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Thread: Billboard size image/Fine Grain Developer for TMax 100 or 400

  1. #11

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    Re: Billboard size image/Fine Grain Developer for TMax 100 or 400

    This is not exactly true - I can't speak to MacOS, but on Windows XP the NTFS file system supports file sizes up to 2 TB. Photoshop CS also supports files this large as long as they're saved in .psb format. This is possible because even though the OS is 32-bit, the file system API's use 64-bit values for file access. The only other possible limit here is the scanner itself. However, I have to believe that a high resolution drum scanner should be able to scan an image directly to disk without having to hold the entire image in memory.

    You other points about scanning at these resolutions are still absolutely correct.


    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Watson View Post

    One often overlooked problem with an enlargement like this is file size limitation (it's still a 32 bit world because of the OSes and applications). Current technology will limit the file size you can make from your 5x4 film to about 2 GB. Assuming 16 bit grayscale file (I wouldn't use an 8 bit file because of the danger of posterization while you are doing your image editing), that puts your scan resolution right around 7750 spi. There's only a few drum scanners that can give you a real optical resolution in that range (Aztek Premier, ICG 380, and the latest Screen). Your final print will then be around 172 ppi output, best case.

  2. #12

    Re: Billboard size image/Fine Grain Developer for TMax 100 or 400

    One common method is to scan at or just below grain threshold and to use software interpolation to increase file size beyond that. As there is little real informationonce the grain threshold is passed, by scanning just below, you maintain most if not all the detail, while reducing grain somewhat.

    That is why it is quite common to see billboards shot with 16 or 22mp digital capture that appear excellent at billboard sizes while the film versions have ugly, bloated grain.

  3. #13
    not an junior member Janko Belaj's Avatar
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    Re: Billboard size image/Fine Grain Developer for TMax 100 or 400

    Basically, when working for billboards, I'm calculating (and not just me) in 1:10. Meaning that you (a print person/office/engine) won't reproduce your work at 135, 150 or 175 dpi but at, as previously mentioned, about 10 times less. Knowing that, any scan over 60-80MB (in 8 bit RGB) is overkill. So, for 4x5" negative, that would be scan at 1200 dpi. Just take care that scanner can read all of yours film tones and you will be fine with almost any developer. And print on canvas? The structure of canvas will, most probably, ruin any finer detail on bigger scan.
    (I was asked once to prepare my photograph for billboard printed on vinyl which will be displayed at 1m away from people... lunatic idea - they wanted 4x6m (approximately 13x19 feet) at 200dpi... 5 years ago!? Don't waist your time to calculate - that should be file over 4GB in size. We (me and agency) made a file of 1 GB and just blowed it up. and customer was delighted... Why? They had to cross the street to see the whole picture and than they didn't care about grain/raster at 1m distance... )
    One tip - to calculate desired filesize of your scan, ask for final print resolution (measured in lines per inch or cm) and in PS go to "Image Size" -> "Auto..." -> "Screen *insert requested liniature* + Best" and you will get the biggest needed size of your work.

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