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Adobe Lightroom - Print Module
Article
14 of 100
The
Print Module in Adobe Lightroom
is the first photographic printing interface that I think
I have ever liked or been impressed by on any graphics related
application. The usual series of completely manual print size
adjustments and endless dialog boxes has always given me a
headache just thinking about them. On the opposite end of
the scale completely automatic print size adjustments without
any over rides has never made me happy either. There could
of course be other applications which are just as good in
this category but I have not experienced them.
As
usual we will start at the left-hand side of the window which
is reserved for the Template
Browser.
The preset templates are Custom,
Maximum Size, Maximum Size Centered, Fine Art Mat, 4 Wide,
2x2 Cells, 4x5 Contact Sheet,
and 5x8
Contact Sheet.
I have added a custom Template for D200
Full Frame
portrait to the list. The templates are displayed in the thumbnail
view at the top left when you pass the cursor over their listing.
The
central viewing is of course where the image is cropped and
and the Page layout is created. Now I know why I like this
module of Adobe Lightroom so much. My first real working experience
with computer software (after MacWrite, MacPaint, and MacDraw,
which should still be included with every Mac) was one of
the earliest versions of Aldus PageMaker (later to become
Adobe PageMaker). Even though the controls are completely
different, the Print Module of Adobe Lightroom reminds me
of working with PageMaker. Maybe someone will come along with
a good text editor plug-in for the Adobe Lightroom Print Module.
The
right hand side of the Print Module window provides Image
Settings, Page Layout Tools, Overlay Options,
and Print
Job Settings.
Image
Settings
- There are only three settings in this tool box. Zoom
and Crop
photos to fill grid cells, Rotate
photos to best fit cells, and Repeat one photo in every cell
per page. They pretty much do what they say and the Repeat
command is real good for creating instant postage stamp size
stickers in the 5x8 Contact Sheet template setting.
Page
Layout Tools
- At the top of this toolbox we have a Show
Rulers
setting which is available in Inches, Centimeters, Millimeters,
Points, and Picas. Next there are some sliders for margins
that allow you to set Left, Right, Top, and Bottom margins.
The Page Grid sliders allow you to set the number of Rows
and Columns. The Cell Spacing sliders allow you to set Vertical
and Horizontal spacing. The Cell Size sliders allow you to
set height and width and have a Constrain
to square aspect ratio control. Show Guides
allows you to turn on guides for Page Bleed, Margins and Gutters,
and Image Cells.
Overlay
Options
- Same as on the Slide Show Module there is a Print
Identity Plate
that allows for Type Face, Opacity and Scale options for putting
your signature on your prints. You can also include print
Photo Information
such as Name, Captions, Dates, and EXIF Data. Print Other
Options
allows for a black Border or Crop Marks to be printed.
Print
Job Settings
- Print Resolution
can
be set to any number dpi. Under Color Management there are
settings for the color Profile (to be either Managed by Printer
or another profile can be selected depending on what Color
profiles you have available on your computer). Rendering Intent
can be set to Perceptual or Relative (Colorimetric). In addition
there are choices for Enable Draft
Mode
Printing and Enable Print
Sharpening
with Low, Medium and High Sharpening settings.
The
last settings in the Adobe Lightroom Print Module are the
normal Page
Setup
and Print
buttons.
P.S.
Please do not get upset if your personal experience and views
are different from my own. These opinions are mine exclusively
and do not reflect the views or policies of any of the manufacturers
mentioned in this article...... George
Mann |
