How to prepare files from 350D to print on Frontier at 6x4"?

I couldn't find much useful info by searching, but I would have

thought this would be a FAQ:

 

I want to prepare some files from my 350D to put on CD and print on a

local photo store's Frontier. I presume their machine does

auto-everything to my files.

 

What's the best way to go about this?

 

Should I just adjust levels and then apply USM ~200/0.3/0 on the

original file size then rezise to 1800x1200px then burn to CD as top

quality JPEG, or is there a better technique? (e.g. sharpen (again?)

after resizing? Or change camera from Parameter 2 (neutral

sharpening/contrast/etc) to a different setting?) (I'm shooting in

JPEG at the moment, not desperately interested in a RAW vs. JPEG

debate just now; I can read those arguments when I have a bit more

free time)

 

Thanks for any advice; I'm sure loads of people must be wanting to do

this sort of thing.

I'm assume that you are working from within Photoshop.

 

99% of the online photo printers or local photostores assume that images are in sRGB - if you aren't using sRGB as your RGB working space, convert your images to sRGB. It is unlikely that there will appear to be much of a different to the image, but it will make a big different in the 'vibrance' of the prints.

 

Edit your images using levels etc, to get a good look on screen.

(the main advantage of RAW files is it will provide you with 16 bit per channel images - that make it easier to perform more aggressive adjustments).

 

Flatten the image (if you have layers). Resize to 4"x6" at 300ppi (or 1800 x 1200px), set the resample option to use 'Bicubic Sharper' - you will be downsampling considerable from your 350D image and this resampling option will keep the image looking sharp.

 

Use USM to sharpen. I use ~70-100 for amount, 3.0 for radius (1/100 inch at 300ppi) and 15 threshold, but there are lots of good formulas. If you have access to Photoshop CS2 - try the Smart Sharpen filter, it is a true sharpening filter ans works awesome.

 

Save the images at JPeg files. Good Luck

<I>I presume their machine does auto-everything to my files.</i><P>Actually they don't, unless you tell them.<P>Images I get from several local Frontier shops from my 10D are outstanding - even the Walmart kiosks. Shows just how good the Frontier is in terms of consistency.<P>I've done a lot of experimenting with different tweaks to get ideal Frontier files, and haven't find it difficult at all. Recently I also compared several 4x6 Frontier prints that were from different sized files, and found it made no difference if I submitted 3000x2000 or 1800x1200. The Frontier just resized the files and ignores the extra data. This makes it easier for me because I can keep my files at their maximum size without having to fiddle with them just for Frontier printing. <P>Use the highest quality setting for JPEG files, and use generous unsharp masking. Otherwise, I woulnd't bother knocking your files down to 4x6" by 300dpi for Frontier printing because it's extra work for nothing.

Thanks for the replies Brad and Scott...

 

Brad - radius 3.0 USM seems quite severe on screen; does it actually print out okay?

 

Scott - what kind of 'baseline' USM would you work from? I remember seeing a scan of a print of a kid with brown eyes that you posted in a forum sometime ago that looked very impressive. What's your idea of "generous" USM?

 

Thanks!

<p>Disclaimer: on the scale from digital imaging novice to digital imaging wizard, I'm above novice, but not by a large margin.</p>

 

<p>I usually sharpen radius 2 for 4x6" prints, and it seems to turn out well. Even that typically looks oversharpened on screen, but remember that you're viewing the image on screen at much higher magnification than the print (you're probably looking at the sharpened image at something like 100%; on my 17" LCD at 1280x1024, an 1800x1200 image at 100% is bigger the screen and would be equivalent to about a 13x19" print). Digital imaging tutorials generally tell you that the appropriate USM settings depend on the use of the image, and I've also found that they depend on the image content as well.</p>

 

<p>4x6" Frontier prints don't cost much (I get 'em for 35¢ Canadian, which is under 30¢ U.S.), so it doesn't cost a heck of a lot to experiment. Grab the same full-sized image and try making a few copies of it with different workflows, different USM parameters, whatnot. Put something in each one that will let you identify them (e.g. put a piece of text with a number on it somewhere, or if your local Frontier prints the 8-character shortened filename, make sure they're unique) and then look at the results and see what you prefer.</p>