5.
Print Evaluation.
a. The Viewing Light Source.
The most important aspect of visual
evaluation is the viewing light source. Your prints should be viewed using
the same type of lighting that will be used to display them. For instance,
you should not judge your prints under incandescent lights if they will be
displayed under fluorescent indoor lighting.
b. Judging Density and Color Balance. Study your dry, test print for
density and color balance. Look at the areas that should be neutral, such
as the gray card, concrete, or gray clouds. You must make two decisions; is
the overall density satisfactory, and is the color balance correct.
c. Judging for Detail. The density of the print should be adjusted so
that the highlights show detail. The shadows should be just dark enough not
to obscure detail.
This is hard to learn and only considerable practice
will help you master it.
6.
Color Print Filter Pack.
a. Determining Acceptable Color Balance. It must be determined if the
color balance is acceptable. This is best done by looking at a neutral area
such as the gray card image.
(1) Try to think of color balance as an over or underexposure to the
three dye layers; that is, if the gray card is too magenta, the magenta dye
layer (green sensitive) has been overexposed. On your next test, reduce the
exposure to the green-sensitive layer by increasing the magenta filtration
in the filter pack.
(2) Similarly, if the test looks too red, it is because you have
too
much yellow and magenta dye in the print.
To reduce the yellow dye,
you
must add yellow to the filter pack. To reduce the magenta dye, you must
add
magenta to the filter pack. This reduces the magenta and yellow dye in
the
print.
(3) The next problem you have is how much filtration to add to the
pack.
b. Viewing Light Source. The color quality of the viewing light source
will strongly influence the apparent color balance of the print. Ideally,
the evaluation area should be illuminated by light of the same color quality
and intensity as that under which the final print is to be viewed. From a
practical standpoint, some average condition must be selected.
Therefore,
the quality of the light source should be near 4000 degrees K.
3-6
SS0514
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