Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 13
THE BIG PRINT
printing your photos
Most of what we do today after we press
the shutter button happens on a computer
screen. Let's put this in perspective: It takes
us 1/2000 of a second to take the shot, but
then we spend 10 minutes in Lightroom
processing the image, so the majority of our
work takes place after the photo is taken.
However, in real life, when we talk about a
photo, your average person thinks of the
1/2000 of a second part of the photograph
much more than they do the 10 minutes
we spent on the computer balancing, sharp-
ening, dodging and burning, etc., part. So, to
them, the 1/2000 of a second part is the “real”
part and the rest they (thankfully) don't really
think that much about. So, when you show
them a picture onscreen, it kind of reminds
them that this is all software-based, because
your image is trapped inside a computer
screen, and images in a web gallery are in
“a cloud,” so they aren't real. To most non-
photographers, an image becomes “real”
when you make a print. Otherwise it's just
some manipulated image on a computer.
Think about it. So, you are kind of like a
modern-day Dr. Frankenstein, in that you
have created this thing, but you need to flip
a switch (the printing switch), to give your
creation life. Now, when you print, it's not
entirely necessary to look toward the heavens,
laugh an evil laugh, and yell, “It's alive!” but
I can tell you that most of the pro photog-
raphers I know do exactly that (but you also
should know that they generally wait to do
all their printing on a dark, stormy night).
Now you know.
