Digital Photos and RGB vs. CMYK

GP
Posted By
Gordon Powell
Feb 2, 2005
Views
450
Replies
3
Status
Closed
Hello,
I’m new to Photoshop and want to work on digital photographs that I have taken. The question that I have comes into play when I take the file (on a CD) to my neighborhood digital photo printer.

1. Should the files be saved in RGB or CMYK?
2. Should they be saved as JPEG or GIF?
3. What dpi characteristic is best for, say, an 8 X 10 print?
4. If a file (photo) looks good on my screen, will it look the same when it
is printed on photo paper?

Answers to any or all of the above will be appreciated.

Gordon Powell
Related Tags
cmyk digital rgb vs

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A
a
Feb 2, 2005
"Gordon Powell" wrote in message
Hello,
I’m new to Photoshop and want to work on digital photographs that I have taken. The question that I have comes into play when I take the file (on a CD) to my neighborhood digital photo printer.

1. Should the files be saved in RGB or CMYK?
2. Should they be saved as JPEG or GIF?
3. What dpi characteristic is best for, say, an 8 X 10 print?
4. If a file (photo) looks good on my screen, will it look the same when
it
is printed on photo paper?

Answers to any or all of the above will be appreciated.

Gordon Powell

Gordon,

1. Just leave them as RGB if you’re having them printed at the local photo shop or on a desktop printer. The only time they need to be converted to CMYK is for commercial printing (magazine, brochure, etc.)

2. Leave them as JPG (preferably at maximum quality). GIF only supports 256 colors whereas JPEG supports millions.

3. For an inkjet printer (typically used by your local photo printer) around 200 d.p.i. should be sufficient at any size. More isn’t bad, just takes up unnecessary disk space.

4. Try using Photoshop’s generic RGB profile and it should get you "in the ball park." Maybe try one photo and see how the prints compares to what you are seeing on screen.

Craig
R
RSD99
Feb 2, 2005
When you take your pictures "… to my neighborhood digital photo printer …." it will probably be using one of the following printers:

Noritsu QSS 2901 ….. 400 ppi
Noritsu QSS 3101 ….. 320 ppi
Fuji Frontier ………….. 300 ppi ……

Size your images per the above, and you will probably not have any major problems.

HOWEVER, you should also know that most of the common minilab printers will print to "full frame," whatever size you bring in. In other words, if you take an image that is proportioned to normally print at 4" x 6" and ask for an 8"x 10" enlargement, the minilab will enlarge the picture to 8" x 12" and CROP OFF THE EXCESS on the wide dimension. The result is that you will not get the full image, unless you set the image file(s) up to completely fill each size you wish printed.

Example:
I have many image files that have been scanned from 6 x 6 medium format film. On some of those images, I really like the square format. For those images, if I want (for example) an 8" x 8" print, I must take an 8" x 10" x xxx ppi image file to the lab, and trim the excess later. Otherwise the minilab will fit the picture to the 10" dimension, and crop off the "sides" of the image … and it will not be satisfactory.

Suggestion:
TALK to the minilab operator, and ask him how (s)he wants the files set up.

..

"Gordon Powell" wrote in message
Hello,
I’m new to Photoshop and want to work on digital photographs that I have taken. The question that I have comes into play when I take the file (on
a
CD) to my neighborhood digital photo printer.

1. Should the files be saved in RGB or CMYK?
2. Should they be saved as JPEG or GIF?
3. What dpi characteristic is best for, say, an 8 X 10 print?
4. If a file (photo) looks good on my screen, will it look the same when
it
is printed on photo paper?

Answers to any or all of the above will be appreciated.

Gordon Powell

J
Jim
Feb 2, 2005
"Gordon Powell" wrote in message
Hello,
I’m new to Photoshop and want to work on digital photographs that I have taken. The question that I have comes into play when I take the file (on a CD) to my neighborhood digital photo printer.

1. Should the files be saved in RGB or CMYK?
RGB
2. Should they be saved as JPEG or GIF?
JPEG or Tiff
3. What dpi characteristic is best for, say, an 8 X 10 print?
200 to 300 (for any size print)
4. If a file (photo) looks good on my screen, will it look the same when
it
is printed on photo paper?
Depends on how well you have created the profiles for the screen and printer.
Jim

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