Originally Posted by
SergeyT
Try to get it right at the time of exposure...If light is not great or something else is "not quite" - better to pass on it - PS is not going to fix that (or I don't know how).
Critically review the image on light table (almost does not apply to color neg , unfortunately)
Scan if I like what I see. Either in scanner RAW or with just White Point set.
Bring the scan into PS.
Convert into working space if/as needed.
Dust cleanup (right over the image , I do not need to keep the dust on a separate layer in my already large file)
Edit to my liking using adjustment layers. If all falls into places during exposure then I can go with as few as 1 layer for either contrast or color balance or two for both. Other times it could be as many as 5-6 layers , mostly for making local tone adjustments to even out the luminosity across the image and make the relationship between tones look natural\pleasing (may not apply to B&W as there is nothing natural in B&W to begin with).
Saving in PSD.
Making a copy of the image. From this point all the work below is done on the copy.
Flaten.
Selective sharpening.
Resizing to desired print size in max printer output resolution. For initial test prints it is usually 4x6 in. [Optional: If the final print is 16x20 or larger and I am happy with how the 4x6 turned out I would make another test print at 8x10 in to be certain everything is right before I waste any paper and ink on a large print.]
Selective sharpening. The effect is best assessed at 50%, 25% or 12.5% magnification.
Conversion from working space (Lab or RGB) into printer's RGB (Relative Colorimetric or Perceptual, whatever works best for particular image) . For B&W it is always Relative Colorimetric. AT this point the image should look almost as it would print... I may check the histogram to see if there is any clipping. Slight clipping in one or two channels is usually ok. If clipping is too severe I may go back one step and apply a curve or desaturate a bit and then convert into printers RGB again.
Sending to printer with no color management (color management disabled) in both PS and printer driver.
Assessing the test prints in good light (day light on a sunny day) as well as in other less optimal conditions (artificial light, gloomy day light, etc). Usually I am lucky to nail it on the first try. Sometimes it takes another round of tweaking the layers and printing. In rare cases when I am not certain what the image needs I just leave it and move on to another one, until the right time comes...
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