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aaron_w.

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Posts posted by aaron_w.

    PictureMan Pro 5.0

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Ok, I'll give that a shot... After loading a picture into your image-editor and before you start to edit it, you should preserve the original image (i.e., you should not apply any changes directly to the original image).

     

    Next, keep in mind that it is not unusual to have to make quite a few edits to an image to achieve the final result you are seeking and it is also not unusual to find along the way that you need to alter one or more of your previous edits. So you can see that it's desireable to segregate and save each individual edit that you make. With software that provides for adjustment layers you can put each adjustment (and only that adjustment) on a separate labeled layer, whereas with software that does not provide for layers you would have to make a copy of the entire altered image after every edit.

     

    The latter approach (used by Picture Window Pro) requires more storage, which may not be a big problem with today's large disk-drives. More importantly however, without layers you lack the working flexibility for segregating your edits so that you can easily correct any one of them.

     

    Hope that helps!

     

    ------

    Btw, is this website having problems lately, or is the problem on my end???

    PictureMan Pro 5.0

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Prior to PMP 5, I had also downloaded and evaluated the PWP 3.5 trial. I like PMP 5 a lot more than PWP 3.5 mainly because the latter does not support layers (which I find to be invaluable), but PWP does have a very good user-forum.

     

    I also find some of PMP's features to be outstanding (I especially love the dust/scratch filter and red-eye correction). But Mark's comments are certainly valid and goes to my issue with the lack of a user-forum!

    PictureMan Pro 5.0

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Based on the recommendation of a local camera-club member, I've been

    checking-out an image-editor called PictureMan Pro 5.0 and I must

    say that so far I'm very favorably impressed.

     

    Like Photoshop CS, all image processing/editing functions can be

    performed in 16 bit per channel and with the caveat that I've just

    been using this product for 2 weeks, I haven't found anything that

    can be done in PS CS that PMP5 can't accomplish. Furthermore, I

    find the PMP5 interface very straight-forward and its demands on PC

    resources are considerably lower than PS CS (as is it's cost)!

     

    Since I had never heard of PictureMan Pro, I thought I'd bring it to

    the attention of my fellow photo.net forum members. You can read a

    lot more about it and download a fully-working trial at...

    http://www.stoik.com/pictureman/index.html

     

    I guess I should add that besides using the software, I am in no way

    associated it or the developer. ;)

    Experiences with 3rd party inks

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Maureen: I read that article - I believe it only tested inks from three 3rd parties (and none from the 'major players'), so I don't consider that a valid test, do you?

     

    David/Neil: I should have qualified my ink-costs of $.20/print as representing an average of all sizes I print, which are part 5 x 7, 8 x 10 and 8.5 x 11 (nothing over letter-size).

     

    Actually, I'd like to hear specific experiences from forum members who have used / are using 3rd party inks!

    Experiences with 3rd party inks

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    I've long been a staunch believer and user of OEM inks in my inkjet

    printers (Epson and Canon). However, according to my calculations,

    my cost of ink is about $.20/print (after taking proofs and mistakes

    into account), so I'm strongly considering 3rd party inks which

    would reduce this cost by 50 -70%.

     

    Naturally, I would like to benefit from your experiences with 3rd

    party (dye-based) inks... So let's hear the good, bad and ugly.

    Canon i9100 clogging

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Bill~ I have an i950 (which I believe uses the same print-head and inks as your i9100). I also live in the LA area, so my printing situation may be a good basis for comparison.

     

    I only use my i950 to print photos (as I have a LaserJet for other printing needs) and on average I print photos once/week; the rest of the time my i950 is idle. In the 7 months that I've had the printer, I've only experienced one (really bad) clog-up which occured using WeInk cartridges. With the caveat that I have no proof that the clog was caused by the ink and after getting down on myself for using a 3rd party ink, I removed the head and washed it out well under running warm water. After it appeared to be clear, I gave it a final rinse with distilled/purified water and then let it dry out completely. That did the trick for me and (right or wrongly accused) I haven't used 3rd party inks since!

    Profile for Epson ColorLife on Canon i950

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Last year, I got rid of my Epson 870 because of its frequent

    clogging problems and got a Canon i950 (which has been trouble-

    free). When I had the Epson, I 'fell in love' with Epson ColorLife

    paper and although I've tried various settings in my Canon printer

    software, I'm getting very poor results with that paper. So just

    wondering if any fellow Canon printer users out there might have a

    profile to share with me. ;)

    Is Adobe Photoshop the only option?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    John~ That was my exactly my point - albeit stated somewhat differently. As the industry standard, Ryan shouldn't think twice about going with PS if he is planning on doing image-editing or graphic-arts professionally. But imho, for most amateur purposes, PS is overkill personified. Based on my experience to date with Photo-Brush (which I recommended above), I find it serves all of my needs and I suspect those of many other hobbiests. Not to mention that it's about $600 cheaper than PS and is far less demanding of PC resources!

    Is Adobe Photoshop the only option?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    I've been a Photoshop user with versions 6 and 7. Btw, from what I've been told by Photoshop CS (Adobe's latest version) users whom I know, I stayed away from it!

     

    Everyone has their preferences and biases (including myself), but since you asked, I truly don't believe that there is any other image-editor that offers similar/comparable creativity. That said, a better question might be... do you really need all (or even most) of the features found in Photoshop? ...Unless you are (or intending to become) a pro, the answer is probably NO.

     

    Three months ago, I downloaded a trial of 'Photo-Brush' and I must say that it does just about everything that I typically do when editing my images in Photoshop, and it does it a heck of a lot easier! I was so impressed that I recently bought a copy for all of $38. That's not a typo... the price of Photo-Brush is only $38.00 :) :) :)

     

    I strongly suggest that you check it out... http://www.mediachance.com/pbrush/index.html

    Canon i950 printer calibration & profiling

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Ben:

     

    Are you using Canon photo papers (and if so, have you calibrated your monitor)? The reason I ask is that I get near-perfect colors from my i950 using Canon papers, but I do have varied color-problems of one type or another with other papers I've tried (Kodak Premium/Ultimate and Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss).

     

    Based on 6-mo of experience with my i950, I've found Canon's software paper-settings are right-on for Canon papers! However, my experience with other papers has not been so good (note that I also don't want to sink $$ into buying profiles or profiling kits)! Fwiw... besides the Canon papers, I've been reading that some i950 users get very good results without resorting to custom profiles from Epson Heavyweight Matte and Ilford Galerie Classic Pearl (but not Ilford Smooth Gloss).

     

    Good luck, Aaron

    Epson's Archival Matte vs. Heavyweight Matte

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Emre - Thanks for that reference... The table is helpful.

     

    William - Based on Emre's comment (and reference) your conclusions are what I would expect, as your 2200 uses pigmented inks.

     

    Bill - Re: Ilford's Smooth Gloss paper, I really don't care for high-gloss finishes (too commercial-looking for me). I haven't tried the Classic Pearl although I've read that it's very similar to (but less expensive than) Epson ColorLife. If I run across the Classic Pearl at a good price, I'll give it a try.

    Epson's Archival Matte vs. Heavyweight Matte

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    I would like to hear about your experiences with these two Epson

    Matte papers. How would you characterize their differences? From

    some brief remarks I've heard, I get the impression that the

    Archival Matte is better suited for final prints, whereas the

    Heavyweight Matte is more of an all-purpose proof/poster paper. Is

    that a fairly accurate conclusion?

     

    Fwiw, I'm considering using one of these Matte papers on a Canon

    i950 (with BCI-6 inks) for final prints.

     

    Thanks and happy new year!

    Canon i960 or i860 for photos?

    in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing

    Posted

    Dhiren: Here is where you will find what you are looking for...

     

    http://www.usa.canon.com/html/conCprProductCompare.jsp?section=10199&product12=9443&product14=9442&x=52&y=24

     

    The major difference between the two printers is that the i960 uses 5-color cartridges + black compared to 3-color + black cartridge in the i860. In addtion the buffer (memory) in the i960 is twice the size of the i860.

     

    I have the i950 (prior version of, and almost identical to, the i960). It produces fantastic color prints! While Eric's advice about paper is sound, I find that the Canon papers deliver truer colors (on my i950) than the Epson papers he mentioned.

     

    Hope that helps!

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