matte VS glossy

[atomic]

hello
i'm fairly new to this so i thought i'd get help from the experts.

i want to get some of my DigiCam pics developed, and was wondering whats the best route to go, matte or glossy finish?

if there answer is "depends on your taste", in your opinion what do you find produces the best quality pictures?

if it matters, i have a canon powershot S230, and i just want simple 4x6 and 5x7 pictures.

[dn7elson]

i want to get some of my DigiCam pics developed, and was wondering whats the best route to go, matte or glossy finish?

Hello atomic-

It really is a matter of taste and the effect you are looking for in the print. Matte prints are much less prone to show finger prints, so in "hand around" prints, this might be a consideration.

In photoprinting, the difference between a "matte print" and a "glossy" print was whether you placed it face up or face down in the print dryer. Facing the steel drum, you got a glossy print. Facing the cloth transfer mat, you got, well, a Matte print :D .

[Roger_Cavanagh]

It is a matter of taste, but small pictures for sharing would I suggest be better with glossy paper. Most non-photographers will be more used to seeing traditional photos, which are usually gloss or semi-gloss.

Glossy papers tend to have a wider colour gamut than matte.

Regards,

[atomic]

lol
so we got one for matte and one for glossy

[slejhamer]

lol
so we got one for matte and one for glossy

How 'bout a satin or semi-gloss finish?
:P

Seriously, I'm a fan of the matte paper used by Adorama's lab, but it's not a true "flat" matte. It's more like a satin finish, in my opinion, though with a little less sheen than Epson's ColorLife paper (of which I'm also a fan.)

[dn7elson]

so we got one for matte and one for glossy

Not really :D If you are going to pass around the photos to a bunch of people who may finger print them to death, go with matte. Otherwise, I prefer glossy, except for special effect prints such as soft focus portraits, etc.

[atomic]

ok sounds good :)

now my next question is: does it matter if the pics are in JPG or TIFF format when taking them in to get developed?

[dn7elson]

now my next question is: does it matter if the pics are in JPG or TIFF format when taking them in to get developed?

I would think that most places could handle either format. If you were going to upload the files, JPG would seem to be the way to go, but if you are going to burn them onto a CD and take them to be printed, file size shouldn't be an issue.

More important will be color management, whether you want them to try or whether you will preset it and ask them politely to "leave it along, please". :lol: You should check with the place you are considering and see what the color space and other settings should be unless you want them to handle all of this, likely automatically.

[atomic]

well i sent my pics in online, through Future Shops website. i dont think they gave an option of color managment? i just assumed that it was my job to edit them to my liking

[scottbergerphoto]

Just a note to all those comments about passing around the photos. I never pass around my prints unless their in a plastic cover. The natural oils/acids on your fingers will prematurely age a print, not to mention trying to sell a print with a fingerprint on it.
Scott

[vfilby]

Ok maybe I missed this but what is better for framing prints? I would suspect matte and matte is what I ahve been using. Any opinions on this?

Vince

[atomic]

^i'm curious about that as well

[robertwgross]

Matte finish or glossy should not make any difference when in a frame. The print is spaced away from the glass anyway. If you frame it improperly and let the print touch the glass, then it will sometimes stick after a time.

---Bob Gross---

[Malok]

I'm sorry to disapoint, but I am a matt man and not just for finger prints. I find that glossy photos give too much reflection of background light thereby distracting from the photo. I print exclusively on Fuji Crystal Archive paper and prefer to use matt for all my images both large and small. It is mostly a matter of taste, as glossy seems to reveal a bit more detail and color, but if the background light is reflecting off the image you lose even more. Just my $0.02.

Malok