Making a photo book, want to get my sharpening correct

Jamey777 · 08-22-2014, 04:49 AM

Hello,

I am going to be making some nicer photo books as gifts for Christmas this year and have never ventured into the print realm other than trying a cheapie walgreens (local drugstore) book last Christmas.

My workflow in Post is this:

1) levels / curves
2) shadows / highlights
3) a crop or straightening if it needs it

That's pretty much all I do right now because all of my photos are going to a TV or other screen.

When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well?

I am looking at spending a decent sum of money and want to get it right. Other than doing one as a test, any suggestions for me to help get this right?

The photos will all be 3000x2000 and the photo books no larger than 12x12 so most photos will be well below a 300dpi printed resolution I would assume.

Anyone have a favorite vendor for this?

Thanks,

Jamey

racingsnake · 08-22-2014, 10:48 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Jamey777

Hello,

I am going to be making some nicer photo books as gifts for Christmas this year and have never ventured into the print realm other than trying a cheapie walgreens (local drugstore) book last Christmas.

My workflow in Post is this:

1) levels / curves
2) shadows / highlights
3) a crop or straightening if it needs it

That's pretty much all I do right now because all of my photos are going to a TV or other screen.

When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well?

I am looking at spending a decent sum of money and want to get it right. Other than doing one as a test, any suggestions for me to help get this right?

The photos will all be 3000x2000 and the photo books no larger than 12x12 so most photos will be well below a 300dpi printed resolution I would assume.

Anyone have a favorite vendor for this?

Thanks,

Jamey

Hi there hope all is well.
In no way am i a pro but ive got a book which turned to be a stunner quality/sharpness wise. I do all my PP in lightroom and my general rule of thumb for portraiture in regards to sharpness is 50 1.5 35 35 using the four sliders. Depending on the iso i tweak luminance and colour noise. My luminance starting point is always 20 65 55. Sharpness is the very last adjustment i make in LR. Clarity is a great tool for portraiture to bring out some detail on mens portrait or to lose some speaking about the ladies.
I cant be much help in regards to a book vendor as i am located overseas but i hope i helped at least a bit. It works for me.
P.S. "it's not a photograph if it's not printed".

johnyates · 08-22-2014, 11:32 AM

I would encourage you to talk to your printer about this.

Jamey777 · 08-22-2014, 02:01 PM

I haven't selected one yet? There are dozens of options. Essentially I want archival paper, and prefer hardcover with sewn bindings or if I have to the lay flat kinds. I saw http://www.artifactuprising.com/site/ as well as mpix and some others.

Anyone have favorites?

When I said photo book john, I meant for like family use not actually publishing!

jamey

jawsy · 08-22-2014, 03:44 PM

Before getting a large print done I ran off a couple of small samples with slightly different settings to calibrate the color and sharpness. There are subtle differences between your screen output, the photoshop's photo printer and the book/poster plotter. The thing I did notice was that all the images, including the poster, printed sharper than they appeared on my laptop screen. Talk to your printer and make sure you've got some sample prints to give the printer to check against.

**Miguel** · 08-22-2014, 03:55 PM

I've heard good things about Blurb.

M

adwb · 08-23-2014, 12:03 AM

Try blurb good choice of papers ,formats, covers,prices

Winder · 08-23-2014, 12:28 AM

I use Blurb through Lightroom. Excellent results.

altopiet · 08-23-2014, 12:33 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Jamey777

When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well?

Don't know if it'll help, but this guide to output sharpening for web or print might help...Guide to Image Sharpening
It seems you have to sharpen more aggressively for print than the web....

Jamey777 · 08-23-2014, 06:20 AM

nice article, thanks!

**GUB** · 08-23-2014, 05:51 PM

Originally posted by Jamey777

Hello,

I am going to be making some nicer photo books as gifts for Christmas this year and have never ventured into the print realm other than trying a cheapie walgreens (local drugstore) book last Christmas.

My workflow in Post is this:

1) levels / curves
2) shadows / highlights
3) a crop or straightening if it needs it

That's pretty much all I do right now because all of my photos are going to a TV or other screen.

When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well?

I am looking at spending a decent sum of money and want to get it right. Other than doing one as a test, any suggestions for me to help get this right?

The photos will all be 3000x2000 and the photo books no larger than 12x12 so most photos will be well below a 300dpi printed resolution I would assume.

Anyone have a favorite vendor for this?

Thanks,

Jamey

I use this ; SmartSharpening2 | GIMP Guru
Obviously for gimp.
I do my own printing and I find images that are almost grossly over-sharpened on the monitor come out fine printed.

**frogoutofwater** · 08-26-2014, 05:26 PM

I haven't used Blurb yet but I have tried MyPublisher.com and have been very pleased with the results. I particularly like the option of lie-flat pages (spendy at $25 for the classic book size but worth it IMO) and the super-gloss finish (makes the colours very vibrant). Their standard weight paper is nice and heavy.

I have found it to be a bit of PITA to upload the photos to their system and then use their templates, but I haven't had any trouble with the software and once you get the hang of using their templates it goes pretty quickly.

They have delivered very quickly to me (but they're in NY state and I'm in NYC) so that helps with the delivery time.

They've usually got a sale of some kind going on every week - some deals are better than others depending on the kind of book you want. I do think their policies on delivery charges (it's a specific price per book - no discount on shipping for multiple copies) and on applying coupons to different books (e.g., if there is a $30 off $100 coupon, you can't meet the $100 total by ordering two different books - it has to be one book, or multiple copies of the same book hitting the $100 threshold) are super-irritating. But I guess I've invested enough time in learning their system, and I've been really happy with the results to date, so I'll continue using them for now.

I usually order one copy of a book to see how it turns out and then order more copies if the first one turns out. They often offer a significant discount on re-orders.

It's also really easy to share a preview of your book with someone. (In fact, if you'd like to see one of my books, send me a PM with your email and I'll share it with you.)

I have read some reviews on Yelp that suggest that if you have a customer service problem, they're a nightmare to deal with, but I haven't had that issue yet.

I do plan to learn how to use Blurb because of the link through LR but haven't got around to it yet.

emalvick · 09-01-2014, 03:05 PM

Blurb's nice and reasonably priced for what the OP is looking for... a reasonable home user book that looks good with good paper options. Last winter, I used the Lightroom module, but it lacks the full flexibility of their own external tool. I did order some samples to see how the papers look, and I had used them in the past. As it is, I am going to look into a couple of other options to improve the quality. It does seem the book sites are a bit like lenses. You buy a book that's pretty good for a reasonable price, or you spend two or three times as much for something that you can tell is professional quality but in the end really only a bit better than what you might get from Blurb.

MyPublisher has been the one that has caught my eye as well. Seems like a step up from Blurb without getting too out of hand price-wise.

I'm a bit disappointed that more isn't available through Lightroom.

08-22-2014, 04:49 AM	#1
Jamey777 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 426	Making a photo book, want to get my sharpening correct Hello, I am going to be making some nicer photo books as gifts for Christmas this year and have never ventured into the print realm other than trying a cheapie walgreens (local drugstore) book last Christmas. My workflow in Post is this: 1) levels / curves 2) shadows / highlights 3) a crop or straightening if it needs it That's pretty much all I do right now because all of my photos are going to a TV or other screen. When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well? I am looking at spending a decent sum of money and want to get it right. Other than doing one as a test, any suggestions for me to help get this right? The photos will all be 3000x2000 and the photo books no larger than 12x12 so most photos will be well below a 300dpi printed resolution I would assume. Anyone have a favorite vendor for this? Thanks, Jamey

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08-22-2014, 10:48 AM - 1 Like	#2
racingsnake Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 431	Originally posted by Jamey777 Hello, I am going to be making some nicer photo books as gifts for Christmas this year and have never ventured into the print realm other than trying a cheapie walgreens (local drugstore) book last Christmas. My workflow in Post is this: 1) levels / curves 2) shadows / highlights 3) a crop or straightening if it needs it That's pretty much all I do right now because all of my photos are going to a TV or other screen. When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well? I am looking at spending a decent sum of money and want to get it right. Other than doing one as a test, any suggestions for me to help get this right? The photos will all be 3000x2000 and the photo books no larger than 12x12 so most photos will be well below a 300dpi printed resolution I would assume. Anyone have a favorite vendor for this? Thanks, Jamey Hi there hope all is well. In no way am i a pro but ive got a book which turned to be a stunner quality/sharpness wise. I do all my PP in lightroom and my general rule of thumb for portraiture in regards to sharpness is 50 1.5 35 35 using the four sliders. Depending on the iso i tweak luminance and colour noise. My luminance starting point is always 20 65 55. Sharpness is the very last adjustment i make in LR. Clarity is a great tool for portraiture to bring out some detail on mens portrait or to lose some speaking about the ladies. I cant be much help in regards to a book vendor as i am located overseas but i hope i helped at least a bit. It works for me. P.S. "it's not a photograph if it's not printed".

08-22-2014, 11:32 AM	#3
johnyates Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Saskatoon, SK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,345	I would encourage you to talk to your printer about this.

08-22-2014, 02:01 PM	#4
Jamey777 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 426 Original Poster	I haven't selected one yet? There are dozens of options. Essentially I want archival paper, and prefer hardcover with sewn bindings or if I have to the lay flat kinds. I saw http://www.artifactuprising.com/site/ as well as mpix and some others. Anyone have favorites? When I said photo book john, I meant for like family use not actually publishing! jamey

08-22-2014, 03:44 PM	#5
jawsy Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 422	Before getting a large print done I ran off a couple of small samples with slightly different settings to calibrate the color and sharpness. There are subtle differences between your screen output, the photoshop's photo printer and the book/poster plotter. The thing I did notice was that all the images, including the poster, printed sharper than they appeared on my laptop screen. Talk to your printer and make sure you've got some sample prints to give the printer to check against.

08-22-2014, 03:55 PM	#6
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	I've heard good things about Blurb. M

08-23-2014, 12:03 AM	#7
adwb Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bristol UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,636	Try blurb good choice of papers ,formats, covers,prices

08-23-2014, 12:28 AM	#8
Winder Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 6,617	I use Blurb through Lightroom. Excellent results.

08-23-2014, 12:33 AM - 1 Like	#9
altopiet Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: The Gem of the Karoo, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,307	Originally posted by Jamey777 When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well? Don't know if it'll help, but this guide to output sharpening for web or print might help...Guide to Image Sharpening It seems you have to sharpen more aggressively for print than the web....

08-23-2014, 06:20 AM	#10
Jamey777 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 426 Original Poster	nice article, thanks!

08-23-2014, 05:51 PM	#11
GUB Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Wanganui Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,760	Originally posted by Jamey777 Hello, I am going to be making some nicer photo books as gifts for Christmas this year and have never ventured into the print realm other than trying a cheapie walgreens (local drugstore) book last Christmas. My workflow in Post is this: 1) levels / curves 2) shadows / highlights 3) a crop or straightening if it needs it That's pretty much all I do right now because all of my photos are going to a TV or other screen. When printing, I assume I should be worried about the sharpness or clarity as well? I am looking at spending a decent sum of money and want to get it right. Other than doing one as a test, any suggestions for me to help get this right? The photos will all be 3000x2000 and the photo books no larger than 12x12 so most photos will be well below a 300dpi printed resolution I would assume. Anyone have a favorite vendor for this? Thanks, Jamey I use this ; SmartSharpening2 \| GIMP Guru Obviously for gimp. I do my own printing and I find images that are almost grossly over-sharpened on the monitor come out fine printed.

08-26-2014, 05:26 PM	#12
frogoutofwater Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 674	I haven't used Blurb yet but I have tried MyPublisher.com and have been very pleased with the results. I particularly like the option of lie-flat pages (spendy at $25 for the classic book size but worth it IMO) and the super-gloss finish (makes the colours very vibrant). Their standard weight paper is nice and heavy. I have found it to be a bit of PITA to upload the photos to their system and then use their templates, but I haven't had any trouble with the software and once you get the hang of using their templates it goes pretty quickly. They have delivered very quickly to me (but they're in NY state and I'm in NYC) so that helps with the delivery time. They've usually got a sale of some kind going on every week - some deals are better than others depending on the kind of book you want. I do think their policies on delivery charges (it's a specific price per book - no discount on shipping for multiple copies) and on applying coupons to different books (e.g., if there is a $30 off $100 coupon, you can't meet the $100 total by ordering two different books - it has to be one book, or multiple copies of the same book hitting the $100 threshold) are super-irritating. But I guess I've invested enough time in learning their system, and I've been really happy with the results to date, so I'll continue using them for now. I usually order one copy of a book to see how it turns out and then order more copies if the first one turns out. They often offer a significant discount on re-orders. It's also really easy to share a preview of your book with someone. (In fact, if you'd like to see one of my books, send me a PM with your email and I'll share it with you.) I have read some reviews on Yelp that suggest that if you have a customer service problem, they're a nightmare to deal with, but I haven't had that issue yet. I do plan to learn how to use Blurb because of the link through LR but haven't got around to it yet.

09-01-2014, 03:05 PM	#13
emalvick Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Davis, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,642	Blurb's nice and reasonably priced for what the OP is looking for... a reasonable home user book that looks good with good paper options. Last winter, I used the Lightroom module, but it lacks the full flexibility of their own external tool. I did order some samples to see how the papers look, and I had used them in the past. As it is, I am going to look into a couple of other options to improve the quality. It does seem the book sites are a bit like lenses. You buy a book that's pretty good for a reasonable price, or you spend two or three times as much for something that you can tell is professional quality but in the end really only a bit better than what you might get from Blurb. MyPublisher has been the one that has caught my eye as well. Seems like a step up from Blurb without getting too out of hand price-wise. I'm a bit disappointed that more isn't available through Lightroom.