Digital BW, The Print

on 2/13/02 8:40 AM, Carl Schofield wrote:

> Thanks for the tip Todd.  I didn't know that this was possible.  I'm using
> MIS VM inks with Paul Roark's curves and have been converting back to RGB
> after the 8 bit conversion.  I'm wondering if I could just skip the
> greyscale conversion at the end of the workflow I described previously, stay
> in 16 bit RGB mode after using the channel mixer monochrome conversion,
> apply Paul's curves, and then just send the 16 bit file to the printer.

Yup!

First off, you don't need to convert to grayscale (after your chmx) and then
back to RGB. The chmx operation just made all three channels the same
anyway, you'd only need to convert to grayscale for a different workflow,
like Piezo. Just stay in RGB.

Then as to applying Paul's curves to your 16-bit data, there is a pro and
con to this.

Pro: Paul's curves are pretty radical so applying them to 16-bit data should
be much less destructive to the image than doing the same to 8-bit data.
(though we see from experience it typically works fine with 8-bit data,
which says a lot about how large of edits CAN be applied to 8-bit data. Some
people are very conservative about that, but day to day use shows it ain't a
big deal.) Anyway, yes, it allows you to stay in a 16-bit workflow for all
it's worth. And perhaps in the future even the Epson drivers will utilize
16-bit data and you'll be well positioned to take advantage of that.

Con: That curve set is now "one" with your image, so there'll be no changing
your mind about print tone later. In 8-bit mode you can just put the curves
on an adjustment layer and change your mind over and over - not so in
16-bit. The solution is just to duplicate the file so that you keep one
virgin and curve your duplicates.

I say try it all ways. Dupe your 16-bit file twice, then store the original
away safely. To one dupe add your curves directly in 16-bit mode and send
that to the printer directly. To the other, convert it down to 8-bit, apply
Paul's curves as an adjustment layer, than print. Compare.

Whether applying Paul's curves in 16-bit mode vs 8-bit will be advantageous
may depend upon how sound your 8-bit file is to begin with. In your workflow
it should be fine, but for someone who works their file a lot in 8-bit mode
first, so that the integrity of the image is hanging by a thread, Paul's
curves *could* push it over the edge. BTW, I would think the same is true
with Piezo profiles (or any other profiles), though I'm not truly certain of
how they work.

Todd