intex Posted November 16, 2007 Share #1 Posted November 16, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Using the advice of another poster here, I sent my Leica jpg's to MPix to have printed in 8x10 and 11x13 B&W. I developed the shots in Leightroom, transformed to Greyscale, then made my adjustments. When I was happy with the outcome, I saved it as color jpgs, and sent it off to MPix. I converted back to color, as MPix advised me to send them as color jpgs. When I received the prints back today, they were not sharp (not as sharp as in Lightroom), and were toned down shades of greys, no blacks or whites, like you would get with B&W film. Am I doing anything wrong in developing or printing? I am quite dissapointed in the results, and am not sure what is wrong. posted previously on Digital Forum, but no replies. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 16, 2007 Posted November 16, 2007 Hi intex, Take a look here Problems Printing Leica jpgs in B&W. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wparsonsgisnet Posted November 16, 2007 Share #2 Posted November 16, 2007 I have yet to start working on b/w printing or would otherwise offer to help. Perhaps another lurker would take your files (I would want both if I did this for you) and make b/w for you, using her/his exceptional b/w printing workflow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmaurizio Posted November 16, 2007 Share #3 Posted November 16, 2007 which profile did you use for output? MPIX does not like Profoto or AdobeRGB.... Did you sharpen for contone? Which resolution did you use? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
intex Posted November 17, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted November 17, 2007 I had 7Mb files saved ion jpg format. I developed them in Lightroom v1.1, and clicked on the Greyscale button on the top right menu. I then used several of the options to sharpen , increase brightness and exposure a bit, and also contrast to get a more B&W feel to the pixs. I did not use any profiles. When I was happy with the results, I clicked on color again and exported the files to MPix. Since then, I have upgraded to v1.2, and notice that they have 2 B&W profiles on the left side menu, but when I used either, the resulting image on screen was way too contrasty, little definition. MPix offered to redo the pixs, tweaking them a bit, but for next time, I hate to rely on them making adjustments. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlatkob Posted November 17, 2007 Share #5 Posted November 17, 2007 Clicking on the grayscale button often results in a dull black and white image. You should get better results using Lightroom's B&W Low Contrast preset (looks very good on my screen). If that looks too contrasty, you can adjust it and save it with a new name as your own B&W preset. Your monitor should be profiled to assure that it's not the problem. If your monitor is off, then you will never get accurate results from a photo lab. Kevin Kubota sells a set of presets for Lightroom (about $20) that include some nice black & whites. I like his B&W Punchy for many images, but there isn't one preset that will be good for all images. You can also google to find web sites that offer free Lightroom presets. Gus's comment above about the profile is correct I believe. Lightroom applies a profile when you export. It is in the Export dialogue, under Image Settings -- Color Space. There are three options. You should select sRGB. If you select Adobe RGB you will likely get a dull image as most labs are set up for sRGB. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmaurizio Posted November 17, 2007 Share #6 Posted November 17, 2007 I had 7Mb files saved ion jpg format.I developed them in Lightroom v1.1, and clicked on the Greyscale button on the top right menu. I then used several of the options to sharpen , increase brightness and exposure a bit, and also contrast to get a more B&W feel to the pixs. I did not use any profiles. When I was happy with the results, I clicked on color again and exported the files to MPix. Since then, I have upgraded to v1.2, and notice that they have 2 B&W profiles on the left side menu, but when I used either, the resulting image on screen was way too contrasty, little definition. MPix offered to redo the pixs, tweaking them a bit, but for next time, I hate to rely on them making adjustments. If you export JPG in ProfotoRGB and send those to any printer you will likely get lousy results. Next time make sure you select sRGB, regardless of B&W, since LR does not output true grayscale images. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. borger Posted November 17, 2007 Share #7 Posted November 17, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I never got a realy good B&W print from a lab .... you realy should print them yourself for best result ..... But it is a long and bumpy road to get realy good digital prints especialy in B&W. With a lot of variables determining the output: B&W conversion , printer/ink and last but not least and very often overlooked: the type of paper you are printing on. Keep in mind that with labs you normaly have to make sure if you want them to adjust your files (often by pressing an auto button) or not ............ If you are not sure about your own capacities let the lab freely handle the files: ... but in that case you have to choose a lab that is good at this! Downside .... you are letting a lab interpret your pictures .... they will adjust color and contrast with some kind of 'auto-software' .... Printing is part of the creative proces .... there are endless ways to print a B&W file ... where only you can decide how you want it to look. Do you have a callibrated screen? If not .. that's the place to start... no matter if you use a lab or print yourself..... Just my 2 cents... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted November 17, 2007 Share #8 Posted November 17, 2007 Robert, I've only had small prints made in the UK from a 1 hr lab, but the resulting b&w were sharp and contrast similar to the original files. Have you tried contacting the lab to see what they have to say on the matter? Perhaps you could post one of the images here to get an idea of how they look on different people's screens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
intex Posted November 23, 2007 Author Share #9 Posted November 23, 2007 I contacted MPix, and they reprinted the pixs on a different type of paper: Kodak Professional Endura. The reprints came out with much more contrast. I do not know if this was from the new paper, or any adjustments that they made from their end. I am very pleased with their support, and will continue to use and recommend them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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