News from Wednesday, October 01, 2008 @ 4:26 PM, PSTIn this fourth post in our ongoing series on Creating DLa 23, we examine the process of preparing our content for layout in Photoshop. This is the step where all of the images and graphics that will be used in the magazine are sized, cropped, color-corrected, and/or digitally enhanced. How the various graphical elements of the production were processed in Photoshop depends on several factors: original formatting and condition, intended implementation, and presentational and/or functional purpose within the finished project.
Once the images had been properly organized and archived, each contributor’s content was checked for accuracy (is it the correct image?) and functionality (does it open properly?). To do this, a folder of images would be opened into Photoshop and checked against the list of expected content for that particular contributor. Once all of the images were verified correct, several other properties were also checked. As these images were being prepared for publishing via printed media, ensuring the proper color settings was critical. For example, it is important that all color images are of the same general format, namely CMYK. Likewise, all black-&-white images need to be formatted in grayscale.
While verifying proper color format, we also spent some time adjusting various image properties for those that required it. For many images, several display parameters were manipulated in order to optimize the appearance of the content in printed form. These parameters include contrast, brightness, saturation, color balance and hue. Few images required extensive manipulation, but many did benefit from modest brightness and color corrections. For the most part, embedded color profiles were left alone, however ThaneC and I did spend several hours testing the printed output of various profiles such as SWOP, Adobe, sRGB, and so on. Although tedious, checking, correcting, and enhancing the visual properties of the DLa-23 image set required no more than 12 hours, and it definitely paid off in the finished product.
Other Photoshop processing included ensuring the proper dimensional attributes of the images. Referring to the general formatting and layout plans for the issue, we were able to determine a maximum image size (8.5"x8.5") and reduce overall archive size by eliminating extraneous image information. Further, as we already knew the precise placement of several of the images (e.g., Nimbus’ remarkable wrap-around cover, front and back splash pages, Yasuken’s pre-formatted content, etc.), more precise sizing and cropping could be done. With all of the images clean, trimmed, and resized, the DLa-23 working archive was looking much better. For the most part, DLa heads did a good job at preparing and formatting their own content, and this greatly facilitated the overall amount of time spent in Photoshop. If everyone were to have dumped off their stuff in “hardcopy” (*cough*) format, much more scanning, rotating, sizing, cropping, coloring, and enhancing would have been required.
Once all of the images were formatted, synchronized, and prepared in Photoshop, the Dead Letter Gun was fully loaded and it was time to aim our efforts at the next target: book layout and design..
Next in the Creating DLa 23 series: “Part 5: Laying it Out”
Perishable
[ Edited on: 10/01/08 ] | [ 0 ]
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