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Image Science September 2007 Update (and it's a big one!)
We're back after our baby break and working at full steam again.
Hopefully the extra week we took off did not cause you any inconvenience but we didn't really have a choice - I rather underestimated just how much time would be required to get used to the very big change in our lives! I'm still not really used to it now but we're enjoying ourselves and we seem to have established a workable, if very busy, routine.
Lots of news, special offers, and even a baby photo below!
A quick note - the website's behaviour may be a bit erratic from this Friday night (the 7th of September) to the end of the weekend as we need to migrate to a better server as our traffic has increased fairly dramatically this year. So if you happen to visit and the website appears to be down - don't worry it will be back up again in a few hour! No emails/sales order etc will be lost during this time.
First....Some Family News!
It's a bit late but we're proud to announce we're the proud new parents of a beautiful baby girl. Leyna Jessie Daalder was born on the 26th of June. Mother Amy and baby Leyna are both doing very well indeed. I'm fine too! Actually, I'm loving it.
Leyna is two months old now, and growing fast - she's even slept through the night a couple of times already! She's a real cutie, too (OK, perhaps I am biased but you can judge for yourself...)
And Now Some Image Science News!
We're also proud to announce two very big bits of Image Science news:
- We are now running an Epson 9800 44 inch printer (running the matte black ink), allowing us to print up to 44 inches wide by any length.
- We've just launched our new online sales system.
More about both of these below!
44 Inch Roll Prints Now Available!!
By popular demand we've now added a 44 inch ( 1117mm) wide printing service! Based on an Epson 9800 printer, the system will work just like our existing fine art printing service, only now we can print at over a meter wide, by any length! The inks and profiles used are exactly the same as in our 24" matte black printer (that is, the very well tested and premium quality Ultrachrome K3 inkset).
The printer is being stored off-site (it's simply too big for our office!), so we'll take an extra day or two to get these prints done, but we'll be offering our same highly competitive pricing, across the same range of beautiful fine art, archival materials.
We're running the printer day to day with the matte black ink, allowing us to print on our most popular papers - Photo Rag, Torchon, Portfolio Rag and Canson Canvas. However, should the need for gloss printing arise (for example you are having an exhibition run done on Crane Silver Rag), we can swap the blacks over - there will be a fee for this, though.
Full details and pricing can be found here:
Image Science Fine Art Printing Service
Online Sales Finally Coming to Image Science!
I've finally had the chance to implement an online sales system. It's a very simple but secure shopping cart system. This will allow you to make orders whenever it is convenient for you - including evenings and weekends. It's definitely not my 'dream come true' online sales system but we thought having a simple functional system in place was better than the alternative of waiting another 6 months for me to find some time to develop it all in house. It's the first time I've used an off the shelf solution rather than develop it myself, but with a 2 month old baby I just don't have the time to do everything myself at the moment!
I've gone to great lengths to make the sales side of the site very much non-intrusive - as ever, Image Science is, and will remain, first and foremost a site dedicated to sharing knowledge about making beautiful images using the very finest techniques and materials.
Of course, as ever, we encourage you to ring and talk to a real person (usually me!) whenever you have a question - we thrive on personal contact and personal service is the backbone of our business.
Also - if you happen to find any bugs, we'd love to hear about them - please don't assume we've found them or someone else will let us know!
Eizo Super Special! (Offer valid only until 28th September 2007)
If you buy a premium 21 inch Eizo CG211 monitor right now for only $3599, you get an Eizo S1721-H 17 inch monitor thrown in for free! That's a free $699 monitor that is almost too good to use for just Photoshop palettes!
The amazing CCG211 & S1721 Monitor Deal at Image Science!
If you want one (well, two!) - get in touch ASAP!
New Crane Sample Packs, Improved Crane Paper Pricing
We've created a new Crane Sample pack - it has two sheets of Silver Rag, two sheets of Portfolio Rag, and two artist's cards. These packs are a great way to get to know the important products in the Crane range quickly. All three products are exquisite.
We've also managed to negotiate better pricing on sheet sizes of Crane's two best papers - Crane Silver Rag and Crane Portfolio Rag. They're both superb papers and the pricing is now more in line with other fine art papers in this country.
Crane Products at Image Science
New Website Content
I've been a bit short of time for writing lately, but I have managed an article on Cross Rendered Proofing. This is a process where you use one printer (eg. a cheap inkjet printer) to simulate the output of another printer (for example a massive offset press). This can be very very useful if you're about to have your work printed by a third party organisation (at potentially great expense) and you want to get an accurate idea of how your work will look coming out of their printer, before you commit funds and send the job off (while crossing your fingers!).
If you're considering having work printed on a CMYK press - eg. cards, or a calendar, or perhaps you're thinking of using one of the new Print On Demand services (like Lulu) to produce a short run book, then you might find this article very useful.
Image Science article on Cross Rendered Proofing
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 - Temporary Glitch
Unfortunately, some time over the last couple of months, a few boxes of dodgy Photo Rag 308 slipped through Hahnemuhle's quality control, and into customer's hands. For many people, the paper in question does not present a serious problem. However, and particularly with the Epson 3800s which ink more heavily than previous Epson models, some recent boxes of paper have been exhibiting two noticeable problems - ink bleed and poor shadow detail/d-max. This has occurred because the coating on the paper is not quite as effective at accepting heavy ink loads as Photo Rag normally is (and has been at all other times in the last 6 years!). On many printers and images you won't even see the problem but there have been several reports of these issues, particularly from 3800 owners.
As a result we've decided to return all our Photo Rag 308 stock to Hahnemuhle, and they've decided to tighten their tolerances for the next batch of paper. This means there will be stock shortage with Photo Rag 308 for at least the next few weeks while the next production run occurs.
We think we've tracked down most of the people affected, but if you've had any issues like this, or issues with profiles made from target prints on this paper, then please get in touch as soon as you can so we can sort this out for you. We'll need the batch code from your box of paper (a number next to the bar code on the stuck on label, looks like 148148-A or similar).
It's worth reiterating that in 6 years, and literally thousands and thousands of boxes of Photo Rag 308, we've never seen a single quality control problem before. Paper making is a very complex process and almost all papers will, in our experience, occasionally suffer from a less than perfect batch. It's simply part of life, and something that has to be accepted and quickly solved.
We're waiting on some fresh stock to replace the dodgy batch - shouldn't be more than a few weeks, and we're happy to take pre-orders for this stock now. In the meantime, this is perhaps a perfect opportunity to explore an alternative paper like the recently launched, and really excellent, Crane Portfolio Rag. Very similar in print quality to Photo Rag (in fact uncannily so), this is a very attractive paper that is slightly smoother, harder, and brighter white than Photo Rag (with no OBAs at all!). We have in fact now added this paper as one of our core printing papers for our own printing service - it's that good. Otherwise, Photo Rag Bright White 310 is a very good alternative (although this paper does contain significant OBAs which may not be appropriate for some people).
Calling Art Reproduction Photographers/Scanners
I am continually asked about artwork copy work. I am looking for people with proven skills in this area - for work across the country. I want to develop a list of qualified people who have some experience at this process, so that I can send work in your direction. We get multiple enquires every week about this from artists all across Australia.
You can do this work either photographically (15+ megapixel digital, Medium or Large Format film) or if you have an A3 or bigger flatbed scanner that can possibly work as well. Concepts like 'cross polarisation' should not be foreign to you (and you should know why this is done). Basically, we need people who can shoot technically perfect images of sketches, watercolours, acrylics and oils - in such a way that we can then make colour accurate, perfectly sharp prints from the generated film/digital files.
You would deal directly with the artists, but liaise directly with us about our requirements. You're free to negotiate your own prices for your side of the process, of course, although we're happy to suggest typical rates.
If you think you can help - please reply to this email with a note detailing your level of experience.
Alternatively, if you know somewhere that already does this well - affordably, and that gives you access to the scans/photographs produced, please let us know!
Calibrating Televisions
The easy way:
We've just put up a new product, the SpyderTV Pro 2007 - which is a very comprehensive kit for the calibration of TVs - given Australia has one of the biggest uptakes in the world of big screen TVs, I suspect quite a lot of you would like to get the very best results from your investment in 40 inches plus of beautiful screen. This kit is very comprehensive and contains everything you need to do your own televisions, but is also more than adequate for use by consultants wanting to offer this process as a service.
The SpyderTVPro 2007 at Image Science
Another way, if you already have a calibrator:
If you're the current owner of a screen calibration advice, then you may already have most of what you need to calibrate your TV. This is an excellent way of squeezing more value out of something you already own!
There are a number of after-market software packages, almost of all of which are compatible with the Eye One Display, and some of which are compatible with the ColorVision Spyder range of calibrators (I'm not aware of any that can work with the Huey).
The way it works is this - you get yourself some software, and a calibration DVD, and then you plug your calibrator into a computer near your TV (a laptop is perfect). The software then guides you through taking measurements of your TV, and gives instructions on the necessary adjustments you need to make to bring your screen towards accurate display.
I'm not an expert on this, and there are quite a few ways to skin this particular cat, but the best place I've found for tips is:
The 'sticky' threads at the top are the most useful part. As you'll see it can get quite complex if you want it to, but the basic ideas and processes are pretty simply. Have fun!
Jeremy's Corner - More Ramblings!!
Some Notes on the Lightroom 1.1 Update
I was pretty hard on Lightroom 1.0 in my last look at it, but to be honest it has some pretty fundamental problems that make it difficult to recommend for serious work. That said, the latest update addresses one of the most significant - it's now possible to print photos without Lightroom resampling the image by default. This makes it much easier to control sharpening, although the actual sharpening controls are still a little coarse for my liking.
The colour side of Lightroom remains problematic - mostly in it not being explicit about what it is doing, and in that it still lacks any option for soft proofing with an ICC profile. So quality printing is still firmly the domain of Photoshop.
That said, I am using it daily now for all of the raw conversion side of the image making process, and in this area I have to say it is second to none in terms of ease and variety of controls.
The library management functions in Lightroom still need some serious work, though - it should be MUCH easier to manage access to a repository of images by multiple computers - the tedious import/export process is time consuming and ungainly. Basically, they need to add support for network drives before anyone with multiple computers can take the program seriously. While not every house has 4 computers like we do (honestly it's getting a little out of control now, here in Gadgetland!) - many, many people now have at least two computers and a home server computer is an increasingly common approach.
Fundamentally, I dislike the database centric design that separates the overlays (i.e. raw processing adjustments, picks etc) from the actual files and folders on the disc. Yes, you can write the adjustments to the XMP metadata, but you can't write the other library features (such as picks, ratings etc) without doing a manual export/import (which takes minimum half an hour on any decent sized library). And while you can now easily resynchronise on folders, there remains a disconnect between the physical files and folders, and the logical overlays, that makes Lightroom a headache to use once you push it beyond any basic usage scenario. This is typical in software design that fails to understand how people really use and relate to computers (something I've seen time and time again since way back when I was doing my Honours in Computer Science).
In all, I still have a very love-hate relationship with Lightroom. There's a lot of promise there, but there's also a lot of very bad design getting in the way of actually using the program in real world scenarios. The core of the program (the camera raw engine) is fantastic. But the surrounding systems (library, print, web etc) fail in there tasks in many and varied ways, so one is still forced to export the bulk of one's work to Photoshop or other applications. This adds time and frustration to the whole process, and tempts one back into simply using the free Camera Raw plugin in Photoshop. But that of course lacks ANY library features and in this age of mass image creation - where even a basic shoot can result in scores of images to sort and edit - we're in dire need of a really effective and easy to use library solution.
Here's looking forward to 1.2, 1.3...and on!
About monitors that can't come down to classically recommended luminosity figures...
Unfortunately, not long ago Apple decided to put much brighter tubes in their iMac monitors (for flashier performance with iMovie etc) and now none of them can really be calibrated down to typically recommended luminosities. Worse still the latest machines are going for glossy screens, which are pretty awful for colour work in my experience. Bit of a bugger if the monitor is built in, really.
And Apple are by no means the only ones to be using very, very bright tubes in their monitors these days - many BenQ, Dell, etc etc models suffer from this problem as well. It's not that bright tubes per se are a problem - in fact they can be very useful - but some of these screens lack controls to bring the brightness down to sensible levels for day to day use - some of them can't bring the monitor down below 250 candelas, which is ludicrously bright for day to day computer usage.
Contrast this with any Eizo screen that can easily reach the same high luminance figures, but has excellent, precise controls for bringing the brightness down as well (in fact Eizo screens come with special software that can detect which application you are running and dynamically switch between modes so that you can instantly take advantage of both high brightness levels when needed (say when watching a movie) and lower brightness levels when needed (say photographic retouching).
Now - if you own one of these new high brightness monitors, it's not all bad. There is in fact no absolute standard for where luminosity should be anyway. And you do want your monitor to be the brightest thing in your field of vision when doing photographic retouching. What's most important is the relative relationship between your ambient light level and the monitor luminosity. (You can check this with the ambient light check feature if your screen calibrator has one).
Basically, should you own a screen that can't come down to normal figures like 120 candelas, this means you should keep your room a little lighter than is normal for this sort of work (not such a bad thing, necessarily). Ideally your room lighting level is 30 to 50% less bright than your monitor. This means your eye will calibrate to the monitor's whitepoint (as your eye always goes to the brightest white in its field of view and chromatically adapts to that whitepoint). If you get this relative relationship right, you should still find these monitors useful. That said, staring all day into 250 plus cd/m2 is very tiring on the eyes, and personally I'd look to a better screen as a possible future purchase if photographic retouching is a big part of what you do, or indeed simply if you spend a long time in front of your computer on a regular basis.
This, by the way, is why Colour Management works when your monitor has a whitepoint of 6500K and your print viewing lights are at 5000K, or less. In each case, your eye auto adapts to the whitepoint and it's how colour behaves relative to that whitepoint that is important. If you had the light levels equal, and were doing side by side matching, you'd be better off calibrating your monitor to the same white point as your lighting (i.e. around 5000K). This is not recommended as it takes you well away from the monitor's native whitepoint, and there's a big price to pay for that on an LCD - it tends to promote pretty severe stepping across the gamut.
PhotoSynth
Most amazing thing I've seen in imaging in a while - you may have already seen a demo of PhotoSynth but if not watch these - it's pretty amazing stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-DqZ8jAmv0
Also,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgBQCoEfiMs
The Image Science Community Corner
Due to the baby, I've missed a lot of exhibitions and opening nights lately - very sorry, and hope they were roaring successes. I'm too late even to plug the ones I know about as most are now shut. Sorry!!
But we do have some info about some course taught by the excellent and most pleasant Silvi Glattauer (with whom I teach the Digital Fine Print course at RMIT - actually this semester I'm only guest lecturing while I get used to fatherhood!!)
Silvi is an excellent teacher - knowledge, patient, kind, and warm. Her courses are thoroughly recommended!
'The Baldessin Press' printmaking studio presents:
PHOTOBASED PRINTMAKING
These two workshops are designed to follow on from each other but can also be taken as separate units. Workshop one will set the basics for use in workshop two.
WORKSHOP ONE ‘Image preparation’
One Day Workshop with Silvi Glattauer - Sun Nov 11
This one day workshop / demonstration will delve into all the considerations for preparing and maximising the quality of your photographic images. Learn how producing a large format digital negative, which can then be used for cyanotypes, photogravures, Van Dykes, Gum Bichromates, and any other printmaking process where you want to introduce photo based elements. This workshop is designed as a precedent to workshop two: Hybrid Printmaking
WORKSHOP TWO ‘Hybrid Printmaking’
Two day Workshop with Lloyd Godman & Silvi Glattauer - Sat & Sun Nov 17 & 18
This two day workshop / demonstration will introduce a wide range of hybrid techniques that can be combined from photo-based images. Learn how to experiment with combinations of cyanotypes, photogravures, van dyke brown, photograms and monoprints.
Cost: Workshop 1 $180 - Workshop 2 $380 (materials included)
Discount offer: enrol in both workshops - $530
More Information: www.baldessinpress.com, Enrolments Rob Hails: (03) 9482 1605
That's it!
Cheers, hope life is treating you very well indeed, and hope to see you soon,
Jeremy and Amy Daalder
Directors,
Image Science
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