Selling digital Images

[ambersphotography]

I recently read your Article on Selling Digital Images and had a question about the cropping.   So to give you a better idea of my workflow; I pull raw images up in ACR do a few changes then up straight into Photoshop CC from there I will do all my editing then Crop last.  In the past I always cropped to a 20x24 inches with res at 350 (do not ask why I just did, ha old habit I guess).   So most of our clients order prints through us and some will get the copyrights.  My question is now after doing 11:15 ratio 0 resolution I feel when I go to print my files are smaller even my lab has called me about them.  So if I keep cropping at 11:15 ratio it seems great for the clients to download but for me and my printing not so much.  I am all about saving time and really don't want to save images 2 different ways.  And I tried the whole not cropping my image at all but sometimes with a moving toddler you can get that perfect shot but its off centered and you just have to crop.  So what would you do on cropping for you not the client.  

[Damien Symonds]

2 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

In the past I always cropped to a 20x24 inches with res at 350 (do not ask why I just did, ha old habit I guess).

Just to check, you understand that this is completely stupid and very damaging, yes?  You've stopped doing this, I trust?

2 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

My question is now after doing 11:15 ratio 0 resolution I feel when I go to print my files are smaller even my lab has called me about them.

It sounds like you're cropping to 11x15 at a certain resolution?  You MUST NOT impose a set resolution.

Have you read this one?  https://www.damiensymonds.net/2011/09/cropping-tutorial.html

Also this one?  https://www.damiensymonds.net/2010/02/trash-those-jpegs.html

[ambersphotography]

LOL yes I do not crop to a 20x24 at 350 res anymore.  So I must be missing something somewhere in Photoshop CC.  When looking at the crop box at top there's where I will click ratio....the enter 11 and next box 15 but there is no other box that says anything about resolution.  So is there somewhere else I need to go?

 

[Damien Symonds]

No, that sounds perfect.  Can you show me a screenshot of that?

[ambersphotography]

Here you go

[Damien Symonds]

Oh crap!!!!!!

https://www.damiensymonds.net/art_tscs000.html

[ambersphotography]

Now that i've got that fixed it still doesn't give me a resolution box

and also you mentioned that the resolution should be random numbers but as that pictures shows above it's not

 

[Damien Symonds]

3 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

Now that i've got that fixed

May I see? It's not fixed in your new screenshot.

[ambersphotography]

sorry I took that screen shot before I made the changes. This new screenshot shows sRGB mode at the the bottom but just says RGB in () behind the file name... Is that still correct?

 

 

[Damien Symonds]

3 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

sorry I took that screen shot before I made the changes. This new screenshot shows sRGB mode at the the bottom but just says RGB in () behind the file name... Is that still correct?

Yes, absolutely.  https://www.damiensymonds.net/2010/11/colour-modes-vs-colour-spaces.html

3 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

This is exactly right.  Have no fear, you're doing the cropping to 11:15 perfectly.

However, please assure me you're not actually saving your master file cropped?  11:15 is only for client files, the master file on your computer must remain whole at all times.

And PLEASE tell me you're not sending 11:15 files to the lab to print?  That would be catastrophic.  Print files must be cropped to the exact size and resolution they need to be.

[ambersphotography]

No we keep our master file saved uncropped! And we always crop the master file when sending it to the lab to print!... We edit every image before showing them to clients just because from past experience our sales are higher when doing that. In one of the links you sent me earlier it talked about freeform cropping in ACR. If we were to have an image that's a little off center or sideways does using the freeform cropping adjust that in raw with out messing with the file size? Or does freeform still lower your file size?

 

[Damien Symonds]

Of course, any cropping lowers your file size.  NEVER crop in raw, ever.

What resolution does your lab require for print?

[ambersphotography]

300

[ambersphotography]

Well to show previews/ or a gallery to clients such as online proofing if we have an image that is off center that we need to fix how would you fix it without cropping? 

 

We typically show the master file in gallery's

 

[Damien Symonds]

4 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

300

Excellent.  So can you show me a screenshot of your crop tool, as if you're about to crop a photo for a 5x7 print?  I need to see that that is correct.

3 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

Well to show previews/ or a gallery to clients such as online proofing if we have an image that is off center that we need to fix how would you fix it without cropping? 

 

We typically show the master file in gallery's

 

What???????  Of course I'm not suggesting you would show uncropped images for online proofing.  You crop them to 11:15, exactly as we've just been discussing.

Do you need to read this article again?  https://www.damiensymonds.net/2010/02/trash-those-jpegs.html

4 minutes ago, ambersphotography said:

We typically show the master file in gallery's

No.  You do NOT show the master file in a gallery.