# Printing photos



## kkg (Nov 28, 2010)

I was wondering how you all choose which photos are the best for printing.

When you have whole series of images and need to print a few, what criteria do you use? What should I look for in sharpened/blurred objects, colors and shadows, ...


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Well, obviously blurred photos aren't too good, unless it's for a deliberate effect. Colours should be 'rich' but not too 'saturated' (they stand out like a fake sun-tan :grin, deep shadows should be near-black, depending on the surrounding light when the shot was taken, but any visible detail in partial shadows should be visible rather than greyed out.

If there's lots of similar photos i.e. lots of snaps within a couple of minutes or something, look for anything that doesn't belong, perhaps a bit of car, chair, fence, street-light or half-a-head. Also, check for red-eye, it will stand out like a sore thumb (pun intended :grin, though that can be corrected easily with software.

Most of all though, they should be what strikes you as a print-worthy photo. Consider the recipient of the prints if giving them to someone, often the content is more important than technical quality, but there's always the occasion that demands a good quality photo to be printed for someone.

If you want to post some of your photos here, we can give you a gentle guide to what to look for and suggest ways to get the best out of 'em :wink:


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## kkg (Nov 28, 2010)

XD Yeah well, this is a project for class, and while I'm not 100% satisfied with the results, I can't afford to re-do the photos. I know they could have come out better, but at the time, It was the best I could do.

I have a series of macro shots with some dried roses and other objects. And while I love some of them, I'm not sure how well they would print (like this one).


















Some more HERE.


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

A lot of how they'd look depends on your particular printer, it needs to be set to the best or 'Photo' quality' and although 'Photo-paper' gives the best results, any thick paper or thin card gives a better result than the usual 80gsm paper.

As for the pics themselves, I can't really fault any of them even though I've never really been into 'still-life' photography, choosing which ones to print depends on the exact criteria required for the project. I must admit, I do like #'s 2, 4 and 6 (White cup and rose pics).

The only small niggle I can find would be in the 1st pic above, and that's where the leaf has been chopped off at the top.


Just out of curiosity, what camera are you using?


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## kkg (Nov 28, 2010)

I don't know why, but I tend to chop off tiny bits of something everytime... in my last project it was an elbow on a portrait. lol

Well, I may decide to print them at a photography store anyway, since it's not that expensive and ink cartriges are. But It's always worrying, the choosing part. 

As for the camera... I used my old one - a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 (which is not that bad, for a compact). I could have waited a few weeks, to use my new one (Nikon d3000), but now I no longer have those objects available... *facepalm*

Still, I have about 15 pics to choose from, despite these being my favorites, and the guy at the store might help me as well. ^_^


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

I've noticed with some of the compact 'Point & Shoot' cameras that what you see on the screen isn't always what you take, some screens only show about 95% of the actual photo, which is a bit naughty really - Still, you shouldn't have that problem with your Nikon :grin:


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

for my 2 cents worth: 2,3 & 6 are the winners - my reasons:

a) I like the darker backgrounds in these 3 as it allows the subject to be brought to the fore
b) 3 is very crisp and clear and while the other 2 aren't the softer focus allows the image to have a nice translucency fitting with the creamy whites of the porcelain (?)

My criticism of no 6 is that you have placed the object smack bab in the centre - either go fully for the Rule of Thirds or at least an offset to give the image some more interest


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Couldn't agree more with ZCM even if not for the same reasons .. I just prefer the shots that are sharp & in focus ... shots with out of focus "objects" in the foreground as opposed to background don't normally look very good. Out of focus backgrounds help enhance pictures .. out of focus objects in the foreground tend to make the viewer wonder if the photographers knows how to take a photograph .. fine for mementos and holiday snaps but not for a photo that you might want to call special.


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