Projected Digital Image Preparation Guide
Projected Digital Image submissions must conform to the following:
Image Preparation Guide
The following guide has been written for anyone who is unsure of how to ensure their images are displayed as intended (watch flash tutorial — 1.5MB).
If you have trouble with this process please approach one of the more experienced digital workers in the Society.
RAW workers may benefit from referring to the Image Preparation Guide for High Colour Depth Workflows below instead.
Open the image (or a duplicate if you are concerned you may accidentally overwrite the original).
Most digital cameras photograph in sRGB although some offer the option to select other profiles (e.g. Adobe RGB 1998).
If you have the image already tagged as sRGB you can skip this step — otherwise choose one of the following options as appropriate:
- If you shot in sRGB, or assigned sRGB during RAW processing, but elected not to colour manage: Assign Profile > sRGB
- If you shot JPEGs in sRGB and have since converted to another profile, or you shot RAW and assigned a profile other than sRGB during processing:
Convert to Profile:
- Change the Destination Space to sRGB
- Set the ENGINE to Adobe(ACE)
- Set the INTENT to RELATIVE COLORIMETRIC (or PERCEPTUAL)
You should choose the PERCEPTUAL intent if you have very saturated colours you wish to retain detail in; but note this can cause flattening of other tones.
Colour shifts may occur if you attempt to assign a profile — other than that in which the image was created — to an untagged image or one which has been opened in an environment in which colour management is disabled.
Untagged images entered will be assumed to be sRGB and may consequently not display as intended.
Step 4 may take an unreasonable amount of time and resources with layered files unless you first flatten your image:
Layers > Flatten Image.
Images must be supplied with a maximum Width of 1400 pixels and maximum Height of 1050 pixels: Image > Image Size.
Set both Width and Height unit drop-downs to pixels and make sure Constrain Proportions and Resample Image are selected.
Document Size will have no effect, as this applies to printed as opposed to on screen output, but a Resolution of 96 pixels/inch set before specifying the Pixel Width and Height dimensions is required for the PAGB's Great British Cup (to aid with the production of the exhibition DVDs) and should result in a maximum document size of
370.42mm wide by 277.81mm high which can be used to confirm the other settings are correct.
Unused space must not be filled with black. This is both unnecessary, as the competition software automatically displays all images on a black background, and has to be removed from images in panels or Themed sets as well as before use in paged media and, unless a border has first been applied to all sides, before use in presentations. Borders should be present on all sides or none.
No matter how you resize sharpness should be reassessed and any necessary adjustments made, particularly when reducing from a much larger copy.
Files must be saved as the highest possible quality JPEGs: File > Save As
- Select JPEG as the file format
- Choose a location to save the file to, and a name for the file, that you can remember for Step 7
- Set Quality to 10–12, Format to Baseline ("Standard") or Baseline Optimized (not Progressive), and select OK to save
Repeat steps 1 thru 6 for each image and then use The Society's online submission mechanism to submit your entry.
Image Preparation Guide for High Colour Depth Workflows
The following guide is more appropriate if you are shooting in RAW and making extensive adjustments that might otherwise suffer from posterisation.
If you have trouble with this process please approach one of the more experienced digital workers in the Society.
Open the Raw file in your preferred software:
Open the resultant image and carry out any remaining editing; save your work.
Open a copy if concerned you may accidentally overwrite this, e.g. click the Create a New Document From Current State button in the History panel.
The steps 5 and 7 may take an unreasonable amount of time and resources unless you select the option to Flatten Image to Preserve Appearance in the Image Size dialogue, or first flatten your image: Layers > Flatten Image.
Images must be supplied with a maximum Width of 1400 pixels and maximum Height of 1050 pixels:
Crop Tool
The Crop Tool will also resize if you specify a Width and/or Height including units (e.g. 1400 px).
Resolution will have no effect, as this applies to printed as opposed to on screen output.
-
Image > Image Size
Set both Width and Height unit drop-downs to pixels and make sure Constrain Proportions and Resample Image are selected.
Document Size will have no effect, as this applies to printed as opposed to on screen output, but a Resolution of 96 pixels/inch set before specifying the Pixel Width and Height dimensions is required for the PAGB's Great British Cup (to aid production of the exhibition DVDs) and
should result in a maximum document size of 370.42mm wide by 277.81mm high which can be used to confirm other settings are correct.
Note: Extreme resizing may produce better results if carried out at 16 Bits/Channel or higher instead of 8 Bits/Channel.
Unused space must not be filled with black. This is both unnecessary, as the competition software automatically displays all images on a black background, and has to be removed from images in panels or Themed sets as well as before use in paged media and, unless a border has first been applied to all sides, before use in presentations. Borders should be present on all sides or none.
Images may darken slightly during resizing, whatever the Colour Depth, and in particular fine highlights may become subdued;
sometimes this can be alleviated by using Bicubic Sharper but final adjustments may be necessary prior to step 8.
No matter how you resize sharpness should be reassessed and any necessary adjustments made, particularly when reducing from a much larger copy.
Images must be entered as sRGB with 8 Bits per Channel, for best results carry out the following changes in the order provided:
- Convert to Profile:
- Reduce the Colour Depth
- Image > Mode > 8 Bits/Channel
Note: Colour shifts may occur if you change Colour Depth first.
You should choose the PERCEPTUAL intent if you have out-of-gamut (very saturated) colours you wish to retain detail in, that would otherwise be clipped,
but please note that in-gamut colours will shift from their original values as a result.
If you are dissatisfied with the results, having tried both intents, you should choose the PERCEPTUAL intent and then apply appropriate Curves to each channel
in order to acheive a satisfactory result that matches the pre-conversion image as closely as possible.
Files must be saved as the highest possible quality JPEGs: File > Save As
- Select JPEG as the file format
- Choose a location to save the file to, and a name for the file, that you can remember for Step 10
- Set Quality to 10–12, Format to Baseline ("Standard") or Baseline Optimized (not Progressive), and select OK to save
Repeat steps 1 thru 9 for each image and then use The Society's online submission mechanism to submit your entry.
