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Thread: Printing from color slides - Expectations?

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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    Hi, I've begun to start having some of my slides printed and am unsure of what sort of results I should be looking for. Having had no real experience in having prints done, I'm not sure if I should expect a print to have the same shadow detail and vibrance that a 4x5 slide of Velvia does on a light table, or if I should expect the print to be quite a bit darker. I ask this as I have recently had a 8x10 (my first) print made by what I would classify as a good lab, and was slightly disappointed when I lost a significant amount of detail in the shadow areas. Of course I also had this print made with a matte finish, and in hindsight maybe that was a poor choice?

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    Is that a Hassleblad? Brian Vuillemenot's Avatar
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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    It really depends on how you have the transparencies printed- are they traditional or digital prints? What scanner is being used to make the scans? How did the "good lab" make the print for you that didn't live up to your expectations?
    Brian Vuillemenot

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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    Prints are viewed with reflected light, whereas slides are viewed with radiated light, so no print will exhibit highlights as vivid as a slide viewed directly on a light table or (to a lesser extent) through a slide projector. Having said all that, digital prints (scanned into a computer and printed either on photographic paper via a Lightjet/Chromira/Lambda printer, or inkjet paper by an inkjet printer) can frequently come close. In theory, a printing technology with the highest Dmax will give the most brilliant looking print, and glossy photographic or inkjet paper provides a higher DMax than matte paper. So if I want the highest possible DMax print, I will order a digital print using FujiFlex Superglossy photographic paper (slightly higher DMax than standard Fuji Crystal Archive). I understand the new HP 130 inkjet printer also produces high DMax prints (although this printer is so new few labs use it); the Epson inkjet prints are best used (at least until the latest generation becomes generally available) with matte papers.

    I gave up on R-Type prints from slides a long time ago. Even an 8x10 R-Type print from an 8x10 chrome lacked the resolution and shadow detail of a digital print, so if this is the type of print you received from your lab, I can understand your disappointment!

    When viewing a print, also keep in mind the quality of lighting. Galleries display wall prints using track-mounted spotlights, which bring out the best brilliance and detail of a print. If you view a print in typical, indoor defused lighting, it will look far less interesting.

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    Ted Harris's Avatar
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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    'Good labs' do not always produce the expected results, doesn't matter if you are talking analog or digital. I stopped using the lab that was most convenient to me because they never met time deadlines, frequently delivered dusty film, often had to redo prints (both analog and digital) and once llost a very large and irreplacable batch of film because they mailed it (which they propurted never to do) to me without any tracking .... they usually sent it by messenger.

    When we were doing the first View Camera magazine article on LF scanning we invited several labs with top reputations to assist by scanning our test image usning their scanners. One of these labs flunked miserably. We could not use all of their results; the problems were largely the result of their lab manager not fully understanding his scanner's software. OTOH, a different lab produced brilliant results that were invaluable to the second article. Nuff said?

  5. #5

    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    I had a "good lab" (comercial not retail) make me a print from a 2 1/4 x 4" transparancy from a panorama camera and was very disapointed. It was a scan and laser print at 300 dpi.

    As I was going to enter it in a contest, I went ahead and sent the transparancy to Holland photo in Austin for an Ilfochrome.

    To my mind the difference was night and day, but so was the price.

    Neal

  6. #6

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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    Your expectations are way, way too high. Printing from slides is difficult at best, that's why most are made from negatives. In fact, the only inexpensive way to get good (non-digital) prints from slides is to make copy negatives first. Ilfochrome (Cibachrome) can be beautiful, but it's expensive and has its own look, which is not necessarily the same as your slide. Digital printing from scanned slides is probably the best compromise between quality, price, and permanance.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

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    bob carnie's Avatar
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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    I print slides traditionally on cibachrome paper as well as digitally onto cibachrome or crystal archive using a lambda.
    I would say that the print made from an enlarger is sharper than that of the scanned version, but due to photoshop we can open up the shawdows and jive the colours and contrast any ways we want therefore a much more pleasing image. If you want to sacrifice some sharpness , scan the image otherwise print on an enlarger.
    If you are concerned about the shawdow detail I would suggest a lambda or light jet cibachrome,
    For colour work now I am leaning towards digital capture and lambda exposure onto cibachrome as the best quality available. I am talking about expensive technology but the results do speak for themseves.
    I find ** scans** much like internegs a second generation and much inferior in quality than current expensive technology available today.
    I have posted on this sharpness issue in the past of scans on this forum and have been shot down , but since you ask a very good question my response is ( sharpness stay traditional) (colour manipulation and contrast) go digital.
    I have made very complicated contrast reducing masks with highlight protection mask combos in my past life , but I will say they are very complicated to make, labour intensive, and costly and most clients today balk at the price for this service. But if you are printing your own work and willing to learn this method of contrast control for transparancy printing onto ciba go for it. The results are spectacular and will give you your open shawdows that most if not all labs I am aware of do not have the technicians on staff to do this for you.
    On this forum, I have been told that most members cannot afford the phase back technology, I do not believe it, but I think the excuse of not being able to afford the technology is a silly reason to argue the merits of scanning. Believe me scanning is second generation and an inferior way of producing superior work.

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    Founder QT Luong's Avatar
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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    Contrast masking is a necessity for most images if you print on Ciba. I don't know if they still do it, but it was one of the specialties of Portland Photographics. It was a one-time set-up fee, comparable to the price of a scan. The cost of a masked Ilfochrome was actually lower than a Lighjet from the transparency. I'd agree with Bob's assessment wrp to sharpness/color for small size prints. For larger prints, I find that even for sharpness, digital has an edge if you take advantage of all the techniques it offers. As for digital capture in LF, the problem is not really the cost (prices have now reached reasonable levels), but more the limitations of the equipment in the field.

  9. #9

    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    My experience with printing directly from slides was with 35mm film and Fuji type R paper at the local photo store. Results were good with low contrast slides. High contrast slides resulted in blotchy, muddy looking prints with detail lost in shaddows.

  10. #10
    Jon Wilson's Avatar
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    Printing from color slides - Expectations?

    When my local lab (Media Specialties) no longer had Cibachrome available I went into a depression and considerable distress! However, since that time, I have had several 4x5 & 8x10 transparencies drum scanned and printed. The results have been very pleasing. Those few times when the print was not right, they would make it right. The plus side has been my local lab does not charge more than it had before except it will charge $10 to have the drummed scanned files put on a CD when I place an order for 1 or more prints of a transparency. Otherwise, it would cost $40 for an 80+ MB drum scanned.

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