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else !L6xabslN96
so i went to get some digital photos developed.

they photoshop had three choices of film stock, namely glossy, matte or metallic. i chose matte for all of them.

please explain the differences between them(apart from the obvious) and why one could be better than the other, if it is.
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>> ScottishChan !!wmrA5TO2m8R
The colour with glossy is more vibrant, but matte is best for most things such as frames and albums. I find using matte avoids fingerprints and tends not to fade as much.

I've never used metallic
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>they had three choices of paper
Fix'd. Film stock is something else entirely.
>> Sicko !L3HRY/miC.
Ooh metallic? What shop was this?

The places I've been just have glossy or "lustre", which is basically matte.

If you think of most people's holiday snaps, they're usually glossy.
>> Anonymous
matte all the way for me. Its handy for when other people are looking at my photos with their cheeto dust covered hands.
>> else !L6xabslN96
     File :-(, x)
>>251686
sorry i've never used film, except for a shitty kyocera p&s or disposable cameras. but that was before i got an interest in photography.

>>251684
so i guess i should choose matte if my colours are really important to the picture.

also, white border vs no white border for film. discuss.

also, how would i remove that annoying blu-ish ambient light seeping in from the left of this photo?

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>> else !L6xabslN96
>>251690
>What shop was this?

Qphoto(http://www.qphoto.co.za/). but u gotta pay out your ass for it. i doubt you'll have one where you are, im probably the only south afri-fag on this board.
>> Anonymous
Unless I'm planning on framing it, I *ALWAYS* choose matte.

When I'm printing my own B&W it's m.f.-ing ILLFORD PEARL MOTHER FUCKNUT
>> Anonymous
>>251680
It they are offering metallic, they are probably printing it with a lightjet printer. Glossy will be glossy as hell, matte will be closer to luster, and I've never spent the money on metallic, but I've talked to people that like to use it sometimes.

Lightjet printers use "real" photo paper. The same kind you would use in a darkroom. They expose it with lasers or LEDs depending on the printer, and process it. In theory, this is not as archival as the top of the line archival inkjet prints, but they will last a long time, and the paper is a bit more resilient to handling. You can even wash a lightjet print in water and just lay it out or hang it to dry.
>> Anonymous
>>251694
You keep saying film, are you having your digital images made into slides? It didn't sound like it based on your first post. I think all you are doing are having your images printed.

White borders are pretty standard. They give you a safe area to hold, and the edges of a print will get damaged first, and if you have a white border, your image will still be fine.

Use photoshop to fix the color. If you don't have it, pay the printing shop to fix it. Unless they offer you a color profile that matches their printer, and your monitor is already calibrated perfectly, and you know how to color balance for printing, you'll probably want to have them do some corrections anyway.

Paper finishes vary significantly based on the type of paper. A lightjet printer's matte is like an inkjet printer's luster. Personally, I'd ask them about it. IMO, color prints look best on luster paper if you use inkjet, but matte with RC paper, which is what a lightjet printer uses.

I don't know if lightjet is a technical name that is widely used, but that's what we call the one we use. Digital C print is common, too.
>> else !L6xabslN96
>>251748
well, would printing digital photos take a whole hour to do? i'm not sure what sort of process they use, but all you do is select the photos, their sizes, paper type and then collect them one hour later. i wonder what they do in that hour...

i have photoshop, i was wondering how i would do it in the program.

3 photos out of 4 came out quite nice, in fact much sexier than on screen. the paper isnt as matte as i expected it to be, its still rather sticky like a gloss. but not prone to smudge marks.

this is what it sez on the back:
"Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper / Supreme for Digital Premium"
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
Hasnt Vincent done lots of Metallic stuff, his always looks awesome in print and i'm failure sure its that + good HDR (shock) that gets it.
>> else !L6xabslN96
>>251761
english please?
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
>>251781
*cry*
Find Vincent.
>> ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH
>>251781
Vincent has done metallic printing.
His prints look good.
It's the metallic prints and subtle HDR that make Vincent's prints look good.
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
>>251761
On re-reading the use of "failure" instead of "fairly" was quite amusing.
>> else !L6xabslN96
>>251820
dude just stfu, you've ruined my thread already. all that's left to do is let it die.
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>251761
Yes, all I print landscapes on is metallic
For people shots its too red / clips skin tones.

For B+W portraits its alright if you want a really high contrast look, otherwise avoid it.

And Metallic is the shiznit, its just as glossy as Glossy, But twice as contrasty and saturated.

the blacks look like true blacks, and the whites look like true whites.
Also the more light you give a metallic print the better it looks. It isn't even that bad for glare (Glass in front of the print is going to be worse)
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
     File :-(, x)
Also, Pic related, Metallic print framed

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>> Anonymous
>>251856

buy a better couch, oldfag
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
>>251825
still ruined?

Bump for info
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>251904
Parents couch, And yes I am an oldfag, I've been on 4chan since I first started university!

Which was 4+ years ago
>> ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH
>>251998
Way back when we were .net and EXIF tags were unheard of?
>> Anonymous
>>251757
Fuji Crystal Archive is a darkroom paper. I love the stuff, that's all I use when I print color by hand.

So it is lightjet, and as you said, the matte is more of a luster. Lightjet printers actually print significantly faster than high end inkjet printers, even though they have to expose, process, wash, and dry the paper.

As far as taking care of the color cast, I'd add an adjustment layer for levels, adjust until the part you want to fix looks good, the play with the mask of the layer until it is only fixing what needs to be fixed.
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>252019
back before /p/ even EXISTED!
And yes, .net aswell, I had forgotten about that though

Oh for getting prints to look properly, see if they have printer profiles, or if they offer free prints for proofs.
Costco (where I used to print) Had printer profiles that I would convert my picture too then do the final edits before it was printed (which worked well)

With cameracanada, they offer proofs which kinda suck, But I just have a feel for the paper now, so I know how things turn out.
Metallics be carefull with your yellows and reds, they can get clipped easily.
>> Anonymous
>>252019
Wow, guess /p/ really does have some old-schoolers.

I was here for the .net days and LOL INTERNET get, as well. "4chan.net" is what I usually drop when people tell me they're "old-school" at cons and such.
>> ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH
>>252122
hxxp://img.4chan.org/z/

I didn't even realize that /z/ still existed. It gives a 403 - Forbidden error.
>> Anonymous
>>252094
Are high contrast Seagull (China) papers still available? That could turn the right B&W's into pen and ink drawings.
>> Anonymous
Glossy no white border. Matte makes everything look incredibly flat.
>> Anonymous
>>252157
You have no idea about the paper he is using. Not every matte is the same, not every glossy, etc.

For the type of paper he is using, he wants matte.

Besides, most glossy papers look like shit, and a white border is just good practice. Have fun matting or framing something with no border. Floating is a bad option as far as archival practices goes, but can be done when needed. White borders also help prevent wear and tear in the image.

>>252138
They are, but I've never used them, and don't do much B&W printing anymore.
>> Anonymous
>>252135
Zoomj, I had no idea it still existed either. Maybe Soviet Russia is still in his /z/, strokin his harbl.
>> else !L6xabslN96
>>251856
that looks so bad-ass, i now want to take a photo good enough to be printed on metallic and mounted...
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>252165
I frame all my pictures without any white borders...
1/4" overlap on the matte, and I glue them (With spray on cement) to the foamcore.
Its not that hard...
>> Anonymous
>>252261
I guess if you don't mind cropping off part of your image while framing... I would think most people compose their frame in a way that the edges are actually important.

Not to mention, spray mount is not preferable if you want your print to be archival. Then again, neither is most foamcore.
>> Anonymous
>>252274

Correct on all counts.
Spray mount is horrible for archival purposes, and foam core is fucking ridiculous since the archival stuff costs BALLS and you know for sure that this dumb fuck isn't using it.

IT ISN'T THAT HARD TO CUT MATBOARD.
MOST MATBOARD IS ARCHIVAL.

And the comments about white borders protecting the image are also true. What if the fag who buys your shitty HDR wants to reframe it someday?

OOPS YOU FUCKING SPRAY MOUNTED IT TO THE FOAM CORE YOU DUMB FUCK I GUESS HE'S OUT OF LUCK.
>> Anonymous
>>252277
You even have to be careful with mat board. Rag mat is archival, and so are some that are treated, but if you go to a normal art supply store, most of the stuff they have isn't. Though it does seem that most of the mat board sold at photography stores is archival.
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
I'm not sure what defines archival, but both foamcore and mat's are acid free. Plus my pictures aren't meant to be switched from frame to frame.
Is archival digital prints the new elitism on /p/ lol. I seriously doubt even the metallic prints I do last long enough for any sort of degradation from the framing supplies would show up.

Also as for white border, my options are 12x36" only, the more space you waste on a border (that ideally you hide with a mat, especially if you don't want a white edge), the smaller the image and farther remove the picture from a 3:1 ratio.
>> Anonymous
>>252323
>>I print and mount my work like trash and expect it to be thrown away. Clearly this must be because my work is SHITSUX.
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
sage for off topic

and I guess my trash is a lot of other peoples treasure :)
(My mat's are peterboro btw, i just remembered the name)
>> Anonymous
>>252338
We are still somewhat on topic since we are discussing the white borders.

If you bought the mats from a photographic supplier, there is a good chance they are archival. The same is not true for the foam board, because archival foam board can cost 3 to 4 times as much.

It's not elitism. It is required that anything I produce is archival other than what I make for myself. If you ever sell your work in a gallery, it will be assumed that it is archival, and it if starts to fall apart or have other issues, you can be sued to remake the work in an archival manner. This has been held up in court. The Starn Twins lost a case over this.

If you are having your metallic prints done in a professional lab, then they are most likely archival. No use wasting the money having them printed like that, then not taking care of them.

I don't have an issue with you dictating the framing method of your work, but the idea of a spray mount is iffy. Since I don't present my work that way, I can't give you an informed answer about it though. Most adhesives are frowned upon when in direct contact with prints, but it's not possible to do what you do without direct contact.

If I were you, I would get a 1/4" white (or black, if you want to make sure white doesn't shine through) border if I planned to mat 1/4" in.
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>252603
No Gallery sales all my stuff is cold calls (to businesses) or personal sales., though I do have an interesting story about that now that you mention the foam core prices.

I used to have a few pictures up in a gallery because her framing costs were quite cheap, then she retired and I found her supplier and now I deal directly with them. So I am using the exact same supplies as her, and she was using the exact same foam core as I am now. Not sure if that means anything, but she did mount / frame a lot of expensive paintings, so I assumed she had "quality" stuff.

I haven't been doing this long enough to test anything for longevity myself, BUT with the sizes of my prints and the minimal overlap I use (1/4") at 12x36" Tape isn't strong enough to stop my pictures from "Rolling" or warping.
So, not sure what alternatives I have to spray mounting...

Also whats our definition of "archival"? Like what would that guaruntee for longevity / acidity or whatnot.

And I'm still no go for borders, I can't perfectly line up each print, there is always some movement / imperfection when mounting in frames. I'm not sure if you are better at it than I am, but that leaves no margin for error, even the flexing of the mattboard 1mm would then show up...
>> Anonymous
>>252607
My understanding is that archival is expected to last ~100 years or more as a whole. This includes fading, discoloration, falling apart, curling, and anything else. It also assumes appropriate handling, so if someone doesn't take care of your work, you aren't responsible for it. Appropriate handling means temp. and humidity control, protection from sunlight/UV, and standard safe handling like using gloves and keeping other crap off of it. Obviously, artists aren't around 100 years after someone buys their work, so you can't be held responsible if it doesn't quite make it. If it doesn't have a neutral pH, it's going to eventually have some issue, but it seems acidic is worse than alkaline.

You are probably safe with the materials you are using, unless she was using a 2nd mat as a blank between the image and the foam core, which I have seen done to avoid having to find and buy archival foam board. It's still best to use all archival materials, even if something isn't touching the print, so she probably did.

As far as the matting goes, the only things I ever tried to mat exactly were 8x10 prints, so it wasn't that hard. Everything I've matted since had edges I wanted to show (the edges of the film, and some prints that had physical edges from the printing process). I didn't really think about that until now, but I've never matted a digital print. I have personal issues with inkjet, and don't value anything I make with it, even though I don't have that issue with other people's inkjet prints.
>> Vincent !!8LCSE0Zp1mL
>>252617
Ok sweet, thanks for the info. Its good to know.

I print through www.cameracanada.com and their "prolab"
So I'll assume they are good!