Metal Prints

I got my first two metal prints today, one OK and one going back to Costco. The one I'm keeping is a little on the dark side but OK it doesn't pop the way I thought it would, second one was so dark it was bad. So I put a order in at Adorama today and will see how it goes.


This is the one that is going back. The revolver is so dark that you can only make out some of the handle and have to stare at it a little bit to see what it is. Does the shadows look that dark to you, my monitor it looks good.

peteg1 wrote in post #18176882
I got my first two metal prints today, one OK and one going back to Costco. The one I'm keeping is a little on the dark side but OK it doesn't pop the way I thought it would, second one was so dark it was bad. So I put a order in at Adorama today and will see how it goes.


This is the one that is going back. The revolver is so dark that you can only make out some of the handle and have to stare at it a little bit to see what it is. Does the shadows look that dark to you, my monitor it looks good.

Looks gorgeous to me, nice detail and contrast, not particularly bothered by the deepness of shadows. The shadow under the handle where the knot in the wood is could use a slight dodge (a single high-radius click might do).

It looks good to me, so yeah, a follow-up with Costco!

As to Adorama, well, they do have a good reputation. POTN user Helen Oster is an Adorama service rep, and had been very helpful working with folks here, so you could give them a try!

Just one suggestion: I advise some work in preparation for making large/special prints. There can be issues as you have seen, and I'd be careful to "test the waters", especially by making smaller prints and comparing them with your monitor in decent light. If you do that with good results, but a follow-up print is lousy, you definitely have something to take to the shop!

Thanks for the feedback guys.

The photo is underexposed. I know it's meant to be dark and moody, but there's a limit.

I understand the histogram is a little to the left for normal shots but like you said it's supposed to be on the dark side. It has lots of detail in the shadows thats what I want, just like I'm looking at on my monitor. The blacks was so blown out on the print all detail was gone.

I like dark and moody B&W, it's my thing, but the revolver is looking a tad dark for me as you;re starting to lose some detail ( colour balanced monitor etc ).

It's 1-2 stops underexposed. The problem isn't the printing IMHO. Try soft proofing on a calibrated monitor.

OK, I'll work on it. I've never soft proof before, don't know what setting for printer to use.

Well we'd really have to see the raw to judge how the sensor was exposed. The final histogram is entirely up to the artist. Getting a printer to match artistic intent is the challenge.

To soft proof you need the profile for the printer you're going to use.

Benitoite wrote in post #18177551
Well we'd really have to see the raw to judge how the sensor was exposed. The final histogram is entirely up to the artist. Getting a printer to match artistic intent is the challenge.

tim wrote in post #18177579
To soft proof you need the profile for the printer you're going to use.

A "pro" lab should have an "ICC profile" for the media they/you will use. You can install that in your computer and in Lightroom (or Photoshop) you can use that with the Soft Proof tool to "approximate" what your prints should look like!

Well recalibrated my Samsung (Spyder5) downloaded Adoramapix ICC profile, using it in PS CC proof setup. What I'm seeing is a tad darker image, not even close to the print from Costco. I will make some adjustments and send it to Adoramapix and see how close we are in a couple weeks.

Thanks for the help and using soft proofing.

peteg1 wrote in post #18177718
Well recalibrated my Samsung (Spyder5) downloaded Adoramapix ICC profile, using it in PS CC proof setup. What I'm seeing is a tad darker image, not even close to the print from Costco. I will make some adjustments and send it to Adoramapix and see how close we are in a couple weeks.

Thanks for the help and using soft proofing.

If you need help with this, please email me: Helen@adorama.com