How I Prepare My Photos for Professional Printing at a Lab

I partnered up with WhiteWall for this video and they're offering viewers 10% off with the code 'Kyle10' (valid until May 31st 2023): bit.ly/3LssmBg
Proper preparation is what makes a fine art photography print. So in this video, we're going to make a few prints, including a large acrylic version, and I'm going to share my workflow and how I prep my images to get the best results possible when printing through a lab. This is a fairly simple straightforward process, but one that has served me well for years.
Intro: 00:00
Prep Importance: 00:43
Choosing A Lab: 01:30
Calibration: 02:18
Workflow: 03:34
Review: 22:14
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Пікірлер: 316

  • @Biggles404
    @Biggles404 Жыл бұрын

    Always refreshing to see your videos videos progressing us as artistic photographers and not reviewing lenses taking taking portraits of ladies saying how sharp the gear is

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Alasdair.

  • @TylerAldrich
    @TylerAldrich Жыл бұрын

    Its so important to find a quality lab rather than just the most affordable one. I can't tell you how much money I spent on prints that just did not come back even close to what they should have been.

  • @Jokayono
    @Jokayono Жыл бұрын

    Often I just print without taking all of these variables into account, usually I’m very excited with the result of just having a physical print. With that said it’s very nice of you to show your process of a more curated/precise process of prepping for print :)

  • @Tokrm
    @Tokrm Жыл бұрын

    Awesome! I’d like to have one of those on my wall

  • @irishmanlost
    @irishmanlost Жыл бұрын

    Watched it all, 4 times. Have it saved on my learning list, I print some myself but there are quite a few improvements I can learn from here.

  • @Stuesday
    @Stuesday Жыл бұрын

    Great resource for learning how to make better prints. I'll be rewatching this one every few months when I go to print more work. Thanks for the awesome vid!

  • @liveinaweorg
    @liveinaweorg Жыл бұрын

    I took to printing my own images up to A3+ at home but anything bigger than that goes out to a lab. I like the look of Whitewall and will add them to my very short list (now standing at 2 labs). I recently got a BenQSW270C monitor and already own the same calibrator as you. The BenQ is an astonishing monitor and provides hardware calibration. I also love that I can switch from SRGB to AdobeRGB at the press of a button and the same for monochrome. Another thoughtful, helpful and insightful video. Cheers Kyle.

  • @markmuller3086
    @markmuller30865 сағат бұрын

    This is a super helpful video. I particularly liked your discussion about re-sizing the image, in my case the part about upsizing to a larger size was helpful. Thanks.

  • @thefilthyswede
    @thefilthyswede Жыл бұрын

    Don't know what to write other than the 2D photography in a 3D world always amazes me,. same goes with Wes Andersson's movies it's such a theatrical feeling to it instantly that make you observe everything like a painting looking for details. It gives the idea that I should try to find some minor detail that you've hidden in this photograph almost.

  • @albertodattilo7614
    @albertodattilo7614 Жыл бұрын

    Finally! Can you also make a video on how you prepare files to print a book? Is DSLR scanning good enough for that? Do you get darkroom prints and then scan those? I don’t know, so many questions…

  • @AlexanderJBerg
    @AlexanderJBerg Жыл бұрын

    Excellent tutorial. Would love to win one of these prints!

  • @AMannamedJudy
    @AMannamedJudy Жыл бұрын

    A lot of great information, I haven’t printed anything yet and this is very helpful.

  • @manuelrios210
    @manuelrios210 Жыл бұрын

    Greetings from Osaka, Japan! Thanks for the inspiration!

  • @andrewberekdar
    @andrewberekdar Жыл бұрын

    This came at just the right time for me, I've been putting off printing my photos for a while due to a lack knowledge about how to get the print to look the way I like it. Thanks Kyle

  • @Antonio-kv1wt
    @Antonio-kv1wt Жыл бұрын

    wanted to print my work as well this helped thanks

  • @nathanjohnson5304
    @nathanjohnson5304 Жыл бұрын

    Appreciate the walkthrough of the workflow. I try to resize as little as possible and have the printer vary it's DPI setting to match. I believe most professional printers are capable of much higher than 300 DPI, so for smaller prints, I deliver full resolution for printing at really high (480+) DPI.

  • @noelflatters
    @noelflatters Жыл бұрын

    No joke, this is one of the most useful videos I’ve seen in a while. Super timely for me, thanks so much!

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Happy to hear that. Cheers.

  • @lewisbloom6396
    @lewisbloom6396 Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic Video, I lived in LA for 5 years and bought a printer, Canon from Eric Joseph at Freestyle, he set me up with profiled paper, it was Canson, I just loved it....

  • @robbiemurrie7562
    @robbiemurrie7562 Жыл бұрын

    I’m now rescanning my current project on a flextight x5 and will be using it moving forward. I’m definitely gonna come back to this video when it comes time to print.

  • @skazhenyj
    @skazhenyj Жыл бұрын

    Although judging from the video might not be very precise, these prints seem pretty consistent, especially considering only light proofing. The detail seen in those close up shots looks amazing on that large print, surely there's plenty more room for up-scaling when needed (which is always good to know, especially for shooters with smaller formats or under 50+ ultra-giga mp sensors). But most importantly, the image looks great itself. Lovely results, I wish I had such a lab in my country (most are confused when you ask them for a proper profile, and wish to prepare the file yourself).

  • @paulmaranan2710
    @paulmaranan2710 Жыл бұрын

    been following it would be amazing to have your work in my office thank you!!

  • @dan-le-brun
    @dan-le-brun Жыл бұрын

    What timing! I've just got a few A3 frames to hang images from my project from around the hills of the Welsh valleys, to live with them on the walls for a while and help with the selection process for hopefully a book at the end. I'll try your method for the first prints. Thanks Kyle.

  • @psajgal
    @psajgal Жыл бұрын

    I've been using a tweaked version of your workflow for a while and it works great!

  • @bkind89
    @bkind89 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing man!!! So many things I've never thought about!!!

  • @sashashe
    @sashashe Жыл бұрын

    I am actually planning on printing some of my photos for the very first time! So this info is VERY USEFUL! Thanks Kyle!

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Very welcome!

  • @mortenthorpe
    @mortenthorpe Жыл бұрын

    Love the image color contrast - the warm colors of the building vs. the cold colors of the clouds

  • @Farbnegativ
    @Farbnegativ Жыл бұрын

    I did print my pictures without any adjustments and i wondered why there are color shifts in the print and i thought for some time that my printer was broken but i guess i have to do some corrections. Anyways, great video as always and i learned something useful today, so thank you for that. Keep on doing the videos, they are really something special

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Cheers, Adrian. Glad you enjoyed!

  • @sstahl4006
    @sstahl4006 Жыл бұрын

    About to purchase my first 6x7 film camera. Looking forward to using your techniques when I print my first image.

  • @TorBergen
    @TorBergen Жыл бұрын

    A lot of great tip 👌🏻. Very helpful and saved for later reference 😇. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻☺️.

  • @marshalljvanderhoofphoto
    @marshalljvanderhoofphoto Жыл бұрын

    Great information. I find that a lot of the time it is actually harder to prep a file for sending out rather than printing it yourself.

  • @ChrisVidouras
    @ChrisVidouras Жыл бұрын

    Your prints look great Kyle!! Thanks for sharing all the important info!!

  • @tbostrowski6136
    @tbostrowski6136 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Kyle, I’m a big fan of your work so I’d love to have one of your prints on our wall. This Union Hotel image looks very much like the something you’d find here in the Canadian prairies. Fingers crossed, all best Ted

  • @octaviasharpphotography
    @octaviasharpphotography Жыл бұрын

    thank you for this video. very informative and can't wait to use this information in my printing.

  • @klaasvankreis
    @klaasvankreis Жыл бұрын

    Great to see you recommend my favorite lab. I have been working with them for probably 15 years and never had anything but perfect results. And that print is absolutely gorgeous.

  • @thevisionaryelitist

    @thevisionaryelitist

    Жыл бұрын

    Well Klaas, let’s hope you never have need to question an issue and reach out to customer service. A problem? Even if their error - No care given. “We are correct” attitude.

  • @jehadothmanJOOJ
    @jehadothmanJOOJ Жыл бұрын

    it would be great to have more of those videos :) thanks a lot

  • @ReimannPembroke
    @ReimannPembroke Жыл бұрын

    This was such a great video! You went in such depth which is really helpful! I've got to get a color calibration tool for my screen sometime soon. Also, I really like the way the Hahnemühle paper looked right off the bat on your screen! I would love to win one of those prints! That is a beautiful shot!

  • @peteb5461
    @peteb5461 Жыл бұрын

    Brilliant video, I have been worried sick about getting some of my first medium format scanned film prints done but this is going to help massively so thank you very much :) Keep. up the amazing work dude!

  • @just_a_guy
    @just_a_guy Жыл бұрын

    ive really been meaning to print my own work. its seems daunting and I never wanted to print work that desert look good at all and I wouldn't want to print anymore. ever sense you posted a video a while back about the importance of printing, its been on my mind. here's a sign that I really ought to get rollin. thanks for showing us how to print our work in the best way! also I think you can rent calibrators so that makes it easier to do that.

  • @mattdavis5058

    @mattdavis5058

    Жыл бұрын

    it's so worth it. I had the same concerns, so I ordered some super cheap Walmart prints (like a couple bucks each for 8x10). That gave me some of the reward of seeing your work on your wall, and made me really want to get higher quality prints that I do now :)

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Like Matt said, definitely worth it. Your photos deserve to be viewed off the screen.

  • @just_a_guy

    @just_a_guy

    Жыл бұрын

    @@KyleMcDougall “your photos deserve to be viewed off the screen” that’s great right there

  • @mrjohnryan
    @mrjohnryan Жыл бұрын

    Just moved into a new house, id love a print for the new living room🤍

  • @mitchellhughes5180
    @mitchellhughes5180 Жыл бұрын

    That image is awesome

  • @bobcunningham5288
    @bobcunningham5288 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for such a detailed explanation of your process. Printing is something I don't do often enough, so I am somewhat intimidated by the best way to proceed. This has helped a lot!

  • @yetanotherbassdude
    @yetanotherbassdude Жыл бұрын

    Very cool, and I definitely learned a lot from this! Just need to take the plunge and get one of my own images printed up like this now

  • @RubenRobles
    @RubenRobles Жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for sharing your process! Especially the photoshop workflow and sort proofing with ICC profiles! I just ordered some prints after prepping them using this process. Once I see the results, I will order at least one on some fine art paper!

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you found it helpful, Ruben!

  • @tesladrivingdad8617
    @tesladrivingdad8617 Жыл бұрын

    Been looking for a video that explains this better, thanks!

  • @MattDollin
    @MattDollin Жыл бұрын

    Always a good day when a new Kyle vid drops!

  • @TheThinFrame
    @TheThinFrame Жыл бұрын

    Amazing video, I would love that print on my wall🎉🎉

  • @stephenward5133
    @stephenward5133 Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting all the steps that you go through. Worth watching. thanks.

  • @ryanrichards7059
    @ryanrichards7059 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for showing us the way, White Wall is an amazing print lab, love the fact that they offer test prints on the cheap before commiting to something bigger.

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Cheers, Ryan. Glad to hear you've been happy with them.

  • @Tankertyme
    @Tankertyme Жыл бұрын

    I’ve been trying to get smart on the best ways to print my work and then your video comes out a few days later. Thank you for the info!

  • @CoanBread751
    @CoanBread751 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for this guide. I feel like I finally slightly understand the photoshop/lightroom printing prep process.

  • @silvershadow4965
    @silvershadow49653 ай бұрын

    This video just popped up in my feed and I think is the first one I have seen. Printing has always been the most arcane part of the process for me but being able to watch you gave me a new starting point. I am a Photoshop dummy so will need to watch this several times and walk through with one of my images to fully process. Thank you for taking your time to share your knowledge. I am now a subscriber!

  • @drbva2
    @drbva2 Жыл бұрын

    absolutely outstanding

  • @richdachtera8525
    @richdachtera8525 Жыл бұрын

    Great Video! Interested in the different papers, especially how they handle color vs B&W!

  • @chriscorey5164
    @chriscorey5164 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for all of that great information. I found it very helpful.

  • @louis_ng
    @louis_ng Жыл бұрын

    I love this photo as well as your videos!

  • @michaelfoy92
    @michaelfoy92 Жыл бұрын

    I've been getting some images printed recently. It's my first time doing that, so as a beginner these kind of videos are very useful! Cheers Kyle

  • @EmmaBeal-ww5rq
    @EmmaBeal-ww5rq Жыл бұрын

    Always look forward to your videos. Something new to learn every time. Thanks Kyle !

  • @lucapace8136
    @lucapace8136 Жыл бұрын

    stunning video and print. big ups. been gnarly watching your development through the years mate.

  • @kafailiu1848
    @kafailiu1848 Жыл бұрын

    It's always a good day when a video from you drops. Always find your videos tries to push everyones craft/skill forward all the time. Looking forward to the next one!

  • @PeteEdmunds
    @PeteEdmunds Жыл бұрын

    Hi Kyle. Been using whitewall for around 8years. Nice to see some print examples on paper I haven’t used yet. One tip I saw recently about the high pass sharpening is to desaturate the layer before applying the high pass. This avoids any colour shifts. I found that some reds and oranges can shift a bit with high pass if you don’t desaturate first.

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Great tip. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

  • @familygonzcartwright
    @familygonzcartwright Жыл бұрын

    I like how your shots seem like a blend of Kodachrome photographers from the 50s/60s combined with modern taste with a more "color graded look".

  • @CoffeeBeforeExposure
    @CoffeeBeforeExposure Жыл бұрын

    Look forward to every video… with each one I take away something thought provoking and inspiring for my own daily photography. Also I find watching your videos relaxing and calming, so please keep up the amazing work with your prints and photo books 📷

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @FirePhoenixAudio
    @FirePhoenixAudio Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic information. Thank you for sharing.

  • @landocycle
    @landocycle Жыл бұрын

    In regards to calibrating your monitor: that device you’re using is a colorimeter. They have colour filters inside them that can change over time, they also can give inconsistent results depending on the type of display. Your best bet is to use a spectroradiometer which is the most accurate. In CalMan, you can use run a test with both meters - because the spectro is super accurate, it can build you a profile for the colorimeter for that particular display. From there you can run the calibration with just the colorimeter. I would never trust a colorimeter on its own, though.

  • @thecoreelementsmoto
    @thecoreelementsmoto Жыл бұрын

    Good info. I refurbished an old epson that sat in an attic for 10 years and have been working on making better prints.

  • @adamevans1989
    @adamevans1989 Жыл бұрын

    Even for home printing a (preferably hardware) calibrated monitor and soft proofing is such a godsend. Having a print right in one go saves a ton of money and (arguably more important) frustration.

  • @fw6858
    @fw6858 Жыл бұрын

    100k!!! So glad for you! You got me back into photography, well deserved!

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @niklaskristensson4002
    @niklaskristensson4002 Жыл бұрын

    many thanks for this video Kyle!

  • @Negron.Reuben
    @Negron.Reuben Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for putting this video together. I just started creating prints of my paintings and have found the process of translating what I see on my screen to what I get from the printer to be a daunting task. Your workflow makes sense and is a huge help in understanding how I can make my process a little easier. Cheers. 🍻

  • @davecapote
    @davecapote Жыл бұрын

    Man Id love that print. I swear every video I learn something new from you. I had Shiyun loan and ship me that 65 Mitakon because of your video. Excited to make a video about it too!

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm sure you'll love the Mitakon Dave!

  • @Ricardo-SW
    @Ricardo-SW Жыл бұрын

    A concise description, thank you!

  • @adnamamedia
    @adnamamedia Жыл бұрын

    This was such a genuinely useful video! Thank you for being so thorough and not skipping over any step of the process.

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @garethbartlett
    @garethbartlett Жыл бұрын

    Such a stunning image. I’ve fairly recently got into home dev which has been great if I ever want quick turnarounds but don’t trust myself for the good stuff! Such useful info here. Thanks.

  • @thomaspenza7947
    @thomaspenza7947 Жыл бұрын

    Love the work that you are doing!

  • @Calidenism
    @Calidenism Жыл бұрын

    Such a good breakdown of this process! Invaluable stuff, thank you 🙌🏻

  • @taranspictures
    @taranspictures Жыл бұрын

    Glad i watched this since i was having trouble with sizing my images for my print service at university

  • @Rumplestiltskin7
    @Rumplestiltskin7 Жыл бұрын

    Awesome work, would love a print!

  • @jonathangcarlsen
    @jonathangcarlsen Жыл бұрын

    Thanks alot, Kyle. Since starting my journing as a passionate hobby photographer your channel has always been my go-to for tutorials, seeking inspiration or just simply looking up what you're up to. And thanks for that particular video as well, currently I am playing around with printing at home on different kind of Hahnemühle papers and a low budget inkjet printer. What I am producing with my setup is FAR from professional, but the process of learning and printing itself is so much fun and I'd love to get better at that. Your video has given me some good tips to improve my printing, especially for doing prints at my local professional lab. Keep up the great work! I am just enjoying every second of it :)

  • @jimcastanzo8736
    @jimcastanzo8736 Жыл бұрын

    I've just started printing my photos and I've been using Whitewall. This was an incredibly valuable video. I'll watch again and again!

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Cheers, Jim. Glad you enjoyed!

  • @whitewall

    @whitewall

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for choosing WhiteWall!

  • @williamlam5106
    @williamlam5106 Жыл бұрын

    I’ve been enjoying printing on the canon selphy you recommended. But I hope to do larger prints like this.

  • @christopherrodriguez7223

    @christopherrodriguez7223

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes this is a lovely device,

  • @wammyblammy
    @wammyblammy Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I have some photos I've been meaning to print but have been afraid to spend the money on because I didn't know how to go about prepping a photo for sending to a lab. This finally got me to do it and I sent in an order today!

  • @saldun70
    @saldun70 Жыл бұрын

    Another interesting video! Beautiful prints, too! :)

  • @mollyanderson449
    @mollyanderson449 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for another great video! Printing is such an important step, but for me a challenging one as well. This has been very informative, helpful and inspiring!

  • @M9rkAnthony112
    @M9rkAnthony112 Жыл бұрын

    Appreciate you putting out this video 🙌🏽🙌🏽. I was curious what the process was to print out photos the right way.

  • @vitalisneufeld
    @vitalisneufeld Жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Kyle! I'm always struggling a bit with the sharpening process when it comes to larger prints and gonna try out your method next. The prints and your work looks great! Cheers from Berlin:)

  • @DMorrissey1313
    @DMorrissey1313 Жыл бұрын

    With your help I had a new confidence in getting a higher quality print so I used your process and made the adjustments necessary to my specific photo. Now I can't wait to get my print from Whitewall. Thanks, Kyle. Keep up the fantastic work. It is always extremely helpful for the rest of us.

  • @KyleMcDougall

    @KyleMcDougall

    Жыл бұрын

    Cheers, Drew! Glad you found this one helpful.

  • @leslienelson7016
    @leslienelson70166 ай бұрын

    THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME HOW YOU PRINT. IT WILL HELP ME WITH MY FUTURE PRINTING.

  • @diegoverges8865
    @diegoverges8865 Жыл бұрын

    Una para mi! Thank you for all your sharing teaching, Salud!

  • @mohammadmohtasham5826
    @mohammadmohtasham5826 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Love your videos.

  • @simonberry1977
    @simonberry1977 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent & very timely video for me, after printing items recently and wondering how I could have changed the file.

  • @jacobdipietro375
    @jacobdipietro375 Жыл бұрын

    Love your work and thank you for this video. Very informative, definitely my next step to start printing my work.

  • @harrymackenzie4194
    @harrymackenzie4194 Жыл бұрын

    put me in coach! great video, Kyle.

  • @inzaneartworks3109
    @inzaneartworks3109 Жыл бұрын

    Definitely saving this one. Great Video!

  • @lloydwright2577
    @lloydwright2577 Жыл бұрын

    Informative as always, thank you for sharing.

  • @TrevorRosenkilde
    @TrevorRosenkilde Жыл бұрын

    Such a helpful video. Printing has always been extremely intimidating & you broke it down so well. Looking forward to trying to print some of my own work thanks to you and this video.

  • @kmrhythm
    @kmrhythm Жыл бұрын

    I love watching your videos whenever a new one gets released !

  • @MichielRenty
    @MichielRenty Жыл бұрын

    Amazing photo and a great video as always!

  • @spyratekodaks7494
    @spyratekodaks7494 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the tips Kyle! Really helpful!

  • @Seth_S-G
    @Seth_S-G Жыл бұрын

    I definitely need to calibrate my screen, also, congrats on 100K!

  • @antran25495
    @antran25495 Жыл бұрын

    Your channel is always so calming, informative, and inspiring! thanks for your works!