Video University: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers: Delivering the digital images to the client

VideoUniversity.com
Home	Free Library	Store
Free Catalog Please support VU by making your B&H purchases and links through this B&H ad. Doesn't cost a penny more.

Giving Thanks to All.
A little thanksgiving humor.

To post in the forums see the Forum Guidelines.

Join or Renew Today.
New Benefits for all VU Members

Forum Guidelines and FAQ
Main Index	Search Posts
Who's Online	Log In

Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
Delivering the digital images to the client

Brackish
Veteran

May 12, 2007, 5:39 PM

Post #1 of 12 (882 views)
Shortcut

Delivering the digital images to the client	Can't Post

I have a couple questions about delivering the final
images to the client.

First, are you all doing DVDs instead of CDs? Are all
the clients okay with DVD? I see other photogs advertising
"images on CD" but it seems like you can't get all
that many images on a CD at high resolution, so this
is why I ask.

Second, I want to deliver highest quality jpegs. What
dpi resolution should I be setting to make the jpegs?
(I'm guessing that there are maybe guidelines on
what the dpi should be depending on how big
an enlargement the print will be.)

DarrenS
Veteran

May 12, 2007, 7:06 PM

Post #2 of 12 (876 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

DVD, yes.

PPI, not DPI. Please don't ask, it's very complicated. Lotsa info on the net about this.

To answer your question, there is no answer Smile

unless you know what output device client will use (and they'll never know themselves, you can count on that). It's one of the many reasons why it's so ridiculous for clients to ask for the digi negs, but they almost all do. Printing digital images properly (i.e. to maximise quality) is not easy. Give the negs to them happily at 300ppi and let the image dimensions fall where they may, and let them deal with the short-comings and screw-ups which will inevitably come from trying to save a buck. just make sure you have enough going on the deal to make it worth your whilst without after-session print sales. Otherwise you're just a laborer, not an artist. I price my packages such that my business remains in the black irregardless of their orders outside the package, and there are absolutely zero guarantees on quality if they print outside my studio. Zippo!

Brackish
Veteran

May 12, 2007, 8:51 PM

Post #3 of 12 (865 views)
Shortcut

Re: [DarrenS] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Printing digital images properly (i.e. to maximise quality) is not easy. Give the negs to them happily at 300ppi and let the image dimensions fall where they may, and let them deal with the short-comings

Okay, so say I give them the images at 3500 X 2900 or whatever it is exactly ... if they go to print an 8 X 10 vs. a 4 X 6, wouldn't each of those print sizes (ideally) require different degrees of sharpening? Any tips on how I should set the sharpening on the 3500 X 2900 "digital negative".

Postal Boy
Veteran

May 12, 2007, 9:36 PM

Post #4 of 12 (864 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

If you do about the same sharpening on both you probably couldn't tell the difference once they are printed. As long as it is "ready for print" it should be fine. Although Darren knows more about this than me.

-Postal

Scott Brooks
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 4:22 AM

Post #5 of 12 (848 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

First, are you all doing DVDs instead of CDs? Are all
the clients okay with DVD? I see other photogs advertising
"images on CD" but it seems like you can't get all
that many images on a CD at high resolution, so this
is why I ask.

Mine all go out at level 8 jpegs.

Brackish
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 4:34 AM

Post #6 of 12 (845 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Sparky] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Mine all go out at level 8 jpegs.

3500 X 2300? 300dpi?

On DVD? Have you ever had anyone want them on CD instead?

Brackish
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 8:29 AM

Post #7 of 12 (837 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I think I'm just going to sharpen up the RAW till it looks
decent and convert it to jpeg and be done with it.
What more can a person do.

Does anyone have anything in the contract about not
being responsible for the quality of prints they make
themselves? Or isn't this even needed because
it's self-evident?

Maybe what Postal said is true - that if the large
jpeg we hand over is reasonably sharp all print sizes
should be okay.

DarrenS
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 9:52 AM

Post #8 of 12 (831 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

if they go to print an 8 X 10 vs. a 4 X 6, wouldn't each of those print sizes (ideally) require different degrees of sharpening?

Correct (ideally). Sharpening is always the very very last step. The best way to do this is make sure your camera is not applying any sharpening at shutter release, and leave sharpening in post as the last step. Images resample the best this way, especially upsample. Never forget to save a version that has zero sharpening in case you ever get an order for enlargement. Enlarging a sharpened image will suck bigtime.

DarrenS
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 10:01 AM

Post #9 of 12 (828 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

That's one way to do it, especially for images that will receive no post editing. But any images I plan on editing I'll only use the RAW converter for tweeking exposure, saturation, etc., then everything else happens in PS as a PSD file.

Postal is correct for the most part. Any images 4x6, 5x7 and some 8x10's will all look the same as far as sharpness goes. But 8x10 is large enough to see a difference many times and 8x10 is also the most popular size, so it's necessary to treat them individually. Sure it takes time and organization, but the money's there so it's all good.

"Any tips on how I should set the sharpening on the 3500 X 2900 "digital negative""

It doesn't matter because you can always go back and change it later if it's on the digital negative. But I don't like that workflow, it's more complicated. I would just set exposure, etc on the first tab in Adobe RAW converter, then open it in PS, then save a PSD file, then save it again under a different filename, then go to work on it. This way you have an unedited PSD file you can always go back to if you screw things up and you never touch the RAW file ever again.

Brackish
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 11:29 AM

Post #10 of 12 (817 views)
Shortcut

Re: [DarrenS] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Sharpening is always the very very last step. ... Never forget to save a version that has zero sharpening in case you ever get an order for enlargement. Enlarging a sharpened image will suck bigtime.

Hey, Darren, I did a test where I first made a TIF from the
RAW and then made a highest-quality jpeg from the
TIF. Second, I made a highest-quality jpeg direct
from the RAW and - to my surprise - I found that the
jpeg direct from the RAW was noticeably sharper.
Seeing as TIF is supposed to be uncompressed and
therefore, I would think, an identical duplicate of the
RAW ... Is it to be expected that the best comes from
going straight from RAW?

Thanks for the tip about saving an unsharpened
version. Hadn't thought about that.

Scott Brooks
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 12:03 PM

Post #11 of 12 (813 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Mine all go out at level 8 jpegs.

3500 X 2300? 300dpi?

On DVD? Have you ever had anyone want them on CD instead?

All I do is run a batch action that is essentially a "save as" level 8 jpeg. Everything fits on one CD.

DarrenS
Veteran

May 13, 2007, 9:24 PM

Post #12 of 12 (803 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Delivering the digital images to the client [In reply to]	Can't Post

I haven't used TIFF for years. Only time I ever used it was dealing with print shops using four color process (cmyk) because they requested it. So, I really don't know much about it. I do know there's compressed TIFF formats (LZY or something, plus a few other tif compression schemes). Perhaps you should double-check if your TIF is infact uncompressed. Might explain the degradation. But I would say you'll get the best quality working from the RAW file than any other. I've never seen any degradation working from a PSD file, either.