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	<title>Onsight &#187; commentary</title>
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	<link>http://www.on-sight.com</link>
	<description>digital photography workshops, color and workflow consulting</description>
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		<title>Liberty Bar Tribute</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/05/18/liberty-bar-tribute/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/05/18/liberty-bar-tribute/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 19:16:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=1701</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Liberty Bar has been a fixture in San Antonio for 25 years, an unlikely and magical convergence of red neon lights, hipster waitstaff, loyal clientele and owner Dwight Hobart&#8217;s &#8220;serious food&#8221; all gathered inside a tipsy 100-year-old building.  Last night was Liberty&#8217;s last before they move to their new location in Southtown, where they [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saWJlcnR5LWJhci5jb20v">Liberty Bar</a> has been a fixture in San Antonio for 25 years, an unlikely and magical convergence of red neon lights, hipster waitstaff, loyal clientele and owner Dwight Hobart&#8217;s &#8220;serious food&#8221; all gathered inside a tipsy 100-year-old building.  Last night was Liberty&#8217;s last before they move to their new location in Southtown, where they will reopen Wednesday the 26th.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/LibertysLastHour/" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" height="598px" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>The last image in the above group titled &#8220;Liberty&#8217;s Final Hour&#8221; was a one hour exposure taken from 9:30pm to 10:30pm May 17th. I&#8217;ve also compiled a time lapse video of this final hour plus a half hour after closing time during which people shuffled out and the lights and fans were turned off.</p>
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		<title>Client Spotlight: Dan Winters</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/04/22/client-spotlight-dan-winters/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/04/22/client-spotlight-dan-winters/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=1574</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dan Winters&#8217; unique ability to sculpt with light has long been a personal inspiration of mine. Now more than ever his work is everywhere. He&#8217;s won more awards and contributes to more magazines than I can list. When I was in an airport a few weeks ago I glanced across a wide walkway full of people [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy50aW1lLmNvbS90aW1lL2NvdmVycy8wLDE2NjQxLDIwMTAwMzE1LDAwLmh0bWw=" target=\"_blank\"><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/DanWinter_TomHanks.jpg" alt="Dan's March 2010 Time Magazine cover" hspace="4" vspace="4" align="right" /></a>Dan Winters&#8217; unique ability to sculpt with light has long been a personal inspiration of mine. Now more than ever his work is everywhere. He&#8217;s won more awards and contributes to more magazines than I can list. When I was in an airport a few weeks ago I glanced across a wide walkway full of people and caught a glimpse of this Time magazine cover of Tom Hanks on a newsstand. In that split second from some 80 feet away I just new it was Dan&#8217;s image. His lighting is so dramatic, so distinct (yet never the same) I just knew it was his.</p>
<p>Austin American-Statesman photographer <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qYXlqYW5uZXIuY29tLw==">Jay Janner</a> recently made this portrait of Dan in his  Driftwood, TX studio &#8211; the first of it&#8217;s kind in front of Dan&#8217;s handcrafted photo booth in his Driftwood, Texas studio.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL0RhbldpbnRlcnMtSldKODAwLmpwZw==" target=\"_blank\"><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/DanWinters-JWJ620.jpg" alt="Jay Janner's portrait  of Dan Winter's" hspace="0" vspace="4" align="center" /></a></p>
<p>FLYP magazine published <a title=\"FLYP magazine\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=SGlnaGx5IHJlY29tbWVuZGVkIHZpZXdpbmcu" target=\"_blank\">a great article</a> on his work and career. Highly recommended viewing. Included in the article are two videos where he talks about <a title=\"Dan Winter's YouTube Video\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbS92L0lhOHQ2UVNrNWhBJmFtcDtobD1lbiZhbXA7ZnM9MSZhbXA7cmVsPTA=" target=\"_blank\">his devotion to photography</a> and <a title=\"Dan Winter's You Tube video\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbS92L3VvSVNYSmdNRDVzJmFtcDtobD1lbiZhbXA7ZnM9MSZhbXA7cmVsPTA=" target=\"_blank\">what makes a great portrait</a>.</p>
<p>If you haven&#8217;t already I&#8217;d encourage you to spend some time at <a title=\"Dan Winter's website\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kYW53aW50ZXJzcGhvdG8uY29tLw==" target=\"_blank\">Dan&#8217;s website</a>. Better yet, order his book <a title=\"Periodical Photographs Book\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcGVydHVyZS5vcmcvYm9va3MvYm9va3MtbmV3L3BlcmlvZGljYWwtcGhvdG9ncmFwaHMuaHRtbA==" target=\"_blank\">Periodical Photographs</a> from Aperture.</p>
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		<title>3 best value, high quality displays to watch [updated]</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/04/21/three-displays-to-watch/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/04/21/three-displays-to-watch/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:15:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=1549</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve always been a fan of high-end displays like those from Eizo, Barco, Quato, NEC and the like. At the same time I recognize that these pinnacles of technology are hard for most people to justify. I love discovering displays that are affordable yet meet the demands of the most finicky printmakers. Simply put, some [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve always been a fan of high-end displays like those from Eizo, Barco, Quato, NEC and the like. At the same time I recognize that these pinnacles of technology are hard for most people to justify. I love discovering displays that are affordable yet meet the demands of the most finicky printmakers. Simply put, some ~$800 displays hold up darn well against $2000+ displays when they are well calibrated and it&#8217;s this &#8220;best value, high quality&#8221; category that I get excited about and often recommend to my clients.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vaW1hZ2VzLzNkaXNwbGF5cy5qcGc="><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/3displays620.jpg" alt="Apple 24" hspace="0" vspace="0" align="center" /></a></p>
<p>All of these displays use an LED backlit lightsource, IPS LCD panels and eco-conscious materials. These first two technologies are crucial for demanding professionals. The LED lightsource provides consistency across the screen, a boost in color gamut, power savings, lower heat generation and can achieve the lower luminance (brightness) levels that print professionals need. The <a title=\"Wikipedia on LCD technologies\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2VuLndpa2lwZWRpYS5vcmcvd2lraS9URlRfTENEI0luLXBsYW5lX3N3aXRjaGluZ18uMjhJUFMuMjk=" target=\"_blank\">IPS LCD panel</a> provides a wide viewing angle so that the viewer doesn&#8217;t experience the density shifting that&#8217;s become so common with laptop and most LCD displays today that use the less expensive <a title=\"Wikipedia on TN technology\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2VuLndpa2lwZWRpYS5vcmcvd2lraS9URlRfTENEI1R3aXN0ZWRfbmVtYXRpY18uMjhUTi4yOQ==" target=\"_blank\">TN LCD panel technology</a>. A lot of companies<span id="more-1549"></span> (like Samsung and Dell) used to offer good value IPS displays before the recession but have since lowered the quality of their displays by abandoning IPS technology. Interestingly enough, Apple (and to a lesser extent NEC) is one of the only companies that&#8217;s currently increasing the quality of their displays while lowering their pricing.</p>
<p>The <a title=\"NEC PA241W\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5uZWNkaXNwbGF5LmNvbS9Qcm9kdWN0cy9Qcm9kdWN0Lz9wcm9kdWN0PTVhNjYyMWI5LWU5YzQtNGYwMi04NTQyLWU2MjUxMzY0YmY3YyA=" target=\"_blank\">NEC MultiSync PA241W</a> display includes internal 14bit 3D LUT calibration hardware, a matte surface and a 4 year warranty that the Cinema Displays do not. NEC displays are not compatible with 3rd party calibration packages like Color Eyes Display Pro and instead require the $280 NEC SpectraView calibration system that&#8217;s sold separately. <a title=\"LED Cinema Display\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vZGlzcGxheXMv" target=\"_blank\">Apple&#8217;s LED Cinema Displays</a> have built in speakers, camera and laptop power connections that lead to less clutter on the desktop. Both brands include an internal USB hub and several USB ports for convenience. Apple hasn&#8217;t actually announced the 27-30&#8243; LED Cinema Display but it&#8217;s widely expected to come to market within the next few months. The already announced NEC MultiSync PA241W is expected to start shipping in the US in a few weeks.</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #dddddd;">Calibration</span></strong><br />
We can’t talk about high quality displays without also talking about calibration. After all, any display isn’t going to perform as desired until it’s calibrated to match the lighting in the environment that the user’s eye has chromatically adapted to. A well calibrated display will show white as matching paper white. When viewing a white Photoshop document, for example, it shouldn’t look cooler (bluer) or brighter than a white piece of paper as viewed a few feet away. Customizing the white point color temp and luminance setting via display calibration software to match print viewing or ambient lighting is a must. While the NEC has to be calibrated with NEC’s  excellent <a title=\"NEC calibration package\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5iaHBob3RvdmlkZW8uY29tL2MvcHJvZHVjdC82MTM3MDctUkVHL05FQ19TVklJX1BST19LSVRfQ29sb3JfU2Vuc29yX2FuZF9TcGVjdHJhVmlldy5odG1s" target=\"_blank\">Spectraview calibration package</a>, I recommend <a title=\"Color Eyes Display Pro\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5pbnRlZ3JhdGVkLWNvbG9yLmNvbQ==" target=\"_blank\">Color Eyes Display Pro</a> for calibrating displays that don’t come with calibration hardware (like the Cinema Displays). Color Eyes Display Pro’s iterative calibration process does such an impressive job smoothing out gradations that you won’t miss the calibration hardware that far more expensive displays include.</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #dddddd;">Commentary</span></strong><br />
A lot of people, (myself included) have had a knee-jerk reaction to Apple&#8217;s highly reflective glossy displays. I have to say &#8211; it&#8217;s really not that bad &#8211; especially if you have excellent, well placed lighting in your work environment. If the display makes you think about improving your lighting that&#8217;s not such a bad thing. After all, it wasn&#8217;t that long ago when we all worked behind glass faced monitors. I&#8217;m seeing a number of demanding clients using Apple&#8217;s new LED displays and, reflectiveness aside, they all have great things to say about them. I too have put them to the test and found that they perform admirably. Better than the previous generation for sure.</p>
<p>Photographers use lenses and display prints behind &#8220;museum&#8221; glass that have highly effective antiglare coatings. If Apple were to bring the same antiglare, museum glass coatings to their Cinema Displays, the cycle would be complete. Glassless, matte surfaced displays have become a regular option for MacbookPros so it&#8217;s not out of the question that they might come out with glassless matte surface LED Cinema Displays. Apple does have options for lowering the reflectivity on their Cinema Displays and I look forward to seeing what solutions they come out with in the future. This is definitely something to watch, and the existing 24&#8243; LED display and 27&#8243; iMac are both pretty nice in the meantime for the price.</p>
<p>As long as we&#8217;re talking about Apple&#8217;s &#8220;Pro&#8221; products, I think Compact Flash card readers should be built into these Cinema Displays, as well as MacBookPros and MacPros. Professionals, after all, use Compact Flash cards, not the consumer oriented SD cards found in smaller cameras.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong, I love expensive Eizo, Barco, and Quato displays (and NEC&#8217;s other displays). My clients and I have enjoyed them for years. But not only do most of their displays use the older CCFL backlit technology, the cost difference just doesn&#8217;t justify the difference in quality like it used to. Imagemakers like myself have to ask if the difference in cost might be better spent, say, on a new lens or printing equipment.</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #dddddd;">Update (7-27-10)</span></strong><br />
As expected, Apple just announced the 27&#8243; LED Cinema Display for $999 and lowered the price of the 24&#8243; LED Cinema Display to $799. For those on lower budget, the Viewsonic VP2365wb 23&#8243; is an IPS 1920 x 1080 DVI display that performs surprisingly well for $300.</p>
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		<title>Lightroom 3 beta 2 released (updated with commentary)</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/03/22/lightroom-3-beta-2-released/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/03/22/lightroom-3-beta-2-released/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:22:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry tidbits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=1479</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[LR3beta2 is out! Here are some noteworthy points:

 • Speed is greatly improved.
 • Importing has been improved and refined.
 • Tethering for popular Nikon and Canon cameras is now supported.
 • Watermarking is improved (although still not ideal).
 • Luminance Noise Reduction has been added to complement the new demosaicing and color noise algorithms.
 • [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>LR3beta2 is out! Here are some noteworthy points:</p>
<ul>
<li> • Speed is greatly improved.</li>
<li> • Importing has been improved and refined.</li>
<li> • Tethering for popular Nikon and Canon cameras is now supported.</li>
<li> • Watermarking is improved (although still not ideal).</li>
<li> • Luminance Noise Reduction has been added to complement the new demosaicing and color noise algorithms.</li>
<li> • New Vignette styles.</li>
<li> • Adjustment Brush and Gradient tools can now be stacked to strengthen the effect.</li>
<li> • New Print Layout capabilities with Rotate to fit and Rotate Cell options.</li>
<li> • Video files can now be imported from DSLRs along with still images.</li>
<li> • The X key conveniently toggles the orientation in the crop tool.</li>
<li> • Perspective Control and Soft Proofing are not in this beta (but are in development for future release).</li>
<li> • While LR3beta1 catalogs can be updated for use in LR3beta2, LR2 catalogs still cannot be. This is after all, a beta release that is not intended, nor recommended for production work.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="color: #dddddd;"><br />
Commentary</span></strong><br />
The biggest thing for my own workflow is the speed and overall responsiveness of this release, which is better than any 1.x or 2.x  release. When I upgraded to the 21mp Canon 5Dmark2 I&#8217;ve been frustrated with the responsiveness of Lightroom ever since &#8211; until now. It&#8217;s pretty hard to go back to 2.6 for production work. On high resolution 20+ megapixel files, LR3beta2 is far, far faster &#8211; sometimes more than 20 times faster when lots of localized adjustments are used.<span id="more-1479"></span></p>
<p>The second biggest thing for me about this release is the Luminance noise reduction. Luminance noise reduction used to be something to avoid in LR 1 and 2 because it would blur an image and it&#8217;s detail. Luminance noise reduction in LR3beta2 maintains image detail nicely while smoothing out Luminance noise. For those that want a little &#8220;film grain&#8221; in their images and prints the new Grain too lets you do just that with controls for grain size and roughness. With these new controls I&#8217;m finding that I can take noisy high ISO images, smooth out the noise without loosing detail and get a more desirable result by adding grain if I so desire. IMO, Lightroom now offers more control than any other RAW software, in this aspect.</p>
<p>The third most significant development for my own workflow is the grain tool. I make a fair amount of 60&#215;96 and 36&#215;60 inch prints and I find that adding noise (and increasing localized contrast) makes these prints more desirable. I&#8217;ve been groaning as I render the files to a  TIFF so I can goto Photoshop and add this noise. With LR3&#8217;s new grain tool, I can now add the grain and print directly from Lightroom. One less reason to goto Photoshop and suffer with huge files &#8211; whew. What&#8217;s more is that I can save grain presets for each of these print sizes in Lightroom and quickly apply them, or not, depending on the print size I&#8217;m working with.</p>
<p>Ian Lyons&#8217; has a review at <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21wdXRlci1kYXJrcm9vbS5jb20vbHIzX2JldGFfMl9wcmV2aWV3L2xyMy1iZXRhMi0xLmh0bSA=">Computer Darkroom</a></p>
<p>You can download the new beta at: <a title=\"Lightroom 3 beta page\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2xhYnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3RlY2hub2xvZ2llcy9saWdodHJvb20zLz9zZGlkPUZCVEZDLw==" target=\"_blank\">the Adobe Labs Lightroom 3 Beta2 page.</a></p>
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		<title>Happy Birthday Photoshop</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/02/19/happy-birthday-photoshop/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/02/19/happy-birthday-photoshop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:01:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=1424</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Today is our beloved image editing application&#8217;s 20th birthday. Many of us have spent more time with this little app than we have with our own kids. As much as I have loved using Photoshop over the last 20+ years, I look forward to the day that I can retire it. I say this not [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/Photoshop1icon.png" alt="Photoshop v0.87 icon" hspace="8" vspace="2" width="144" height="88" align="right" /><br />
Today is our beloved image editing application&#8217;s <a title=\"20th Tribute page\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy53ZWJkZXNpZ25lcmRlcG90LmNvbS8yMDEwLzAyLzIwLXllYXJzLW9mLWFkb2JlLXBob3Rvc2hvcC8=" target=\"_blank\">20th birthday</a>. Many of us have spent more time with this little app than we have with our own kids. As much as I have loved using Photoshop over the last 20+ years, I look forward to the day that I can retire it. I say this not because I&#8217;m tired of Photoshop, but because I&#8217;m excited about the future.</p>
<p><a title=\"parametric wiki\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kcGJlc3RmbG93Lm9yZy9pbWFnZS1lZGl0aW5nL3BhcmFtZXRyaWMtaW1hZ2UtZWRpdGluZyA=" target=\"_blank\">Parametric workflows</a>, like those available through Adobe <a title=\"Lightroom\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hZG9iZS5jb20vcHJvZHVjdHMvcGhvdG9zaG9wbGlnaHRyb29tLz9wcm9tb2lkPURKR1NOX1BfVVNfRlAyX0xSX01OJmFtcDt0dD1QX1VTX0ZQMl9MUl9NTg==" target=\"_blank\">Lightroom</a>, Express Digital <a title=\"Darkroom\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kYXJrcm9vbXNvZnR3YXJlLmNvbQ==" target=\"_blank\">Darkroom</a> and Apple <a title=\"aperture\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vYXBlcnR1cmUv" target=\"_blank\">Aperture</a> are clearly the way of the future and offer huge productivity advantages over one-image-at-a-time, pixel editing workflows like Photoshop&#8217;s. While photographers switch to parametric applications, Photoshop will continue to be an excellent application for non-photographers like designers, architects, 3D professionals, etc.</p>
<p>Happy birthday Photoshop, you have been great. Let&#8217;s take <a title=\"20th anniversary website\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5waG90b3Nob3AyMGFubml2ZXJzYXJ5LmNvbQ==" target=\"_blank\">a fun ride down memory lane</a>. But let&#8217;s not reminisce and look to the past for too long. Let&#8217;s stay focused on the future, which for most photographers, lies elsewhere. The future is great &#8211; and it&#8217;s all parametric.</p>
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		<title>Apple gets hip to night photography (updated 2x)</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/01/27/apple-gets-hip-to-night-photography/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/01/27/apple-gets-hip-to-night-photography/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:12:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry tidbits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=1386</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You know night photography has become mainstream when Apple uses a night image for the default background image on their newest device. Note the star trails near the top! I would guess this is a ~25 minute exposure not too long after sunset considering the daylight glow along the horizon and gentle lighting on the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You know night photography has become mainstream when Apple uses a night image for the default background image on <a title=\"iPad\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vaXBhZC8=" target=\"_blank\">their newest device</a>. Note the star trails near the top! I would guess this is a ~25 minute exposure not too long after sunset considering the daylight glow along the horizon and gentle lighting on the foreground. If anyone knows who&#8217;s image is used on the iPad, please <a title=\"email scott\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=bWFpbHRvOnNjb3R0QG9uLXNpZ2h0LmNvbQ==">let me know</a>.</p>
<p>Update: The iPad background image is <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5wZG5wdWxzZS5jb20vMjAxMC8wMS90aGF0cy1hLXJpY2hhcmQtbWlzcmFjaC1waG90by1vbi10aGUtaXBhZC5odG1s">licensed from RIchard Misrach</a>. (via <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYXJrbWVuaml2YXIuY29tLw==">Mark Menjivar</a>)</p>
<p>Update: See this <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcnRpbmZvLmNvbS9uZXdzL3N0b3J5LzMzNzY5L3dpdGgtdGhlLXB1c2gtb2YtdGhlLWlwYWQtYS1waG90b2dyYXBoLWdvZXMtZ2xvYmFsLw==">in-depth article</a> about the image and Misrach at ARTINFO<br />
<a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vaXBhZC8="><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/iPadCircledTrails620.jpg" alt="iPad with night image" vspace="0" /></a></p>
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		<title>Dan Burkholder Pioneering  iPhone Fine Art Photography</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/01/02/dan-burkholder-pioneering-iphone-fine-art-photography/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2010/01/02/dan-burkholder-pioneering-iphone-fine-art-photography/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jan 2010 13:53:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry tidbits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=1098</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My good friend and mentor Dan Burkholder is boldly blazing a new  path in a way that only he can. Dan is shooting exclusively with an iPhone and is making and exhibiting some serious fine art prints from it. Don&#8217;t laugh &#8211; Dan&#8217;s not just snapping low resolution images and applying filters to them, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My good friend and mentor <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kYW5idXJraG9sZGVyLmNvbS8=" target=\"_blank\">Dan Burkholder</a> is boldly blazing a new  path in a way that only he can. Dan is shooting exclusively with an iPhone and is making and exhibiting some serious fine art prints from it. Don&#8217;t laugh &#8211; Dan&#8217;s not just snapping low resolution images and applying filters to them, he&#8217;s capturing sometimes dozens of frames, stitching them together and using half a dozen applications to develop the images to his liking. His final results are fairly high resolution files that make for nice prints. His images are made and developed completely on the iPhone.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5pcGhvbmVhcnRpc3RyeS5jb20=" target=\"_blank\"><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/Two_Bridges_at_Poughkeepsie.jpg" alt="Two Bridges at P" width="620" height="181" longdesc="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/Two_Bridges_at_Poughkeepsie.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>In his own words these images are &quot;Untouched by Mac hardware or Adobe software. It&#8217;s liberating in so many ways. For the first time we have both camera and darkroom in the palm of our hands.&quot; Dan has, at the moment, <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kYW5idXJraG9sZGVyLmNvbS9QYWdlcy9yaWdodF9mcmFtZV9wYWdlcy93b3Jrc2hvcF8yLTA2L1dvcmtzaG9wcy5odG1s" target=\"_blank\">four &quot;iPhone Artistry&quot; workshops</a> planned around the country that focus exclusively on iPhone based image capture and development. Visit <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5pcGhvbmVhcnRpc3RyeS5jb20=" target=\"_blank\">iphoneartistry.com</a> to see more images.</p>
<p>Dan is also credited for inventing the <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kYW5idXJraG9sZGVyLmNvbS9QYWdlcy9tYWluX3BhZ2VzL2Jvb2tfaW5mb19tYWluX3BhZ2UxLmh0bQ==" target=\"_blank\">digital negative for contact printing process</a>, <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kYW5idXJraG9sZGVyLmNvbS9QYWdlcy9taXNjX3BhZ2VzL1BvcnRmb2xpb3MvUGlnbWVudF9PdmVyX1BsYXRpbnVtLmh0bWw=" target=\"_blank\">pigment over platinum</a> and <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5kYW5idXJraG9sZGVyLmNvbS9QYWdlcy9taXNjX3BhZ2VzL1BvcnRmb2xpb3MvUGxhdGludW1fT3Zlcl9Hb2xkX0xlYWYuaHRtbA==" target=\"_blank\">pigment over gold leaf printmaking</a>. 
    </p>
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		<title>Lightroom 3 Process Quality Improvements</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2009/10/22/lightroom-3-process-quality-improvements/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2009/10/22/lightroom-3-process-quality-improvements/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:14:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=971</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m pretty impressed with LR3&#8217;s new demosiacing, sharpening and noise reduction in LR3&#8217;s new process rendering. To the right is an image taken at this month&#8217;s workshop in Mono Lake (larger view). This is a 15 second &#8220;star points&#8221; exposure taken at 1600 ISO with a 5Dmk2.  Below is a side-by-side detail comparison, processed in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a title=\"Click to see at full resolution\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlci9pbWFnZXMvV2lzcC5qcGc=" target=\"_blank\"><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/WispDetail150px.jpg" alt="Wisp" hspace="8" vspace="4" width="150" height="100" align="right" /></a>I&#8217;m pretty impressed with LR3&#8217;s new demosiacing, sharpening and noise reduction in LR3&#8217;s new process rendering. To the right is an image taken at <a title=\"2009 Mono Lake Workshop\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vMjAwOS8wMS8yMS9tb25vbGFrZS8=" target=\"_self\">this month&#8217;s workshop</a> in Mono Lake (<a title=\"Wisp\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlci9pbWFnZXMvV2lzcC5qcGc=" target=\"_blank\">larger view</a>). This is a 15 second &#8220;star points&#8221; exposure taken at 1600 ISO with a 5Dmk2.  Below is a side-by-side detail comparison, processed in LR2.5 on the left and LR3b on the right. Click the image below to view <a title=\"LR3 Process comparison\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlci9pbWFnZXMvTFIzLVByb2Nlc3MtQ29tcGFyaXNpb24uanBn" target=\"_blank\">at it&#8217;s full resolution</a>.</p>
<p><a title=\"Click to see at full resolution\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlci9pbWFnZXMvTFIzLVByb2Nlc3MtQ29tcGFyaXNpb24uanBn" target=\"_blank\"><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/LR3-Process-Comparision.jpg" alt="LR3 Process Comparision" vspace="2" width="620" height="326" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2Jsb2dzLmFkb2JlLmNvbS9saWdodHJvb21qb3VybmFsLzIwMDkvMTAvbGlnaHRyb29tXzNfYmV0YV9ub3dfYXZhaWxhYmxlLmh0bWw=">Tom Hogarty</a>, Lightroom&#8217;s Product Manager, has lots to say about this beta in <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2Jsb2dzLmFkb2JlLmNvbS9saWdodHJvb21qb3VybmFsLzIwMDkvMTAvbGlnaHRyb29tXzNfYmV0YV9ub3dfYXZhaWxhYmxlLmh0bWw=">his blog</a>. In it he says:</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re only halfway through our noise reduction efforts but believe that you will be very pleased with the results so far. We&#8217;ve actually disabled the previous Luminance Noise Reduction so that you can focus on evaluating the Color Noise reduction implementation.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>I&#8217;m finding a few reasons to actually increase luminance noise reduction on high res long exposures in low light, so I&#8217;m yearning to see these sharpening tool evolve a little further from where they are in this beta. But I&#8217;m impressed with the results so far.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/LR3-Process-Warning.png" alt="Triangle" align="right" />Tom also points out that images previously developed in previous versions of Lightroom will initially appear the same in LR3 with a warning triangle that appears above the upper left hand corner of the Histogram. If this triangle is pressed, the image will be re-rendered using LR3&#8217;s new processing, including the new demoasiacing, sharpening and noise reduction algorithms. The screen grabs above were taken before and after clicking this triangle using LR&#8217;s detail panel defaults. It appears that LR3&#8217;s new process quality improvements are best seen on high ISO images, especially those from 20+ megapixel cameras files.</p>
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		<title>5Dmark2 &#8211; today&#8217;s best camera for night photography?</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2009/05/29/5dmark2-for-night-photography-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2009/05/29/5dmark2-for-night-photography-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2009 13:24:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=700</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Having used several cameras for a lot of night photography lately, I think the Canon 5Dmark2 is quite likely the best camera on the market for night photography right now. Here are some of the highlights:
6400 ISO for testing
Being able to take photos at 6400 ISO has huge benefits for the night photographer. Night photographers [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Having used several cameras for a lot of night photography lately, I think the Canon 5Dmark2 is quite likely the best camera on the market for night photography right now. Here are some of the highlights:</p>
<p><strong>6400 ISO for testing</strong><br />
Being able to take photos at 6400 ISO has huge benefits for the night photographer. Night photographers tend to waste a bunch of time taking long exposures only to discover they need to reshoot with a better exposure. Testing exposures at high ISOs can save huge amounts of time but doing so has been clunky as it requires complicated math when using a camera that has a ISO ceiling of 1600. Now that that ceiling has been lifted to include 6400 ISO we can make a direct translation from ISO 6400 exposures in seconds to ISO 100 exposures in minutes. For example, a 15 second exposure at ISO 6400 is the same as a 15 minute exposure at ISO 100 (Canon&#8217;s native ISO). Nikon users can figure that a 15 second exposure at 12,800 ISO is the same as a 15 minute exposure at ISO 200 (Nikon&#8217;s native ISO).</p>
<p>Either way, this means a night photographer can quickly determine the optimal exposure at a high ISO before committing to a long, final exposure at the native ISO. This has provided me with significant time savings and more optimal exposures on the 5Dmark2.</p>
<p><img longdesc="http://www.on-sight.com/images/Marfa-House620.jpg" src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/Marfa-House620.jpg" alt="Test and Final Exposures" width="620" height="222" /></p>
<p><strong>Low noise</strong><br />
To make a long story short, the noise levels are shockingly low, even during very long exposures (like 30+ minutes at ISO 100).  Even 6400 ISO images are less noisy than one would expect,<span id="more-700"></span> and because the noise is embedded within such a high resolution (21 megapixel) image, the noise isn&#8217;t visible at all on 8&#215;10 inch or smaller prints.</p>
<p><strong>Live View</strong><br />
The Live View mode not only helps with frame composition at night, it zooms into a small area in the center allowing for incredibly precise focusing through the lens that&#8217;s far more reliable than focusing through the viewfinder or by using a focusing notch on the lens itself. This works when the depth of field preview button is depressed so, when there&#8217;s enough light, one can visually check depth of field as well. One needs to shine a flashlight on the object of focus but the level of confidence this provides, and success rate, is fantastic. The very latest DSLR&#8217;s from Nikon and Canon have Live View and most DLSRs are bound to have this feature from now on.</p>
<p><strong>Resolution and flexibility</strong><br />
21 megapixels offers a lot of image detail and it leaves me with a feeling similar to switching from medium to large format.  Processing these files is slow but I&#8217;m in awe of the detail and sharpness. While I was concerned that 21 megapixels might be too much for some projects I&#8217;ve found the 10 megapixel (half RAW) and 5 megapixel (quarter RAW) sRAW options to be quite useful.</p>
<p><strong>Exposure length recording</strong><br />
Cameras record long exposure times in seconds. Most cameras only record 3 digits worth of seconds (illustrated below left) so any exposures over 999 seconds aren&#8217;t accurately noted in the EXIF data. The 5Dmark2 lifts this 3 digit limit so that longer exposures are accurate noted in the EXIF data (as illustrated below right).</p>
<p align="center"><img longdesc="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/exposures_3-4digits.gif" src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/exposures_3-4digits.gif" alt="Exposures recorded in seconds" width="539" height="123" /></p>
<p><strong>Long Exposure Noise Reduction</strong><br />
Like most DSLR&#8217;s, the 5Dmark2 has the option to enable long exposure noise reduction. With this option enabled, the camera takes a second dark exposure and subtracts the noise signature from the original image  (also known as dark frame subtraction). This is applied both to JPEGs and to RAW files and results in a significant reduction in noise that is superior to noise reduction efforts in RAW processing applications and even filters in Photoshop. So if one takes a 15 minute exposure, the noise reduction takes an additional 15 minutes to complete. Most DSLRs have this feature.</p>
<p>All of the above advantages aren&#8217;t unique to the Canon 5Dmark2 and can be found in some of the other newest cameras from Nikon and Canon. The features below <em>are</em> unique to the 5Dmark2.</p>
<p><strong>Long Exposure Noise Reduction Buffering and Usability</strong><br />
<img longdesc="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/5Dmark2NoiseBuffering.jpg" src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/5Dmark2NoiseBuffering.jpg" alt="noise buffering" hspace="10" width="200" height="133" align="right" />The 5D and 5Dmark2 both allow you to start taking a new photo, while temporarily holding (buffering) the noise reduction processing for later. Both cameras allow you to buffer several images worth. For example one can take four 10 minute exposures back-to-back and the camera will process noise for 40 minutes afterwards. The 5Dmark2 is unique in that it tells you how many images are in the buffer when the power switch is turned to off. The camera doesn&#8217;t actually turn off until it&#8217;s completed the noise reduction processing. The 5Dmark2 also gives the user full control over image review and menu access during noise processing. All of these things add up to significant productivity savings for the night photographer who might otherwise be waiting around 30+ minutes for his/her camera to finish noise processing.</p>
<p><strong>Battery Life</strong><br />
<img longdesc="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/StarTrails1.jpg" src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/StarTrails1.jpg" alt="Star Trails" hspace="10" width="200" height="133" align="right" />With continuous shooting starting at 9pm I found I could shoot till 3-4am on a single battery on the 5Dmark2. This is well over twice the battery life most cameras have, including the original 5D. Canon tells me that moving the mirror, shutter and lighting the LCD display are the primary culprits of battery drain.  It&#8217;s also been suggested that 4-8 hour exposures shouldn&#8217;t be a battery life problem since the sensor uses so little energy during the exposure itself. I&#8217;ll have to stock up on some neutral density filters and test this theory. If it&#8217;s true that we can achieve 8+ hour exposures without battery problems, then we can achieve the long star trails that we&#8217;ve come to know and love from film-based night photography. I know one can always &#8220;stack&#8221; lots of short exposures, but doing a single long exposure would fun to test.</p>
<p><strong>Update (6-13-09)</strong><br />
Several people have asked me &#8220;Don&#8217;t Nikons like the D700 and D3x do all of these as well?&#8221; As for the long exposure noise reduction buffering and usability and battery life items mentioned above, the answer is no. Even Canon&#8217;s flagship 1Dsmk3 doesn&#8217;t have these. For some reason it&#8217;s only the 5D family that have these features. When other cameras are processing long exposure noise reduction the camera is dark and unresponsive &#8211; you can&#8217;t review images, go through the menu or start taking a new exposure. In addition, if you turn the power to off on a Nikon you don&#8217;t loose the exposure but you will loose the noise processing. Canons are smarter about staying on the finish noise processing before shutting down.</p>
<p>Nikons have some unique features for night photography that should be mentioned. First of all, the latest Nikon cameras have slightly better dynamic range and light sensitivity at 200 ISO than the latest Canon cameras do at 100 ISO (visit <a title=\"DXOmark\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5keG9tYXJrLmNvbSA=" target=\"_blank\">www.dxomark.com</a> for more info). <strong>Image Overlay</strong> allows for several separate frames to be taken and combined into a single RAW file. A night photographer might use this to take a photo at last light, wait a while and do a second exposure for the sky in complete darkness. Image Overlay could also be handy when working with complex light painting.</p>
<p><strong>Update (10-23-09)<br />
</strong>At recent night photography workshops I&#8217;ve had Nikons, Canons, Pentax, Hasselblads and Phase One cameras shooting side-by-side and I&#8217;ve closely compared the results. Newer cameras are obviously much cleaner and less noisier than older bodies. The D700 and D3 really are the cleanest 12 megapixels you&#8217;ll ever see and the smoothness is so fantastic that many owners just skip the long exposure noise reduction. But the benefits of the additional resolution from higher resolution cameras also adds up. While higher resolution cameras (like the 5dmk2, 1Dsmk3, 1Dmk4, even the D3x) aren&#8217;t as noise free as Nikon&#8217;s 12 megapixel brethren, the noise is slight, small and unperceptable on small prints. When larger resolution files with a little bit of noise are lowered to the equivalent of 12 megapixels the noise smoothes out and the overall image becomes cleaner. Different solutions for different people. For some an immaculate 12MP is better than a very clean 21MP and visa versa. On one hand I like the smaller file size of a 12 mp file and on the other hand the additional resolution of a 20+ megapixel file translates into quality when printed large.</p>
<p>Hasselblad and Phase One cameras perform much better at their native ISOs than at higher ISOs at night. Phase One plus backs curiously won&#8217;t allow the long exposure noise reduction to be turned off, so the user always has to wait for processing before the image can be seen or before the next shot can be taken. This eliminates the possibility of multiple exposure image stacking. These cameras don&#8217;t quite have the exposure flexibility that having a programmable, digital remote timer provides.</p>
<p>I think these differences are fun to talk about and hope readers don&#8217;t view this article as a religious Canon vs Nikon article &#8211; it certainly isn&#8217;t. I like them both as well as other brands and strive to be as unbiased as one can be.  Each brand has it&#8217;s advantages and disadvantages and the discussion between them is valuable when brand loyalty (which is destructive to conversation) is set aside. Night photography is especially fun way of analyzing these differences because it stretches cameras to their limits and is an area that, for the most part, manufacturers haven&#8217;t spent much time tweaking their cameras for.</p>
<p><img longdesc="http://www.on-sight.com/images/Big_Bend_2009-26.jpg" src="http://www.on-sight.com/images/Big_Bend_2009-26.jpg" alt="Big Bend Adobe House at Night" width="620" height="413" /></p>
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		<title>Commentary on new MacBooks and Cinema Displays</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/10/14/commentary-on-new-macbook-and-cinema-displays/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/10/14/commentary-on-new-macbook-and-cinema-displays/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:07:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=123</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The new Apple Cinema Display and MacBooks complete Apple&#8217;s all-glass, glossy screen approach and signals the end of the matte surface, glare resistant displays that creative professionals have come to know and love over the years. 
When asked about the choice to move to all-glossy displays Phil Schiller responded &#8220;You offset the reflection by the brightness, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMDgvMTAvbmV3YWNkLnBuZw=="><img class="size-full wp-image-124 alignleft" title="New Glossy Apple Cinema Display and MacBooks" src="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/newacd.png" alt="" hspace="10" vspace="6" width="201" height="152" align="left" /></a>The new <a title=\"new ACD\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vZGlzcGxheXMv" target=\"_blank\">Apple Cinema Display</a> and <a title=\"glossy MBP\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vbWFjYm9va3Byby9mZWF0dXJlcy5odG1s" target=\"_blank\">MacBooks</a> complete Apple&#8217;s all-glass, glossy screen approach and signals the end of the matte surface, glare resistant displays that creative professionals have come to know and love over the years. </p>
<p><span>When</span> asked about the choice to move to all-glossy displays <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2VuLndpa2lwZWRpYS5vcmcvd2lraS9QaGlsaXBfVy5fU2NoaWxsZXI=" target=\"_blank\">Phil Schiller</a> responded &#8220;You offset the reflection by the brightness, and consumers love it&#8221; at <a title=\"apple announcement event\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2V2ZW50cy5hcHBsZS5jb20uZWRnZXN1aXRlLm5ldC8wODEwcnRkd3M4NzYvZXZlbnQvaW5kZXguaHRtbA==" target=\"_blank\">today&#8217;s announcement event</a>. I find this comment disappointing and it shows a disconnect with creative professionals. Consumers *do* love bright, glossy screens. Creative professionals, however, <span id="more-123"></span>don&#8217;t like *either* extreme brightness or glare. When calibrating a display, creative professionals typically turn the brightness down to the 90-150 cd/m2 luminance range and choose a warmer color temperature for paper white matching. In order to achieve this critical, display to paper white matching one can&#8217;t &#8220;offset the reflection by the brightness&#8221; as Phil suggests. </p>
<p>I travel through several photography and design studios every week and the comment I regularly hear about the new iMacs is &#8220;I love the machine except for the terrible, glossy display.&#8221; In the same fashion, the new laptops and cinema displays will force creative professionals to struggle with glare, excess contrast and the perception of extreme shadow detail. I&#8217;ll probably recommend that creative professionals consider non-glossy displays from <a title=\"NEC Spectraview Displays\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5uZWNkaXNwbGF5LmNvbS9Qcm9kdWN0cy9TZXJpZXMvP3Nlcmllcz1mNTJkN2Y0Ny1kZjRkLTQyMjMtYjc1ZS1jMjNlOGIwODVlZDc=" target=\"_blank\">NEC</a>, <a title=\"EIzo ColorEdge Displays\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5laXpvLmNvbS9wcm9kdWN0cy9ncmFwaGljcy9pbmRleC5hc3A=" target=\"_blank\">EIZO</a>, <a title=\"Syncmaster T series\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zYW1zdW5nLmNvbS9jYS9jb25zdW1lci9kZXRhaWwvZGV0YWlsLmRvP2dyb3VwPWNvbXB1dGVyc2FjY2Vzc29yaWVzJmFtcDt0eXBlPW1vbml0b3JzJmFtcDtzdWJ0eXBlPWxjZCZhbXA7bW9kZWxfY2Q9TFMyNEhVQ0VCUS9YQUE=" target=\"_blank\">Samsung</a> and (gasp!) maybe even <a title=\"Dell 3007wfp\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5mb3RvY29ubmVjdGlvbi5jb20vcDY4MTA0LWRlbGwtdWx0cmFzaGFycC0zMDA3d2ZwLTMwLXdpZGUtc2NyZWVuLWZsYXQtcGFuZWwtbGNkLmh0bWw=" target=\"_blank\">Dell</a> (for value). </p>
<p>The new laptops don&#8217;t offer a significant CPU speed increase and future models aren&#8217;t expected to have the same increases that we have seen in the past. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) speeds are likely to increase substantially and it&#8217;s in this area that the new laptops are much faster. Some applications have already been updated to take advantage of the GPU acceleration trend. Apple&#8217;s Aperture, Final Cut products and Adobe&#8217;s <a title=\"PSCS4 GPU acceleration\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5udmlkaWEuY29tL29iamVjdC9hZG9iZS5odG1s" target=\"_blank\">Photoshop CS4</a> all utilize the GPU for greater performance. Photographers, however, are relying less on Photoshop and more on <a title=\"LIghtroom\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hZG9iZS5jb20vcHJvZHVjdHMvcGhvdG9zaG9wbGlnaHRyb29tLz9wcm9tb2lkPURSSFhC" target=\"_blank\">Lightroom</a> which unfortunately doesn&#8217;t offer GPU acceleration. Because Lightroom has become &#8220;command central&#8221; for most professional photographers the new laptops won&#8217;t offer the performance boast they were hoping for. </p>
<p>I think todays products leave creative professionals with the following questions:<br />
&#8220;When will Adobe update Lightroom, Distiller and InDesign to utilize GPUs for greater performance?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;What is a &#8216;best value&#8217; non glare display that I can rely on instead of Apple&#8217;s new ACDs?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Will Apple listen to professionals and consider offering non glare versions of their displays?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Will a 3rd party consider offering a film product that transforms a glossy display into a non glossy one?&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Wall Arch collapses in Arches National Park</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/08/12/wall-arch-collapses/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/08/12/wall-arch-collapses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:09:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/?p=56</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Having just lead a workshop in Arches National Park last December, I&#8217;m particularly saddened to hear that Wall Arch collapsed last week. At 33 feet tall and 71 feet across, Wall arch was the 12th largest in the park and took millions of years to form. When humans first inhabited the park 10,000 years ago they [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMDgvMDgvd2FsbF9hcmNoX2hvcml6LmpwZw=="><img class="size-full wp-image-57" title="wall_arch_horiz" src="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/wall_arch_horiz.jpg" alt="Wall Arch before and after collapse" hspace="8" vspace="0" width="371" height="144" align="right" /></a>Having just lead a workshop in <a title=\"Arches National Park\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2VuLndpa2lwZWRpYS5vcmcvd2lraS9BcmNoZXNfTmF0aW9uYWxfUGFyaw==" target=\"_blank\">Arches National Park</a> last December, I&#8217;m particularly saddened to hear that <a title=\"Wall Arch collapse\" href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ucHMuZ292L2FyY2gvcGFya25ld3MvbmV3czA4MDgwOC5odG0=" target=\"_blank\">Wall Arch collapsed last week</a>. At 33 feet tall and 71 feet across, Wall arch was the 12th largest in the park and took millions of years to form. When humans first inhabited the park 10,000 years ago they gazed upon the same, albeit slightly younger, arch.</p>
<p>As a side note, Balancing Rock (pictured below) is likely to collapse within the next 75 years. <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMDgvMDgvYmFsYW5jaW5nX3JvY2suanBn"><img class="size-full wp-image-59" title="balancing_rock" src="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/balancing_rock.jpg" alt="Balancing Rock by Scott Martin" hspace="0" vspace="6" width="620" height="310" /></a>This is kind of a nice reminder that, no matter how &#8220;frozen in time&#8221; any natural formations are, they are part of a timeline far, far longer than our own lives, and are constantly evolving. Although initially saddened by this loss, I feel glad to be alive and to be able to see the things that are here during my own short sliver of a larger timeline. More importantly, it makes me want to get out there and see even more while I&#8217;m here.</p>
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		<title>iPhone 3G screen commentary</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/07/17/iphone-3g-screen-commentary/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/07/17/iphone-3g-screen-commentary/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:59:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/2008/07/17/iphone-3g-screen-commentary/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I see the new iPhone 3G display has a warmer and more reasonable color temperature of ~6900 Kelvin (K) instead of the original iPhone&#8217;s ~8300K.  Thank goodness. The original device was way too cool, and much cooler than any natural or common artificial lighting. Daylight averages 5000K and interior lighting averages somewhere around 3500K. I wish all digital devices were in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMDgvMDcvaXBob25lZXZhbHYzLmpwZw==" title=\"iPhone3G\"><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/iphoneevalv3.jpg" alt="iPhone3G" align="right" border="0" /></a>I see the new iPhone 3G display has a warmer and more reasonable color temperature of ~6900 Kelvin (K) instead of the original iPhone&#8217;s ~8300K.  Thank goodness. The original device was way too cool, and much cooler than any natural or common artificial lighting. Daylight averages 5000K and interior lighting averages somewhere around 3500K. I wish all digital devices were in the 4000-5000K range. If they were, the viewing experience across devices would be easier on the eye and color matching would be improved.</p>
<p>I think the reports of the firmware update changing the color temp are misinformed as it is unlikely that such an update would make that change. The new color temp is surely due to the new backlite light source hardware which, in an industry-wide trend, are moving to warmer color temps to get closer to natural daylight. The super cool, blueish LCDs that have been so prevalent over the past 5 years will hopefully become a thing of the past. Warmer displays are critical for print-to-screen matching and more accurate color viewing</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a quick test: compare the whites on your iPhone (or any other phone) and compare that to a white piece of paper. It&#8217;s important that they be reasonably close for fairly accurate color viewing and print to screen matching. The iPhone 3G does this better than the devices before it and when combined with Safari&#8217;s color managed browser, <span id="more-47"></span>the color quality is stunningly good, even without display calibration. And no, there aren&#8217;t any iPhone display calibrators yet and I&#8217;d say they are unlikely to come with the quality being so good out of the box.</p>
<p>Another fun test is to look at a photo of yourself (from your website, facebook, whatever) on an iPhone and other phones. The differences between an ATT iPhone and a Sprint Treo for example are amazingly different. This tests not only test 1) the quality of the display, but also 2) the browsers ability to manage color and 3) the network&#8217;s compression levels effect upon the images.</p>
<p>I say don&#8217;t worry about these silly reviews that complain about display yellowing. The new display may be yellow relative to the old display but the old was just too blue relative to any ambient light that we live in.</p>
<p>The word from this very demanding and picky user is that the color and image quality on the new iPhone is shockingly good and otherwise unsurpassed for a handheld device.</p>
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		<title>Miraval avec le Brad et Angelina</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/06/06/miraval/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/06/06/miraval/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:53:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/2008/06/06/miraval/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Those of you that have visited the Onsight studio might recognize these photos of Chateau Miraval that have graced the studio walls for the last 10 years. You may also recognize these scenes from the likes of Vanity Fair, People, Us and other magazines and newspapers this week because Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt just [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vcGVyc29uYWx3b3JrLzZDaGF0ZWF1TWlyYXZhbC8=" title=\"Miraval Gallery\" target=\"_blank\"><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/miraval620.jpg" alt="Miraval Images" /></a></p>
<p>Those of you that have visited the <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vdGhlLXN0dWRpby8=" title=\"onsight studio\">Onsight studio</a> might recognize <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cub24tc2lnaHQuY29tL3BlcnNvbmFsd29yay82Q2hhdGVhdU1pcmF2YWwv" title=\"Gallery of Miraval images\">these photos of Chateau Miraval</a> that have graced the studio walls for the last 10 years. You may also recognize these scenes from the likes of Vanity Fair, People, Us and other magazines and newspapers this week because <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5odWZmaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vMjAwOC8wNS8yNi9jaGF0ZWF1LW1pcmF2YWwtYnJhZC1hbmRfbl8xMDM1MzguaHRtbD9wYWdlPTM=" title=\"link to article on lease\">Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt just leased the place</a> and the paparazzi are typically all over it. My wife&#8217;s aunt and uncle have owned Miraval for a couple decades and enjoy the rustic setting where they make <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL21pcmF2YWwuY29tLw==" title=\"Miraval Wines\">organic wine</a> and have been restoring the ancient structures and terraces. Miraval is also home to <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3N0dWRpb21pcmF2YWwuY29tLw==" title=\"Studio Miraval\">an exceptional recording studio</a> in a medieval structure where the likes of AC/DC, The Cranberries, The Gypsy Kings and Pink Floyd (yep, thy recorded &#8220;The Wall&#8221; there) have come to get away, enjoy nature and record albums.<span id="more-35"></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL21pcmF2YWwuY29tLw==" title=\"Miraval Wines\">Miraval</a> is magical, rustic and is in many ways is the same as it was centuries ago. It&#8217;s not extravagant or excessive in the ways that American estates typically are. Between Miraval and their place in Africa I think the JP&#8217;s should be commended for escaping the materialistic, hysterical, fast paced, LA/American lifestyle for something more down to earth. That&#8217;s not a bad thing when you&#8217;ve got a growing number of munchkins to keep up with.</p>
<p>When I went to Miraval in 1999 I went to my local camera store to buy a  few bricks of medium format B&amp;W film. On impulse I bought just 3 rolls of color negative film as well. I had always been a B&amp;W photographer exclusively and those 3 rolls and these images represent my entry into color photography. The 33&#8243; square prints at the studio (and the homes of the few that have bought some) were made during the late 90s on the venerable Iris 3047 printer before Epson came to dominate the archival large format printing market. They are &#8220;archival&#8221; but given the 20 centuries that Miraval has been around I wonder exactly how long they will make it and what other prints may have come and gone on those walls.</p>
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		<title>G7 press calibration call to arms</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/05/01/g7-press-calibration-call-to-arms/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/05/01/g7-press-calibration-call-to-arms/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 23:05:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/2008/05/01/g7-press-calibration-call-to-arms/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[G7 is a proof-to-print process developed by the IDEAlliance that uses spectrophotometry to calibrate presses by the numbers to specifications like SWOP, GRACoL or FOGRA. Previous press calibration methods relied upon basic densitometry, dot gain and visual analysis and could take days of press runs and tweaking to get done fairly well. Because of the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ncmFjb2wub3JnL2Fib3V0L2c3LmFzcA==" target=\"_blank\">G7</a> is a proof-to-print process developed by the <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5pZGVhbGxpYW5jZS5vcmcv" title=\"IDAE Alliance\" target=\"_blank\">IDEAlliance</a> that uses spectrophotometry to calibrate presses by the numbers to specifications like SWOP, GRACoL or FOGRA. Previous press calibration methods relied upon basic densitometry, dot gain and visual analysis and could take days of press runs and tweaking <span id="more-29"></span>to get done fairly well. Because of the ambiguity and expense of these older methods most print shops don&#8217;t even bother. It is extremely common in this day and age for print shops to claim they &#8220;print to SWOP&#8221; when they haven&#8217;t taken any steps to calibrate to SWOP. Platesetter calibration is often confused with SWOP calibration. Ask a print shop to show your their SWOP (or GRACoL or FOGRA) calibration test results and most of them won&#8217;t know what you are talking about. Print shops have had to put up with a variety of customer complaints and salesmen constantly showing up with all kinds of solutions to their problems. While I can&#8217;t blame them for their thick skin, I believe G7 is their real solution. Without calibration every press prints differently which leads to poor proofing, long press checks and less than optimal final results.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ncmFjb2wub3JnL0lERUFsaW5rLw==" title=\"IDEA Link Curve\" target=\"_blank\">IDEALinkCurve</a> is new a software application that simplifies G7 press calibration without the tedium and uncertainty of manual curve editing. Not only does it provide the RIP curves necessary for accurate printing but it provides a wealth of new ways to analyze color, hue, TVI and gray balance. The G7 method combined with IDEALinkCurve allows someone like myself to calibrate a press extremely accurately in hours instead of days.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/G7calibration620px.jpg" border="0" height="278" width="620" /></p>
<p>I have been calibrating presses this way since early 2007 am really excited about it. We have had spectrophotometry-based methods of calibrating inkjet and photo paper printers for years so it&#8217;s great to finally see the offset industry get up to speed with well adapted techniques for calibrating &#8220;the devil&#8217;s color mode&#8221; (CMYK).</p>
<p>I think it is time for <strong>a big call to arms</strong> for everyone in the printing industry (art directors, designers, print brokers, prepress professionals and print shop owners) to educate themselves about G7 method press calibration. Art directors, designers, and print brokers should start asking their print vendors if their presses are calibrated, and if so, with what method. Print shop owners and prepress professionals that embrace G7 calibration with an open mind might find that it&#8217;s what they&#8217;ve been looking for throughout their career. Print shops can empower their sales staff with their own SWOP calibration results and samples to show to existing and prospective customers.</p>
<p>Well calibrated presses translate into lower operating costs, faster press ready times, reduced or eliminated press checking, better press to press matching, better proof to print matching, reduced makeovers and most importantly, optimal quality. It is in all of our best interests to calibrate our presses, work with those who do and encourage those who are not yet doing so.</p>
<p>Download the <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ncmFjb2wub3JnL3Jlc291cmNlcy9HN19ob3ctdG9fdjZbZmluYWxdLnBkZg==" title=\"Calibration with G7\">Calibrating, Printing and Proofing by the G7 Method PDF</a> for some excellent reading on this process. We also have a collection of related offset printing links on the <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vbGlua3Mv" title=\"links\">Links page</a>.</p>
<p>[this article originally appeared in <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlci8yMC5odG1s" title=\"Nesletter 20\">Newsletter #20</a> June 2007]</p>
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		<title>ProofLine PressWhite offset proofing inkjet paper</title>
		<link>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/05/01/proofline-presswhite-offset-proofing-inkjet-paper/</link>
		<comments>http://www.on-sight.com/2008/05/01/proofline-presswhite-offset-proofing-inkjet-paper/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 21:25:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Scott Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.on-sight.com/2008/05/01/proofline-presswhite-offset-proofing-inkjet-paper/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I  have searched high and low for an excellent inkjet paper for offset press proofing. Most inkjet papers are designed for maximum gamut and black Dmax rendering. In comparison to what we typically see on press these papers have a much brighter white, a much larger color gamut and a higher, richer, darker DMax. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.on-sight.com/newsletter/images/ProofLine.gif" align="right" border="0" height="86" width="250" />I  have searched high and low for an excellent inkjet paper for offset press proofing. Most inkjet papers are designed for maximum gamut and black Dmax rendering. In comparison to what we typically see on press these papers have a much brighter white, a much larger color gamut and a higher, richer, darker DMax. What&#8217;s worse is that these papers don&#8217;t feel like offset stock and are typically too glossy or too matte.<span id="more-28"></span></p>
<p>Making inkjet paper specifically for offset proofing is a speciality process. Epson&#8217;s Semimatte Commercial Proofing paper is disappointingly yellow in comparison to most offset paper stocks used today that contain a modest amount of optical brighteners. There is a relatively new generation of very similar proofing papers from EFI, GMG, MidStates Graphics and a few others that look nearly identical to common coated offset stocks. I&#8217;ve tested and compared these papers side by side on a variety of printers and have decided that MidStates Graphics <strong>ProofLine Press White 195gsm</strong> is the paper best suited for my clients. It is available in all common sizes and appropriate for photographers, designers, ad agencies and print shops. Over the past 16 months I&#8217;ve seen a lot of agencies andprint shops make the switch and they are very happy with it.</p>
<p>I am shocked at the generally poor quality of proofs made today and am encouraging all of my clients to invest in this paper for their proofing needs. This paper isn&#8217;t yet available through any online resellers or any retail outlets. ProofLine papers are traditionally only sold through the distribution channels that print shops get their supplies from. So that all of my clients can easily get their hands on this paper, I&#8217;ve arranged for a distributor to sell this paper direct to Onsight clients at a 10%-20% discount. I have created custom pricing and order form PDFs that my clients should use when placing these orders. They are great to deal with and very prompt. I want to be that clear that Onsight is not selling this paper (we don&#8217;t sell products) we are simply trying to make it easier for our clients to order it from the distributer.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vZG93bmxvYWQvUHJvb2ZMaW5lX1ByaWNpbmcucGRm">Download the ProofLine Pricing PDF</a><br />
<a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vZG93bmxvYWQvUHJvb2ZMaW5lX09yZGVyX0Zvcm0ucGRm">Download the ProofLine Order Form PDF</a></p>
<p>I think you&#8217;ll find this paper can significantly enhance the quality of your proofs. As always I am available to show you print samples or to calibrate this paper on your own printer. Let me know if we can help.</p>
<p>[this article originally appeared in <a href="http://www.on-sight.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-feed-statistics/feed-statistics.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vbi1zaWdodC5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlci8yMC5odG1s" title=\"20\">Newsletter #20 </a>June 2007]</p>
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