question about printing

lilmomma

which is the best print paper option.. lustre, glossy, matte or metallic? Also, there's a color correction option that I wouldn't mind using that for pictures that I want in straight color but what about the one's where I have different processing on them? If I select it for the gallery is it going to ruin the one's that I have different processing on?

What are your opinions on the color correction through smugmug?

momwac

lilmomma wrote:

which is the best print paper option.. lustre, glossy, matte or metallic?

Depends on personal preference and perhaps the subject matter. Here's my take. I like lustre for just about everything; it doesn't show a lot of glare and it's very fingerprint-tolerant, and it doesn't scan quite as well as the other papers. Glossy is very reflective; it might be better than matte or lustre for darker subjects, and it will show saturated colors nicely. Matte is nice for subdued colors, black & white, duotones. Metallic is nifty for subjects with vivid, saturated color. I printed a portrait on metallic once, for the heck of it, and it was... different.

Also, there's a color correction option that I wouldn't mind using that for pictures that I want in straight color but what about the one's where I have different processing on them? If I select it for the gallery is it going to ruin the one's that I have different processing on?

Color correction does not affect your original photos; it's only applied at the time of printing, and never to the original. You can choose true vs auto color for each print at the time of purchase. If you use proof delay, you can also override the autocolor choice made by a client before your pics are printed and delivered.

What are your opinions on the color correction through smugmug?

Honestly, I haven't noticed much of a difference (which I guess I should take as positive feedback on my workflow ). I leave it off for galleries that involve crazy lighting and intentional color casts; e.g., theatre and concerts. It's on for most everything else. The prints look good and are predictable enough, so I'm happy. If you're new to SM (welcome!), you might like to read a bit more about their autocolor feature. http://wiki.smugmug.net/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=754083

Hope this helps.

sweet caroline

I like lustre for all people pictures. Nice heavy paper, fingerprint resistant, good colors.

Caroline

lilmomma

Thanks to both of you. I figured lustre was the usual way to go.

It's wierd that you can't select auto correcting color for prints individually. I would think that should be an option because some people have some that are creatively processed. I have a gallery with about 22 photos, most of which I wouldn't mind the correcting, but there are a few that I processed a little different that I want to print the way I processed them. It seems to be all or nothing, or separate into two galleries. one for auto and one for true.

I just ordered the whole gallery with auto correct so we'll see what happens. Thanks for the input!