Click on any phrase to play the video from that point.
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[Lightroom for Travel Photography]
For many photographers, the preferred way to share an image is through a print.
Of course while you’re traveling it might be a little bit challenging
to find a photo printer that you can actually make use of.
But when you return home you can certainly print your images.
Let’s take a look at some of the various options we have
for printing images directly from within Lightroom.
I’ve selected a photo that I’d like to print,
so I’ll switch to the Print module,
and then I can simply choose a template over on the left panel
that I’d like to use as the basis for this print.
In this case, I’m using the maximum size template
so that I can print this image in the largest possible size for the paper I’m using--
in this case an 8½x11 inch sheet.
I can then go to the right panel and adjust the various settings--
for example, rotating the image so that it fits the available space
and other settings that affect how the photo actually prints.
In this case, I’m creating a very simple print,
and so I don’t need to worry too much about the various options.
I just want a photo on the page.
I can then configure my actual print job settings.
In this case, I’ll be printing to a printer.
I can apply some sharpening based on glossy paper,
and I can also choose the profile that I want to use.
And in most cases, I’ll chose a specific profile that I’m going to use
for printing to the particular paper that I have in mind.
In this case, I think I’ll print to the Epson 3880 on the Red River Polar Matte paper.
That of course means I’ll want to change my sharpening
to the Matte instead of the Glossy option.
I’ll set the rendering intent to Relative
because I find that usually gives me the best results.
And now I’m ready to actually print this image.
Of course if I find that the print doesn’t quite match what I see on my computer monitor,
I can also apply some adjustments.
If I turn on the Print Adjustment checkbox, I can fine-tune the Brightness
as well as the Contrast for the photo.
You are not able to see a preview of the effect here,
so you’ll need to print the image in order to determine
whether the adjustments you’ve applied are appropriate.
But generally speaking, you’ll find that a specific set of adjustments
for Brightness and Contrast will provide good results for a given printer
regardless of which paper you are using.
So once you find good settings,
you can probably leave them as they are and get good results.
If you want to apply more significant adjustments,
you can also take advantage of the Soft Proofing feature.
I’ll switch to the Develop module, and I’ll turn on the Soft Proofing checkbox
on the toolbar below the image.
This will give me a preview of what I can expect the final print to look like.
If I want to apply any adjustments in order to improve the printed result,
I can do that here within the Develop module.
Let’s say, for example, that the color was just a little bit too cool
and I’d like to warm up the image.
I’ll shift the Temperature slider over toward the right.
You can see the image gets warmed up a bit.
But then I receive an alert from Lightroom letting me know that I’m applying an adjustment
based on a specific set of output conditions.
In other words, I’m not happy with the way the printer ink and paper combination
for this specific print came out on the printer.
I want to make a Proof Copy--essentially a virtual copy of this image--
so that I’m applying adjustments based specifically on that output.
I’ll go ahead and click the Create Proof Copy button. Now I have a copy of the image.
You can see the original image
does not have that color temperature adjustment applied to it,
whereas the copy does.
I can continue fine-tuning the adjustments and then return to the Print module
so that I can print the image with those adjustments applied.
Of course in addition to printing individual images, we can also print multiple images,
and there are a variety of templates that enable us to do that.
Let’s assume, for example, that I’d like to produce a contact sheet--
perhaps a contact sheet that I want to email to someone.
Yes, that's right--I can print to an image, then I can send that image via email.
I’ll select the 4x5 Contact Sheet template on the left panel.
Notice that I only have 1 image included on this contact sheet.
That’s because on the toolbar I’ve chosen to only include Selected Photos.
I’ll switch that to Flagged Photos
so that all of the images that I’ve flagged with a pick flag will be included on this contact sheet.
Once again, I could adjust the settings for this print over on the right panel
and then in this case I’m going to print to a jpeg.
So I’ll choose the JPEG File option from the Print to: popup.
I can then fine-tune the settings for that jpeg that will be created,
and then when I’m happy with the settings, I’ll click the Print to File… button
and I can then specify the file that I’d like to save.
In this case, I’ll just call it Contact Sheet, and I’ll click Save in order to save that image,
so essentially printing to a jpeg image.
That image of the contact sheet can then be sent to others via email, for example.
But as you can see, we have quite a bit of flexibility in the Print module
in terms of using a template and then fine-tuning the settings for that template
and creating printed output just the way we’d like it.
So if you’re able to gain access to a printer while you’re traveling,
you can produce prints on the go,
or of course you can wait till you get home
and then print some of your favorite images to hang them on the wall.
[Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4]
