Enlarged Printing

[SYS]

A colleague of mine just loved the result of my taking her pictures with my new 20D (who wouldn't love the images out of 20D + L lens!!) that she'd like to enlarge it to 11x14 print.

Now, while I've done 11x14 prints ordered with lots of success with my film camera, I've never done it with my digital camera image that needs to go through a bit of PP. So would you knowledgeable folks help me out here with the following questions?:

1) How do you do USM for a print that size, i.e., do less, do more, etc.?

2) What computer image magnification is a good indicator of what I'd actually get in print that size?

3) Any general guidelines for enlarging for printing purposes?

Thank you so much in advance!!

[Scottes]

1) For USM use a slightly larger Radius than you'd do for an 8x10, and this will probably need slightly more Amount. Or, to put it a different way, view at 25%, start with a Radius of 1.8 and adjust the Amount until it looks slightly over-sharpened. Look for haloes, and if you see any back down the Radius .1 or .2 and see if they just about go away. You may need to increase the Amount after that. Again, until it looks slightly over-sharpened.

2) 25%, or maybe 50% if you expect the print to be viewed from a closer-than-normal distance.

3) Go into Image... Image Size... Uncheck Resample, set to 300 DPI, and click OK. Then do this again but Check Resample, and change the size (the inches) so that both edges are their appropriate size or greater - a 20D image is 2:3 whereas an 11x14 is not, so you'll have to crop. If you have CS or CS2 I'd recommend Bicubic Smoother for the resampling method since this is a portait, right? Bicubic Smoother is good when resizing women showing skin (not to be dirty-minded). If she is wearing a dress or something with crisp lines and her face is small in the image then this is less important and you can simply use Bicubic. With a closeup of the face then Bicubic Smoother is definitely recommended.

[SYS]

Thanks, Scottes, for your detailed info. Very helpful !! :D Gonna work on it tonight.

[Palladium]

A colleague of mine just loved the result of my taking her pictures with my new 20D (who wouldn't love the images out of 20D + L lens!!) that she'd like to enlarge it to 11x14 print.

Now, while I've done 11x14 prints ordered with lots of success with my film camera, I've never done it with my digital camera image that needs to go through a bit of PP. So would you knowledgeable folks help me out here with the following questions?:

1) How do you do USM for a print that size, i.e., do less, do more, etc.?

2) What computer image magnification is a good indicator of what I'd actually get in print that size?

3) Any general guidelines for enlarging for printing purposes?

Thank you so much in advance!!

I guess that's why they publish recipe books - alot of different cooks coming up with the same dish.

So to answer you question I would process my image as usual then when I'm ready to send to print... (IMHO - I seldem used USM greater than 1.2 radius, when I was using that - In fact I been only been using the SMART SHARPEN filter since CS2).

Anyway I've been printing 11x14 & 12x18 via a printhouse with alot a great sucess using Dig Rebel 6.3.

resize your photo by bringing up the IMAGE SIZE dialog box.

Set the resolution size for your final output ( eg. 14x11 or 12x18 )

Change the RESOLUTION TO 360

Use Resample Image BICUBIC SHARPER

save in the color space of your printing house's printers (eg. get their printer profiles and load them).

I got the idea from S Kelby guidelines in his book "the photoshop CS2 fook for digital photographers" - I writing from memory so I may be slightly off in the steps.

Please don't thank me thanks S. Kelby :lol: :lol: :lol:

[SYS]

I got the idea from S Kelby guidelines in his book "the photoshop CS2 fook for digital photographers" - I writing from memory so I may be slightly off in the steps.

Please don't thank me thanks S. Kelby :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm reading the same author's but on the Photoshop Elements...version. Between your suggestion and Scotte's I'll come up with something nice for my colleague... Thanks for your kind reply!! :D

[sony23]

I guess that's why they publish recipe books - alot of different cooks coming up with the same dish.

So to answer you question I would process my image as usual then when I'm ready to send to print... (IMHO - I seldem used USM greater than 1.2 radius, when I was using that - In fact I been only been using the SMART SHARPEN filter since CS2).

Anyway I've been printing 11x14 & 12x18 via a printhouse with alot a great sucess using Dig Rebel 6.3.

work in the color space of your printing house's printers (eg. get their printer profiles and load them).

resize your photo by bringing up the IMAGE SIZE dialog box.

Set the resolution size for your final output ( eg. 14x11 or 12x18 )

Change the RESOLUTION TO 360

Use Resample Image BICUBIC SHARPER

I got the idea from S Kelby guidelines in his book "the photoshop CS2 fook for digital photographers" - I writing from memory so I may be slightly off in the steps.

Please don't thank me thanks S. Kelby :lol: :lol: :lol:

O MY GOD I just followed your steps but went up to 30x20" at 300 dpi and the image is HUGE and still sharp, how come? what will the print be like, I have printed upto 30x20" at 150 dpi before with brilliant results but this image is HUGE.

Regards

Bruce

[Palladium]

O MY GOD I just followed your steps but went up to 30x20" at 300 dpi and the image is HUGE and still sharp, how come? what will the print be like, I have printed upto 30x20" at 150 dpi before with brilliant results but this image is HUGE.

Regards

Bruce

I've also done 20x30 as above (DPI 360) and I'm very happy with the results. ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

[SYS]

Both of you, Scottes and Palladium, seem to use the CS or CS2. I realize that my Elements 2 doesn't have the bicubic smoother feature which sounds like something I could use. What are other features that should make me want to spend extra money to upgrade from the Elements 2 to something like CS2? I got E2 for free with the purchase of a Canon product (I now have three of this!!).

[Scottes]

CS2 is full of stuff over Elements, but it's a hard call whether to upgrade. $300 isn't cheap.

New features of CS2 over CS: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/newfeatures.html
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/newfeatures2.html

I'm not sure if those pages mention:
Shadow & Highlights adjustments (One of my favorites)
Lens Correction Filter
Some Filters can be used in 16-bit mode
Adjustment Layers (various non-destructive edit capabilities)
Adobe Camera RAW
Adobe Bridge (file handling/browsing)
HDR - High Dynamic Range Imaging
Stitching for Panoramas
Smart Sharpen for sharpening (Great tool)


I'd say that it depends on how far you wish to go into editing. Elements is certainly capable, and an upgrade to Elements 4 is a lot cheaper than upgrading to CS2. But then again, Elements ain't Photoshop. PS is certainly much more powerful.

You can always download a trial version and check it out, too.

[SYS]

Thanks for the info, Scottes. I think I'll need to upgrade given the kind of stuff I'd like to do but unable to do with the E2. When I purchased the 20D recently, I found in the box a CD called "Jumpstart Kit for Adobe Photoshop CS2" with a $200 Discount Coupon." That should make the upgrading to only about $100 range.

Again, thanks for all your kind help!!