Digital BW, The Print

Thanks, Paul,

(hope this is not too confusing to read, I tried to respond to your comments as I understood them. I'm in pretty deep water for me here!)

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Paul" <roark.paul@...> wrote:
>
> 
> "Paul" <paulmwhiting@> wrote:
> >
> > Now that QTR will handle jpgs, I thought I'd convert the GG-to-QTR.tif file to jpg so that I can use the 3MK/R1800 workflow with Photoshop Elements. (Because Elements doesn't have Profile Conversion.) But when I went to the layers palette to see the actual correction curve, it was not visible, only the text overlay.
> 
> That text layer should have been merged down so there would be only a single layer -- the one you wanted.  I'm not sure which of the many such files you're using.

I didn't know there were others out there.

> Do you have the URL where you downloaded the conversion file?

Here's the one I used... from your website. Is this what you mean?

http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/GG22-to-QTR-curve.zip

> > So, with my jpg image still on the workspace I instead called up the original tiff version. Now I had the two layers I was accustomed to, with both the text and the curve easily visible, and I was able to drag the curve over and drop it on the image. I could see a shift in the tonal values take place, as expected. 
> 
> >Then I saved the new file, again as a jpg. 
> 
> I can't save a Jpeg with a layer in Photoshop CS5.  It converts to a .PSD.  If Elements is flattening the image first and then saving it, don't forget that it's only a printing version.

But a printing version is what I want, isn't it? {I think!)
 
> If your Jpeg was converted to a PSD or Tiff and then you converted it back to a Jpeg, you may have multiple Jpeg artifacts.  That is, the original would have had Jpeg compression artifacts, then in the process of conversion to Tiff and re-conversion back to Jpeg, you'd have a second "save as" Jpeg that would double up on the artifacts.

> I try to avoid Jpegs or convert them to Tiff ASAP.

I should do that more often, good point.

> Again, I try to avoid conversions to Jpeg.  Photoshop does seem to allow a layer to be dragged to a Jpeg, but my guess is that internally it has converted the file to a PSD.  Can you actually save a Jpeg and have the layer stay as a layer?

I don't really know what's going on here. I don't believe that it stays as a layer. It must get flattened, as you say.

Paul