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Making Big Prints

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Selling prints of my work has always been more of a side business during my career, as I focused primarily on producing imagery that was used in print or online venues, and most of the prints I do sell are in the small to medium size range: 8x10 inches to 12x18 inches. However, during the last couple of years I've been selling more big prints as I've started exhibiting my work more frequently. These bigger prints have caused me to re-think my sharpening techniques in Photoshop (see my previous post, "Sharpening Basics,"
outdoorphotographer.com: community/blogs/in-the-zone/sharpening-basics.

I find that using the Unsharp Mask filter works fine for most of my images when making small and medium-sized prints, whether the files are digital captures or scans of 35mm transparencies. For big prints (20x30 inches and larger,) I've needed to make some adjustments. For digital captures from my Canon 1Ds Mark II or 1Ds Mark III, I can typically use the Unsharp Mask filter in Photoshop, then go into the edit menu and choose Fade Unsharp Mask. In the ensuing pop-up window, I change the mode to Luminosity, which applies the sharpening based on luminosity, ignoring color information. This helps reduce those annoying halos on the edges of details in the photos.

For 35mm scans with a lot of detail, I use a technique called multipass sharpening, but first I need to make my file the right size for the print I'm making. For example, for a 20x30-inch print, I’ll “uprez” my scan, which is typically around 12x18 inches at 300 dpi, by using the Image Size menu option and changing the image size to 20x30 inches and keeping the resolution at 300 dpi.

For the resampling algorithm, I’ll choose Bicubic Sharper. I know it says “best for reduction," but trust me, it works great for uprezzing to big image sizes.

Now I’ll apply the multipass sharpening. First, I’ll use the Unsharp Mask filter much like I would on any other print, by using a radius of 1, a threshold of between 0 and 3, and then an amount that varies by the image. For a big print like this, I’ll start with an amount in the neighborhood of 250. Next, I’ll apply a second unsharp mask, this time using a big radius like 40 or 50, and a smaller amount, usually somewhere between 30 and 60. When I first read about this technique, I was skeptical and expected my images to look strangely oversharpened, but it actually works well with many of my images by sharpening details and adding texture to the image.

I don’t have a large-format printer, so I need to send these files to a professional printing lab to be printed, but first I make proofs of smaller sections of the image to check that the sharpening seems about right at the printed size. I’ll also make my own 12x18-inch proof to check the overall look of the print.

As a conservation photographer, I'm concerned that my prints may be contributing to the environmental degradation of our planet, but I have found a pair of printing labs that do a great job at minimizing their impact on the earth. The first is Fine Print Imaging in Fort Collins, Colorado (fineprintimaging.com), which is 100% Green Powered, offers sustainable paper options, and has been part of the conservation photography movement for decades (Owner Mark Lukes was a founding board member of NANPA and is on the board at the ILCP.) Fine Print also runs Art for Conservation, an on-line gallery where conservation photographers can market their prints and donate a portion of the funds to conservation issues. The second lab I use is www.greenphotoprint.com in Wayland, Massachusetts. They're a small start-up that only uses locally-sourced recycled and unbleached cotton papers with inks that are free of volatile organic compounds. They're also within driving distance for me, which makes it easy to proof prints and explain my vision in person.

By the way, if you live in the northeast, these sharpening techniques are on the agenda during my digital imaging weekend in Portsmouth, NH, March 20 and 21. There’s more info on my website at: jerryandmarcymonkman.com/lightroom_photoshop.

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