Uploading to printing websites . . . what format?

[markubig]

Hi all -

Do any of you upload photos to sites such as ofoto, snapfish, and fotki in order to share your photos with your friends/families and give them the opportunity to order prints if they like?

If you do, what format do you upload your pictures in (JPEG or TIFF)? I'm just curious. I use Photoshop Elements 3.0. I process my RAW photos and the convert them to MAX Quality JPEGs. Is that resolution sufficient for up to 8x10 prints or is it better to convert to TIFF?

Thanks, in advance!

[pcasciola]

For sharing photos you definitely want to use JPEG. I even raise the compression to make sure I'm not killing the people without cable modems. TIFFs can be 20-30MB or more. Many of the photo sites (even the printing sites) limit how much you can upload, and at 20MB a pop you will blow that out pretty quickly. I work similar to the way you do, using Photoshop CS and ACR 2.4 with aRGB RAWs and PSDs for work-in-progress, but I share photos and send to the print lab only sRGB JPEGs at max quality (12 in Photoshop). I've also had many 8x10s printed and the JPEGs look just fine. I can't see any of the JPEG artifacts even at that size.

[markubig]

For sharing photos you definitely want to use JPEG. I even raise the compression to make sure I'm not killing the people without cable modems. TIFFs can be 20-30MB or more. Many of the photo sites (even the printing sites) limit how much you can upload, and at 20MB a pop you will blow that out pretty quickly. I work similar to the way you do, using Photoshop CS and ACR 2.4 with aRGB RAWs and PSDs for work-in-progress, but I share photos and send to the print lab only sRGB JPEGs at max quality (12 in Photoshop). I've also had many 8x10s printed and the JPEGs look just fine. I can't see any of the JPEG artifacts even at that size.

Thanks, phil . . . i just wanted to be sure that my friends will get good quality when they spend their money to order prints.

[mbze430]

I used to use ClubPhoto, but no more. My friend got prints for his wedding from there (I wasn't the photographer for this wedding, but a groomsmen), it just turned out horrible. They couldn't get larger prints than 5x7.

[iwatkins]

I quite often use Ofoto in the UK and after a few test runs settled on uploading JPEGs of medium to high quality at 6 x 4 inches (@ 300dpi), i.e. all JPEGs are 1800 x 1200 pixels (or reverse if portrait). Always save as sRGB colour profile as well. I did try with AdobeRGB assigned but the shots came back washed out.

So, 1800 x 1200, sRGB and medium to high quality. This gives images of between approx. 200kb and 500kb when uploading. Even so, end users don't need to view them this big so it isn't a problem for dial-up users to view them. My mum takes a look at my Ofoto shots after a family gathering and ordered her own prints no problem and she is still on 56k dial up.

The size I use still gives very good quality prints when ordered at 12 x 8 inches as well.

Very happy with Ofoto, but I'm going to give PhotoBox a try as well.

Cheers

Ian

[tim]

Bit of a long shot, but does anyone know of a site that does this sort of thing in New Zealand?