How To Edit Your Photos For Print:
Producing high quality print is not as easy as one would think. A lot of people will know the struggle of having an image printed that looks no where near as good as it did on the computer, we have put together some steps to take to help you make sure this doesn’t happen.
1. Preparing Your Monitor
One of the most important yet easiest steps to miss is to calibrate your monitor to show you what your images actually look like. Calibrating your monitor once a month can really help to make sure you are producing images which will look the same on print as it does on your computer screen.
There are various tools you could use out there, and a simple google search should help you find the best products available to you. These tools are generally very easy to use and just require you to follow a few simple steps.
If you are using a third party printer and you have not seen your image on a calibrated monitor it would be a good idea to ask your printer to see your image on one of their screens when you go in to visit.
2. Pick A Good Save File
Saving your file in Adobe RGB or sRGB is good practice for print media. Higher quality files will not show much difference on most monitors, and cause complications during the printing process. Using a different save type can lead to dull images as the printer is out of gamut. If you are using a third party service make sure to check with them to know which save file to send over.
3. High DPI Count
Images on a screen require a much lower DPI count (usually around 72 DPI) however print requires a larger resolution of around 300 DPI. This will help to make sure your images are not coming out pixelated and lacking in detail. The larger the image the higher the required DPI.
4. Resize And Crop
Files often need to be cropped or resized to fit the dimensions of your print. Printing work which is larger than its original file is a complex edit which requires various editing techniques. If this is something you need to do I would recommend hiring a professional or doing more research into the steps you will need to take to get your file size correct.
If you are not enlarging an image it is a simple task. To resize an image to a smaller size, open the image in Adobe Photoshop then go to Image -> Image Size and choose the size you wish to print in.
Cropping your image to the correct aspect ratio is also important, as if the file is sent to the printer with an incorrect aspect ratio this could lead to some detail being cut off. Make sure to select your aspect ratio before sending your file to a printer so you are aware of how the image will be printed.
5. Image Sharpening
The last step you should take is to sharpen your image. Print requires a very sharp image to look correct on paper, even more so than you would usually expect. It is easy to have an under or over sharpened image and this does come with a bit of a learning curve.
Highly detailed images will require more sharpening than less complex images, and there is no one trick suits all approach. The size of the desired print can also have an impact on the required amount of sharpening
Another factor that can play a huge part in the required level of sharpening is the print type. Canvas prints require less image sharpening than traditional paper prints, as canvas paper is generally rougher and more forgiving. Knowing your printing type and paper quality and how this relates to your image will be an important step in editing your picture to look great on paper.
Printing Is Hard
Getting the perfect print isn’t as easy as capturing an image on your phone and sending it off to be printed. If you require help at any step of the way get in touch with us at Team@goldfineartprint.com