Directing a printing lab in processing a raw image to exact specifications for print

Directing a printing lab in processing a RAW image to exact specifications for print.

1. Open the image in Photoshop, this will automatically open the Camera RAW window.

2. Click on the link at the bottom of the window with the image in which reads ‘Adobe RGB (1999): 8-bit. This will open a window, change depth to 16-bit using the drop down menu in this then select OK. 3. In Camera RAW adjust the levers to the right on the menu labelled ‘Basic’ so that they are in line with the image below.

4. Still in the right hand menus, go to the icons underneath the image information, click the fourth one. This will toggle the HSL/Greyscale adjustment panel.

5. Click the ‘Saturation’ tab within this panel and adjust the levers to the values shown in the image below.

6. Select the sixth icon from the same row, this takes you to the lens correction panel.

7. Click ‘Enable Profile Correction’ and adjust the vignetting to the level shown in the image below.

8. Select ‘Open Image’.

9. Once open select the crop tool from the tool bar on the left and then select the straighten tool within this which is the little icon along the top labelled ‘Straighten’.

10. Position the curser along the blue line and with the mouse held down drag a line across this so that it is flush, as shown in the below image.

11. This will straighten the image, before pressing the tick button to confirm the adjustment pull the bottom part of the crop box down so that the subject’s feet are not being cut off.

12. Check that the image looks like the one below and then press the tick button in the top bar to confirm the adjustment.

13. Select the selection tool from the tool bar on the left then from the drop down menu along the top bar select ‘Fixed Size’ and input the parameters 1094px (W) x 2800px (H).

14. Click on the image and a selection will load using those dimensions.

15. Select rulers from the view drop down menu, drag one down to 7.9 and one across to 25.2, then align the left and top side of the selection with these.

16. From the top drop down menus select Image > Crop.

17. Once cropped go into the Image dropdown menu again and select ‘Image Size’.

18. With ‘Resample’ selected change the height of the image to 50cm and click Ok. 19. Go to File > Print, in the print window ensure the box is ticked for Photoshop to manage colours.

20. Print using a large format Printer on lustre paper. Either A2 or 24inch roll paper.

21. Trim so there is no border then mount on 10mm thick foam board.

The final image should look like the one to the left.

Notes The final image shows a slight blue fringing around the subject, this has been kept as a design feature but ordinarily it can be removed by selecting ‘Remove Chromatic Aberration’ from the ‘Lens Corrections’ tab in Camera Raw.