Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File  (Read 5043 times)

arobinson7547

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 187
Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« on: September 03, 2017, 08:55:27 am »



Hello,

where can I get a Continuous Tone Print made in the USA? Like you got when you dropped your film off at the Drug Store (no dots). I wish to print out a Digital Image as a Photograph 11x17 or so. I went to Walmart and looked at a sample of what comes off their machine and it looked worse then inkjet (much more coarse)

What's the process/machine called?

I know a Photolab that has Silver Halide but, it seems like that is Black and White only. I don't know. Yes/No?

Can a Color Transparency be made from a Digital File? (11x17 or less)

Thank You.

Logged

Slobodan Blagojevic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 18090
  • When everyone thinks the same, nobody thinks
    • My website
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2017, 09:13:12 am »

Bart_van_der_Wolf

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 8913
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2017, 09:45:27 am »


Hello,

where can I get a Continuous Tone Print made in the USA? Like you got when you dropped your film off at the Drug Store (no dots). I wish to print out a Digital Image as a Photograph 11x17 or so. I went to Walmart and looked at a sample of what comes off their machine and it looked worse then inkjet (much more coarse)

What's the process/machine called?

Hi,

I believe it's called a C-print, but the technology (and quality) used to print on 'normal' photochemical paper differs between suppliers. High-resolution lasers or LEDs are often used to expose the paper, based on a digital file. When you start with a shot on film, it will first have to be scanned/digitized.

Quote
Can a Color Transparency be made from a Digital File? (11x17 or less)

Yes, if you are talking about duplicating to film but there are fewer and fewer labs that have that capability, and it's usually smaller formats. If you are talking about an enlargement on a transparent material (for trans-illumination) there are different options depending on how it's going to be mounted, usually available from professional labs, or companies that produce signage (e.g. on lightboxes or for outdoors use).

Cheers,
Bart
Logged
== If you do what you did, you'll get what you got. ==

arobinson7547

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 187
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2017, 10:59:05 am »

Thanks guys. I want to print out a Digital file as, what was it called a "C-Print" and scan it to make a higher resolution file. I need a 1000% enlargement and the only way I can think of to maintain the quality for close viewing wall mural is to print out and scan at high resolution.

This was not that big of a deal, when you had a regular photo (a few cents at your local Drug Store) but now, dots are everywhere and at 1000% EVERYTHING shows. I remember the Lamda and know almost all of them are gone. But, I was thinking the 'regular' photo process was still there, somewhere. I guess most have been replaced with the Indigo, which like Inkjet is fine for one-to-one; but not good as a source for an enlargement.
Logged

Slobodan Blagojevic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 18090
  • When everyone thinks the same, nobody thinks
    • My website
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2017, 11:09:10 am »

It seems next to impossible that printing, then scanning, then enlarging 1000% would deliver better results than directly enlarging a digital file (using dedicated software for that, of course).

arobinson7547

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 187
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2017, 11:30:14 am »

Well Slobodan, I guess I have to do it both ways and compare. That's one sure way to know for sure. But I have to say the Scanning Data is 'Real' data. The software does a good job, up to a point. But Scanning, pleases me a gives me what I want.

What I will do is let you know/see how the results of both processes look. Unless someone else had 'already' done it BOTH ways and can show us something.

Here is the image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/williamsburg-bridge-view-new-york-city-260608442

Crop out most of the sky and enlarge 1000%. Print it a original size first, then compare the enlargement to the original.

I've compared letting a Rip enlarge vs software and got about the same results (depends on the Rip) but these two vs more data from the Scanner should be of lessor quality. This is what I'll test.

ps. I've already seen how banged up the wires on that bridge is; I thing the sky was replaced, in a not so good technique
« Last Edit: September 03, 2017, 11:42:39 am by arobinson7547 »
Logged

Bart_van_der_Wolf

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 8913
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2017, 12:16:16 pm »

Thanks guys. I want to print out a Digital file as, what was it called a "C-Print" and scan it to make a higher resolution file. I need a 1000% enlargement and the only way I can think of to maintain the quality for close viewing wall mural is to print out and scan at high resolution.

This was not that big of a deal, when you had a regular photo (a few cents at your local Drug Store) but now, dots are everywhere and at 1000% EVERYTHING shows. I remember the Lamda and know almost all of them are gone. But, I was thinking the 'regular' photo process was still there, somewhere. I guess most have been replaced with the Indigo, which like Inkjet is fine for one-to-one; but not good as a source for an enlargement.

I agree with Slobodan on this, it's unlikely that enlarging by using multiple generations of intermediate images will produce a better result than a direct (high-quality) enlargement could.

This may be an interesting multi-part blog post to read:
The Ultimate Guide to Digital Printing: Inkjet Prints vs. C-Prints
https://www.breathingcolor.com/blog/guide-to-digital-printing-part-1/

Cheers,
Bart
Logged
== If you do what you did, you'll get what you got. ==

jmichael

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2017, 04:02:27 pm »

ColorChrome in Atlanta still has a Lambda system.
Logged

Stephen Ray

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 217
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2017, 05:49:46 pm »

The technique worked surprisingly well and was performed often from around 1995 and thereafter using Kodak LVT and Cymbolic Sciences LightJet film recorders (not to be confused with LightJet printers) as the intermediate. It was common to scale-up 35mm to 4x5 size film, 4x5 to 8x10 size film, etc., and scan the intermediate to a larger TIFF file for wide format printing. Think trade show displays, vehicle wraps, and outdoor advertising.

I’m curious to know if any of these film recorders are in use nowadays, mainly due to scarcity of the required E6 film & processing. The 1620 Kodak LVT model could print to 16x20 type-c paper which could be used as the intermediate also.

Again, the process did work well.

Lately, I’ve heard of “artists” re-photographing inkjet prints to satisfy requests for high resolution files. Even that seems to be working for them.
Logged

nirpat89

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 661
    • Photography by Niranjan Patel
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2017, 06:16:18 pm »

It seems counterintuitive to me that digital to print to scan to print will be better than digital to print.  You will be better off making a higher resolution file by interpolation in Photoshop and print your mural.
Logged

donbga

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 454
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #10 on: September 07, 2017, 09:09:49 pm »

Well Slobodan, I guess I have to do it both ways and compare. That's one sure way to know for sure. But I have to say the Scanning Data is 'Real' data. The software does a good job, up to a point. But Scanning, pleases me a gives me what I want.

What I will do is let you know/see how the results of both processes look. Unless someone else had 'already' done it BOTH ways and can show us something.

Here is the image:

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/williamsburg-bridge-view-new-york-city-260608442

Crop out most of the sky and enlarge 1000%. Print it a original size first, then compare the enlargement to the original.

I've compared letting a Rip enlarge vs software and got about the same results (depends on the Rip) but these two vs more data from the Scanner should be of lessor quality. This is what I'll test.

ps. I've already seen how banged up the wires on that bridge is; I thing the sky was replaced, in a not so good technique

How are you scanning your negative?
Logged

Stephen Ray

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 217
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2017, 09:50:23 pm »

Can a Color Transparency be made from a Digital File? (11x17 or less)

Try...

Link to Bowhouse for LVT output

I have just glanced at their site and noticed their Kodak LVT service. I'm familiar with Bowhouse and I have seen outstanding large prints they have produced for world-class photographers from marginal-resolution files.
Logged

Bart_van_der_Wolf

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 8913
Re: Non-Halftone Photo Print or Color Transparency from Digital File
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2017, 09:14:54 am »

How are you scanning your negative?

Yes.  Anything less than a good (drum)scan at 6000-8000 PPI will be a compromise. Then, each sequential print/duplicate will lose/change some of the tonality.

Applications like Perfect Resize, or PhotoZoom Pro, or handcrafted resampling techniques with e.g. ImageMagick, will allow very good first generation output from a digital original. Applications like Qimage even allow to push the (inkjet)printer beyond its normal resolution capabilities with its "Overdrive" feature and allows to apply halo-free output sharpening at the final output size (at the native printer's resolution).

It's unlikely that multiple generation outputs can match that quality level.

Cheers,
Bart
Logged
== If you do what you did, you'll get what you got. ==
Pages: [1]   Go Up