Catching up very late: >From Mark Paradis:
> My objection to color bars when included at the capture/scanning > stage is that any global changes made in image editing software will also extend to > the color reference as well. Send the file to printing and the printers will correct the > scale back to its know color and your original will share this bias. This is a very good point. The designer or whomever corrects a digital file should provide the printer with either a match print or a set of notes about the corrections that have been made. > First, calibration, calibration, calibration of all devices used in the reproduction > process. This is now an old mantra to most image creators today but it cannot be > stressed enough. We have a weekly regimen of systematic calibration of cameras > and monitors to ensure consistency on these variables. I think this is an excellent rule for museums. Of course, images of artworks come from a million sources. Where calibration has been careful, notes to that effect attached to (embedded in?) the digital file would certainly be more useful than a grayscale or color bar. Many museums (not to mention other image sources) do not have best-quality tools or skills. Absent those, a guide to the printer is needed. > Third step, create your own unbiased reference scale. Yup, I said it, a homemade > solution. Our approach was to create a digitally perfect reference grey scale in > Photoshop. We created a 21 step, digitally created grey scale in Photoshop in .15 > step increments just like the Kodak ones are supposed to be. Beginning at values > of 0,0,0 for purest digital black on up to 255,255,255 for maximum white. With this > technique each step of the scale is measurable and digitally accurate for today and > evermore. Once an image capture is completed by the photographer (in their > calibrated work environment), the digital scale is then added post-capture thus > anchoring the original look to a perfect scale. This is brilliant. Have you gotten feedback from printers? Are they finding it useful? Are you seeing better quality in printed materials? I'd love to hear how it's working. Regards, Eve Sinaiko Director of Publications College Art Association
