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What Makes A Good Fine Art Print

Pete Hellmann

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June 23rd, 2010 - 12:56 PM

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What Makes A Good Fine Art Print

When I go to photo club meetings I often hear some people claim that a good print is one that matches the image on the monitor. While good color management which includes a calibrated monitor is part and parcel of getting a good print, I believe a good print is more than just the transfer of data from a computer to a piece of paper. I think it is important to realize that the print is fundamentally a different animal than the image on the monitor.

In the end the monitor can only serve as a guide for what the final print should be. Since it is impossible to reproduce the image that appears on the monitor it should simply be seen as a guide, or aid to getting a good fine art print. The print itself, hanging in a gallery, must be able to stand on its own merits since viewers will not have anything to compare it to except other prints hanging in the gallery.

Craft and skill is what makes a good print, not science and technology. Science and technology are simply tools used in the craft and experience gives one skill. An exceptional fine art print comes from more than good color management, Photoshop skills and a top notch printer. It is the content of the print and how it is presented that matters.

So what should we look for in a fine art print that will make it exceptional? Obviously the content and how it stirs ones emotions is important, but many prints contain wonderful content. If it is to enter the field of being an exceptional print it must have some of the following subjective qualities that can be seen with a discerning eye.

Always check the blacks, whites and midtones

Are the blacks in the image appropriate? Are they really dark grays or true blacks? Are the whites appropriate in tonality and size? Is there still detail in the very bright areas? Do the middle tones have life and form or are they too heavy or light? How does each area affect the overall print?

Compare the overall brightness and contrast

Are there areas that are too bright when compared to the overall tonality and conversely are other areas too dark?

Color Cast

Is the color cast appropriate? Is it too warm or perhaps to cool for a print? Is one color pervading all parts of the print?

Check saturation and hues

If colors of everyday things don’t match our expectations, psychologically the image will not look right. Green grass, no matter how accurately captured will not satisfy the viewer if it is seen as too green. The same is true of the blue in skies.

Look for issues with noise and sharpness

Is there noise present and if so does it seem believable and enhance the image? Sharpened images that are too crisp can be just as annoying.

After all of these qualities are checked, does the print speak to you? Does it move you? This is what, in my mind, makes a great print.

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