Printing Big on Aluminum... first time... any suggestions?

PilotBrad

I am going to have my best shot from 2012 printed big (20x30) and on Aluminum, but I've never had anything printed that big or printed on Aluminum.

With that in mind, does anyone have any general tips of suggetions with how I should process and or prepare the file for printing so that I am pleased with the results and not wasting my money? For example, tips on sharpening or dodging and burning, etc.

Here is the pic to be printed...

ZBlack

This is of no help with the printing, but this shot is just awesome!!

mbonocore

Brad, I really do think that photo looks perfect the way it is and it should print out very nice on aluminum If the file size is large enough to print on 20 x 30. But I'm sure it is. What an awesome shot. Congratulations!!

Michael Bonocore
www.mb-photography-sf.com
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Michael Bonocore
www.mb-photography-sf.com
www.facebook.com/mbonocore
plus.mb-photography-sf.com

pathfinder

That frame is truly one in a million!! Wow!!

In my very limited experience with prints on Aluminum plate, printed via Smugmug directly to Bay Photo, I just submitted my files like I was going to have them printed on satin paper - e.g.: good range of tones, color balanced, and sharpened in Lightroom at the standard or medium amount. For a 20 x 30 print, I would prefer minumum cropping if I had a choice.

20 x 30 inches suggests roughly 6000 by 9000 pixels, but no DSLR really is quite that large, and a full non-cropped frame from most DSLRs will print 20x30 just fine. Bay Photo will do the uprezzing if needed.

I see from your gallery that your shot was captured with a 7D. Small world, so were the images I had printed on Aluminum, like this one

Art Scott

This image should reproduce well on metal... if it were mine I would do a glossy finish on this, I seriously think it would almost jump off the metal at you.
If the cost is not a problem...go 24x36 ... ... I like keeping all my images at the native 2x3 aspect ratio.... ....even tho I use a calibrated monitor I let Bay do their PRO Color Correction and have never had a bad image from them... ... ...


as with all my images above 8x12 i upres with Genuine Fractals (now called Perfect resize)... ... this image http://www.artscottfotografie.com/p14588589/e4299cf62 was done on Metal from Bay at 20x30 inches ... ... the cafe owner loved it even more than the small paper (8x12) print ... ... ... I follow the old rules from the Original Genuine Fractals 1... ... do all processing work except for sharpening...take into GF uprez, then sharpen....I do an image rezise in photoshop - Image - Image size - change dpi to 300, making sure that the only box ticked is constrain proportions... ... making sure that PS does no interpolating.... then I do the GF resize...has worked for me for many many years and all my clients have been very happy.


Good Luck.

mbonocore

Brad, make sure to post a pic of the final product when you receive it. I absolutely love this photo. You are going to love aluminum. I am so addicted, I pretty much stopped ordering canvas since Bay Photo started making these.

Art Scott

mbonocore wrote: »

Brad, make sure to post a pic of the final product when you receive it. I absolutely love this photo. You are going to love aluminum. I am so addicted, I pretty much stopped ordering canvas since Bay Photo started making these.

I have some images that I processed to actually look like paintings and those will definitely look better on canvas...they look good on metal but I can tell they would have more impact as canvas prints... ... I have almost quit offering paper prints any more ... ... metal and canvas is just way better.

mbonocore

Art Scott wrote: »

I have some images that I processed to actually look like paintings and those will definitely look better on canvas...they look good on metal but I can tell they would have more impact as canvas prints... ... I have almost quit offering paper prints any more ... ... metal and canvas is just way better.

Agreed Art.....paper is so 2009

Art Scott

mbonocore wrote: »

Agreed Art.....paper is so 2009

and you do not HAVE to mat and frame... and the prices are not that different when doing really nice custom mats and frames...

rolette

Beautiful shot!

Not sure it'll help directly, but I had similar questions a few months ago...

Jay

PilotBrad

Thanks for the feedback and comments everyone!

I should have said this earlier, but this is not through Bay Photo. A few weeks ago I found a Groupon deal for another lab, Aluminyze, I am going to give them a try.

They offer a silver or white finish... Given the photo above, does anyone have a recommendation for which I should select?

Right now the biggest issue I have to deal with is resolution... The photo's cropped dimensions are 2266x3400, which meets their minimum for a 20x30 print but is obviously much less than ideal. Based on the thread linked above, I've emailed them to see if they recommend up-resing the image myself, or leave it in it's native resolution.

rolette

PilotBrad wrote: »

Right now the biggest issue I have to deal with is resolution... The photo's cropped dimensions are 2266x3400, which meats their minimum for a 20x30 print but is obviously much less than ideal. Based on the thread linked above, I've emailed them to see if they recommend up-resing the image myself, or leave it in it's native resolution.

Based on Andrew's comment in my thread, I upsized the image myself for my metal print.

Jay

PilotBrad

Thanks... I'm thinking I will probably do the same but I am waiting to hear back from them.

Did you upsize to the full 6000x9000 and were you happy with the end results?

rolette

PilotBrad wrote: »

Did you upsize to the full 6000x9000 and were you happy with the end results?

Yes and yes. Loved how it turned out.

Art Scott

I had mine all printed with the white substrate, as I was told that would give more pop to the image.
I am quite happy with all of the images.

Aluminyze is slightly higher than Bay - Bay 16x24= $85... ... Aluminyze $114.95 ... ... if you follow Bay on faceBook they have internet specials so far upto 25% off.......I bought 15 last order.

Good Luck.

EDIT: For got that Bay usually has a 25% off 1s order for new clients also... ... ... I had had an account with bay for over 2 yrs and made my first order, but I had to email CS to get a new code... Great bunch to deal with.

MPIX, who I use for a lot of printing cause they are just a ways down the road, does not print directly on the alum. but rather uses some sort of transfer process. I may be wrong but I don't think that the images would be as vibrant, or rugged as direct printing.

PilotBrad

Thanks Art. I got $100 of Aluminyze credit for $40 on Groupon. I checked their reviews first and most seemed happy, so I thought I would give it a shot.

I am going to uprez first and I may post some 100% crops here for opinions.

PilotBrad

I've been playing around with various methods of enlargement and the image below (100% crop) is what I am coming up with when I resize to 6000x9000 pixels. Not the greatest results but it may just be good enough.

Anyone with experience upresing have any comments? Too much sharpening? Not enough?

Fletcho

Curious if anyone else has this ... Bay says specifically not to upsize (or even resize) a photo but to let them take care of it. Makes me nervous when I'd rather upsize myself in something like OnOne Resize. But has anyone taken a smaller res image to Bay, let them upsize it for you and, what was the result?

Thinking of using Bay for one of their Cluster deals.

BTW - I really admire this shot.

mbonocore

Fletch,

I have not, but if Bay recommends that you let them do it, I would trust them

Michael

pathfinder

Me too. They will do it right, whatever it takes.

BradfordBenn

I have had one shot upsampled by Bay Photo - when I was just starting - it was a P&S shot that is now 20"x30" and framed. No one can tell. However a key item is that I know no one will be looking very closely at the image as there is a credenza between the wall and the viewer placing the image at least 12" away.

I will say that almost a month ago I did a metal print through a groupon coupon from a friend. I would have rather had the Bay Photo print. More comments and details on it at my Blog at http://bradfordbenn.com/2011/11/some-times-the-value-exceeds-the-price/

PilotBrad

Just a follow-up to my OP. My groupon deal 20"x30" print arrived from Aluminyze today and I am quite pleased.

The original 18MP image was cropped down to just over 7MP, then uprezed quite a bit to 6000x9000 (54MP) and while you can see the results of the uprez if you look at it real close, from normally viewing distances it looks great.

Here it is on the wall of my office (taken with iPhone)...




Thanks for everyone's help! Now that I've seen how this one came out, I'm going to order another copy from Bay, and I've actually had a few coworkers ask if they could buy prints.