YouTube Videos for Print Makers

One of the better sources of information I've found on the subject of ink jet print making is from some YouTube videos by Mitch Boyer.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoj...xAq5CJNloXBMkQ

Most of what he has put out makes a lot of sense, although I find that I can't quite agree on his video on rendering intents. He has an interesting approach on black-point compensation. His dodging and burning approach is very strong.

Just a generally good collection of information for anyone who is a serious printer or is looking at becoming a serious printer.

I have watched one of his videos, I shall have to watch the rest. Its raining here today so today may just be the day. Thanks for posting the link and reminding me of this resource Manfred.

I watched the one on black point compensation and one other some time ago. I think he is a very good teacher, although I would have preferred a faster pace at some points. His explanations are very clear, and he illustrates them very well. His approach to black point compensation makes perfect sense to me, although I don't know how often I'll apply it in practice. As he said, much of the time, the automated compensation is fine.

I did wonder about his choice of only two papers. One can meet the standards he set--both technical standards and acceptance by galleries, etc.--with a much wider range of papers than the two he uses.

Re dodging and burning: I haven't looked at his video about that. Nearly 100% of the time, I use a technique that you described here a year or two ago, and I find it very powerful in terms of control. I'll be interested to see how different his approach is.

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Originally Posted by DanK

I watched the one on black point compensation and one other some time ago. I think he is a very good teacher, although I would have preferred a faster pace at some points. His explanations are very clear, and he illustrates them very well. His approach to black point compensation makes perfect sense to me, although I don't know how often I'll apply it in practice. As he said, much of the time, the automated compensation is fine.

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Frankly, his method takes about a minute to implement, so I have tried it a few times in printing. I suspect it will make a difference in images that are similar to his example and heavy in shadow detail, but unless I am shooting low key, most of my prints don't have those characteristics.

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Originally Posted by DanK

I did wonder about his choice of only two papers. One can meet the standards he set--both technical standards and acceptance by galleries, etc.--with a much wider range of papers than the two he uses.

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Hahnemühle papers are excellent, but they are premium papers. I have used them and can see why they are popular with the very high end galleries. I'm (currently?) not working in that market, so the extra cost is not something I can justify in my own work. If I wanted to break into printing in that marketplace, I could definitely see myself going there.

As you say, there are many other papers that give similar results but are more cost effective. I'm sticking with those.

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Originally Posted by DanK

Re dodging and burning: I haven't looked at his video about that. Nearly 100% of the time, I use a technique that you described here a year or two ago, and I find it very powerful in terms of control. I'll be interested to see how different his approach is.

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His technique is a variant of what I use now which is essentially making selections, darkening or lightening those areas and then feathering them to make the blend look natural. I find this is what I generally do, although my selection / feathering approaches differ from his. I also use the "freehand" approach that I showed on CiC in most of my work at times as well, especially in places where I need a more "organic" approach because the areas are less clearly defined (faces in portraiture, for instance). It really does depend on the subject matter.


Something that I did do was to pick up the book he recommends "Color Management & Quality Output: Working with Color from Camera to Display to Print. It is expensive and I suspect out of print, but it is definitely the most detailed book on the subject I've come across. Much better than Uwe Steinmuller's Fine Art Printing for Photographers.

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Originally Posted by Manfred M

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Something that I did do was to pick up the book he recommends "Color Management & Quality Output: Working with Color from Camera to Display to Print. It is expensive and I suspect out of print, but it is definitely the most detailed book on the subject I've come across. Much better than Uwe Steinmuller's Fine Art Printing for Photographers.

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I just ordered a copy from Chapters.ca for $57.72 reduced from $94.95. You have to search for it by author otherwise you only see the ebook version which is a bit more expensive.

I noticed this is an old post, but his insights on inkjet printing have definitely helped me refine my technique. I totally get what you mean about the rendering intents; it's a tricky topic, and I’ve had my share of confusion there too. His take on black-point compensation is interesting, and his dodging and burning methods have improved my prints a lot.

I also found that connecting with other print makers online has been helpful for troubleshooting and sharing tips. I tried getlikes.com to boost engagement on my own print-making videos, and it really helped get my content in front of more people. It’s nice to see the community grow!

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Originally Posted by Markveber

I noticed this is an old post, but his insights on inkjet printing have definitely helped me refine my technique. I totally get what you mean about the rendering intents; it's a tricky topic, and I’ve had my share of confusion there too. His take on black-point compensation is interesting, and his dodging and burning methods have improved my prints a lot.

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Unfortunately, he seems to have removed access to virtually all printmaking videos and replaced them with cycling ones. His blackpoint compensation comments never made sense to me.

The printing videos are still there, but you have to dig a bit to find them. Here's the black point video: https://youtu.be/Qy3YRDT3u_U?si=2Xdug-cC-OeQqwvD

I re-watched the black point video yesterday because I realized (is my age showing?) that I had forgotten his main points. I think it's excellent. Here's the content in a nutshell:

-- first, he explains clearly, with visual examples, why black point matters: if you have detail in deep shadows and your combination of paper and ink can't display differences in tone as dark as the minimum level in your image, everything below the paper's minimum gets crushed into pure black. The point of BP compensation is to raise the BP of the image enough that the darkest details are within the range of the paper.
--second he shows that most ways of making black point combination--automatically in software (at least with some software), with a levels output adjustment, and by simply raising the left-most point on a curve tool--all shift the entire histogram rightward, brightening all tones. This is the one place I disagree with him. He presents this as a problem. I would say it's sometimes a problem, but other times, it's precisely what you want. His example is a low-key image which loses it's mood when the entire image is brightened.
--He then presents a simple method for raising the BP without affecting most of the distribution: raise the left-most point on a curve just enough to make the black point adjustment you want, and then, for all parts of the image you don't want brightened, anchor the curve at its original values.

Because I mostly print on coated papers--luster for things that don't matter, baryta for the rare important print--black point compensation is less often an issue for me than for people who print with matte or fine art papers with smaller dynamic ranges. I also try not letting the histogram go too close to the right edge. However, there are times when one can't (or didn't) avoid it.