subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 12 October 2019 57
Top tips
1
Ask your lab
Find out what kind of image format,
resolution and colour profi le they
expect you to provide to get the best
possible results. Some offer their own
printing profi le you can use to export
your images.2
Sharpen during export
Even if you sharpen your image
during the edit, it’s important to select
the sharpen option at the export phase.
The output sharpening is needed to
compensate for the loss of sharpness
caused by resizing and printing, making
sure your images remain crisp.3
Calibrate your screen
If your monitor colours are off
you’ll never get them right for print.
So buy, rent or borrow a monitor-
calibration tool as soon as possible.4
Get the best possible
screen
No need to buy the most expensive
monitor out there, but try to fi nd one
with an IPS screen that can display the
AdobeRGB colour space.5
Test
The best way to know and
understand how your images will look
is to print them. Take some images that
represent your style, edit and export
them with different settings, and then
compare the results.6
Choose the right paper
The choice of paper has a massive
effect on the fi nal print. Colours react
differently to different types of paper,
and a matte fi nish is nothing like a
glossy fi nish. So do ensure that you
get a sample pack and experiment.IN ASSOCIATION WITH
WHITEWALL’S
ProductManager,
Jan-OleSchmidt,
offerssome
soundprintingand
presentationadvicefor
photographerMaarten
Mellemans.Hesays,
‘MaartenMellemans
hasperfectlycapturedthemomentthis
womanputsonhermake-upandtheimage
hasa greattoneandfeel.
‘Withover1,000printing,mounting,and
framingoptionsat WhiteWall,thereare
severalchoicesthatwouldworkperfectly
forthisimage.FirstI wouldrecommendour
OriginalPhotoPrintUnderAcrylicGlass.Adding a frame – the 15mm, walnut-
coloured Basel model would be my fi rst
choice here – would provide an additional
accent. On the other hand a very traditional
yetfantastic idea for Maarten’s image
would be our Solid Wood Frame with
Passe-Partout. The 20mm Hamburg frame
in the brown alder colour would be an ideal
complement to his photograph. If subtle
elegant frames are more to your taste, I
would propose the Original Photo Print Under
Acrylic Glass with a golden Slimline Case. The
Slimeline Case would provide a gorgeous
finishing touch to Maarten’s piece without
distracting from the photograph itself.’
Jan-Ole Schmidt, Product Manager
WhiteWall.comWhiteWallrecommends
4 Exporting
Next I exported the image in the highest
quality, resizing it to the dimensions I wanted
for print. This is also the moment I added some
output sharpening, but the setting will depend
on the type of paper you’ll be using. Then I
send it off to a professional printing lab!
need to keep my kit light and
nimble. This means I mainly
work with prime lenses as
they give great results and
are lightweight and compact
to carry.
Since I generally deliver
quite a lot of images per
assignment, I do all of
my organising and main
editing in Lightroom to get
the tone and the feel of the
image. It’s an effi cient way
of editing especially when
time is against me. I only go
into Photoshop for specifi c
tasks such as if I need to
remove an element from the
scene. While I sometimes
work on my images on the
fl y with my laptop, I prefer
to take them home and use
my larger colour-calibrated
monitor to get everythingjust right. I’m also a fi rm
believer in printing your
images, as nothing quite
compares to holding a print
in your hand. For this I have
a small professional printer
at home to experiment with,
and I also regularly send my
images over to a professional
print lab for larger works
and projects that are far
trickier to do at home.Capturing people at events on
the go is Maarten’s style, and
his images have a unique finish