B&W camera to (large) print workflow - changes over 20 years?

[keithcooper]

With all the hassles of the last couple of years I'm really glad to have had lots of new printers to test and review. One nice side effect of that is that I get ink and paper supplied, which makes it much easier to delve into the archives and print new images (previously ignored) or re-visit prints form years ago.

I was doing one of my [UK] camera club talks when someone asked me how my camera to print workflow (for larger prints) had changed, with new cameras/software?

Hitting the archives and going back almost 20 years I was interested to see how any aspects were different, but also those that had hardly changed.

The biggest changes are probably sharpening and resizing for my large print workflow, especially if making new prints from old images.

That and I've still not bought into the non-destructive edit ethos [for my large print workflow] - an image and versions live in multiple layers and files in a folder, not a catalogue...  Yes, YMMV here ;-)

I've put together a video {~30 mins} covering the subject.

Hope it's of interest...

Curious to hear what others find has changed - or not?

https://youtu.be/_yGJAS1XKAQ

INDEX FYI

00:00 Start
00:27 Changes over 20 years
01:30 The scene in front of you
02:22 Is there a print in it?
02:49 Lighting
02:59 Is this a good B&W image?
03:40 What's in the print for you?
04:17 Capturing the image
06:30 Careful with the exposure
08:00 Only RAW and using colour
09:00 When the best colour image does not make the best B&W
11:10 Working in colour or B&W for your B&W images
13:29 How much editing is needed
15:00 When simple adjustments will do
16:15 How much adjustment?
17:14 Does your print have to mean anything?
18:28 Aspects of printing
20:05 Screen to print
21:12 When 'better' tools produce side effects
22:08 What effects does picture size have
22:27 When going back to the start helps
24:09 Sharpening - changing opinions over time
25:18 Choosing some tools
27:15 The most significant changes to my workflow - and what hasn't changed

[Paul_Roark]

Topaz's AI Gigapixel is probably the most significant change and improvement in my B&W workflow since the Leica M9 finally knocked out my MF film+scanner approach.  Of course, moving to digital+Photoshop from film+darkroom was probably the most major change in my 50+ years of B&W photo involvement.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

[keithcooper]

Topaz's AI Gigapixel is probably the most significant change and improvement in my B&W workflow since the Leica M9 finally knocked out my MF film+scanner approach.  Of course, moving to digital+Photoshop from film+darkroom was probably the most major change in my 50+ years of B&W photo involvement.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

Yes - GP AI (and Sharpen AI) are the two tools which have most caused me to re-think my approach to large prints - especially from older images

My arbitrary '20 year' look back just misses my own switch to a predominantly digital approach from film, where even though I had a darkroom I was never very serious about it ;-)

[Paul_Roark]

During my film era days, I tended to use dilute, one-shot developers with relatively infrequent agitation.  The point was to sharpen the medium format negatives for direct enlargement, with 16 x 20 inch silver prints the usual "large" size.

In retrospect, the film development approach was a mistake.  My boxes of old negatives that I had saved for "retirement" tend to be rather grainy compared to current digital images.  Part of the problem is that my "normal" print size has increased to 24 x 30", with the long side varying up to 36" due to my acid-free foam-core size of 24 x 36.  As a practical matter, it just takes much longer to process the grainy old negatives.

I still have my old Rollei SL66 on a shelf in a display case just for nostalgia, but I'd never go back.  Modern digital capture is way better for the landscape work I tend to do, and inkjet printing has knocked out the silver print.  Technology marches on.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com