Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 11/6/06 6:38:46 AM, diana@... writes:


> 
> How was the Digital B/W get together?
> 
Perhaps someone will write a more comprehensive answer (though no one was 
volunteering!) but here's an overview from someone without a horse in the race, 
in that I didn't bring a print of the selected image (I tuned out on that 
process when the discussions started getting complicated; too much else to do 
before the show). 

The "A" prints were supposed to be straight prints from the file, all on the 
same paper at the same size. There was some variation in the interpretation of 
what "straight" meant. I was first taken by how much variation there was in 
the densities in the prints. I expected tonality differences (after all, there 
were some non-neutral systems used), and detail differences in dithering (yes, 
loupes were brought out for examination). But you could look at the wall full 
of prints from several feet away, and they were strikingly different. It 
wasn't the d-max, though one or two were notably weaker (Piezo sepia most 
notably); it was differences in what densities various sections of the image showed. 
What was over 50% in one print might be 25% in another. There was no stepped 
gray ramp included at the edge of the image, but if there had been, graphs of 
the measurements from the ramps on the various systems would have been all over 
the map, and never linear.

Another thing that interested me was that, while the prints were not rated in 
any way (everyone was too polite to share any observations that might hurt 
the feelings of the participants present) the straight 2400 AWB print came very 
close (to my eye) to matching the best neutral print there. Certainly closer 
to it than any other two were to one another. Gives me further hope for RIPless 
solutions.

There was a "B" series that were "interpretive" versions. I'm not sure that I 
felt the magic added in the individual interpretations strengthened the 
images shown, overall. A few might have made stonger images than the "A" version, 
but being on another wall, it was difficult to tell. The variation in the "B" 
series was even more striking than the "A" series, which would be expected.

So what I took home from this is that there is a striking lack of density 
management in all the systems present. Certainly a series of color managed color 
prints from a single image would have been extremely similar under the "A" 
criteria, and still probably closer than these "B" images under the open rules 
for the creative versions. It certainly makes a case for linearizing and 
profiling with a measurement device...

On a more social level, it was great to meet the participants, and the 
restaurant our gracious host selected was a good venue for post-critique 
discussions, though the group was too large to chat with everyone. Its too bad that 
geography would keep us from meeting like this more regularly.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Division
DataColor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com


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