In other words if a lab ads 3% do I need create a custom preset in Lr to generate a properly produced 4x6?

If the 3% rule were applied would I really need to set a custom crop ratio of 4.12inX6.18? Or does Lr have that extra space built in and I am just not seeing it? I sort of suspect that the presets in Lr are more for people who are printing their own photos on a home printer vs. sending them to a lab like Kodak, but not sure.

Or do I take care of the extra space issue in the image sizing dialog area when exporting?
 
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You don't need a special preset. Choose the 4x6 or 2x3 and crop your image. Just realize that if you crop too closely something may get run off the edge by your lab's overprinting the image. The effect is only noticeable when you have something important in your image that is too near an edge.

The digital labs have been doing this a long time and expect that you will send a 4x6x3''ppi file. Not every lab prints exactly the same, nor does the same lab necessarily print the same on different machines.

The key isn't to make your image 1.5-3% larger but rather to leave a a little head room inside the crop.
 
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[quote author=tomp link=topic=9333.msg62881#msg62881 date=126828'773]
If the 3% rule were applied would I really need to set a custom crop ratio of 4.12inX6.18? Or does Lr have that extra space built in and I am just not seeing it?[/quote]

But if you really need thal level of precision then see my following tip:
How to crop for equal borders using mogrify and the print shop borderless mode
 
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I'm going off on a slight tangent, more about photography in general, than Lr in specific. Careful framing, at the time of the shot can help avert that edge truncation ( tops of heads, etc.)

Event shooters, in particular, learn to envision what an enlargement will look like when made from the native camera resolution/aspect ratio. Picture a family shot, where you back all the way up to the wall, and zoom out as far as you can, and you just barely squeeze in Aunt Edna on the left, and Uncle Chuck on the right. Fine and dandy. Your camera shoots at 4x6, so a print at 4x6 might be OK, but that ~3% bleed print may amputate Edna and/or Chuck a tad bit. The major problem comes when someone wants an enlargement. 4x6 happens to be the 'most oblong' of the common US photo print sizes. 5x7, 8x1', 8.5x 11, 11x14 are all just a bit more square in shape; that is they are respectively a little less wide for a given height. And in this case, less wide, is a problem, bye-bye Edna and Chuck. At this point, you have to
a) crop Edna and Chuck out
b) print a non-standard size (some labs offer 4x6 analogs in larger inch sizes, e.g. 8x12), which can cause wall frame issues.
c) fake a 4x6 on a larger size print with blank borders on the short dimension, i.e. top and bottom of a landscape. If you then trim the blank borders, you're back to b).

The take-home is: fight the natural inclination to zoom in as closely as possible for an edge to edge composition, if you aren't positive what the output will be. Give up some pixels to give yourself room to play with.
 
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Amen
 
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[quote author=Brad Snyder link=topic=9333.msg62893#msg62893 date=1268317645]
I'm going off on a slight tangent, more about photography in general, than Lr in specific. Careful framing, at the time of the shot can help avert that edge truncation ( tops of heads, etc.)

Event shooters, in particular, learn to envision what an enlargement will look like when made from the native camera resolution/aspect ratio...
The take-home is: fight the natural inclination to zoom in as closely as possible for an edge to edge composition, if you aren't positive what the output will be. Give up some pixels to give yourself room to play with.
[/quote] Most camera viewfinders (DSLRs in particular) only cover ~95% of the sensor image. So unless you have a really high end camera, your viewfinder is already 'cropping' beyond that ~3% bleed.
Here is a link to a chart.
http://danny.id.au/photography/equipment/dslr-viewfinder-sizes.html

Rangefinder Cameras exhibit the opposite problem in that the viewfinder shows an image larger that the sensor. True sensor coverage is usually marked on the reticule and this true coverage varies with distance to the subject (Parallax)
 
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[quote author=RikkFlohr link=topic=9333.msg62888#msg62888 date=1268312342]

The key isn't to make your image 1.5-3% larger but rather to leave a a little head room inside the crop.
[/quote]

So if I am understanding most of this I could compose my shot in the field and then either pull back the zoom or step back just "slightly" before I push the shutter so that I capture all of my desired composition and the little extra. Then when I am using the crop tool in Lr I should be able to crop to the desired size and get the lab output without losing details that I want in the margins (keeping in mind I will still need to leave some extra space during the crop). The other way would be to be sure that when I am croping in Lr that if I choose say a 4x6 (or other aspect ratio) to leave a small percentage of extra space around the desired composition so when the lab sends back the photo I still get the data/composition I desired.

It sounds like this takes a little experimenting on my part. I am not necessarily sold on Kodak Gallery, but it does provide me a low cost avenue to experiment. If any one has any other suggestions for lab processing I am all ears and will check them out.

RickkFlohr: I took a look at your site and the custom presets you made for WHCC, but I am not sure how to download them and use them in Lr. I could use a little extra help on that. I thought your site (fleetingglimpse) was nice and WHCC seemed to have a quality FAQ section so thanks for referring those references.
 
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[quote author=clee'1l link=topic=9333.msg629'1#msg629'1 date=1268329854]
[quote author=Brad Snyder link=topic=9333.msg62893#msg62893 date=1268317645]

[/quote] Most camera viewfinders (DSLRs in particular) only cover ~95% of the sensor image. So unless you have a really high end camera, your viewfinder is already 'cropping' beyond that ~3% bleed.
Here is a link to a chart.
http://danny.id.au/photography/equipment/dslr-viewfinder-sizes.html


[/quote]
Canon 35'D/4''D 1/1.6 '.8'x 95% '.48 21mm

Clee'1 thanks for this link and if you could please expand in more detail what some of this means...I am having a hard time grasping the details.
 
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