Visit the Landscape and Marine Painting Blog by Alistair Butt ARSMA For up to date Watercolour/Watercolor and Oil paintings, Watercolour/Watercolor and Oil step-by-step demonstrations, tips, exhibitions, news, reference material trips, etc Click here (opens in new window) |
 |
REPRODUCING A WATERCOLOUR/WATERCOLOR PAINTING - Page 1 of 3
This page (one) gives an overview of equipment and materials needed to produce a reproduction of a watercolor/watercolor painting. On page two are details of the scanning of the painting and page three getting the file ready for printing.
Although the process from scanning to final print is a series of what seems simple tasks (with knowledge they become easy), the learning curve to get the best from each of these tasks can be steep and long. The steepness and length will depend on your knowledge of computers, scanning, colour/color adjustment, papers, printing etc. There are lots of web sites with more detailed information than I'll be giving below on the setting up of calibration equipment, monitor colour/color setup (no point in duplicating it here) and I would recommend spending some time gaining all the information/knowledge you can. The above does sound like hard work but most things are when in the learning curve but the rewards can be worth the effort.
As there are so many options on computers, both in terms of speed and cost. I will give only a basic overview of what is required. The equipment below is only a guide and should be used as nothing more than a starting points to relate to your needs.
The computer CPU will need to process very large files at times. As an example: a small 9x13 inch painting scanned at 300dpi produces a file of about 45mb, with the addition of one or two layers (for later adjustment), the final size is between 70 to 120mb. For this reason the computer needs to be as fast unless you are willing to wait for each process to take place.
Next the machine needs lots of RAM (something like 1.00 GB) and two large hard disks (120 GB each giving a total of 240 GB or above) for the processing and storage of the files.
Once a number of paintings have been scanned and adjusted and a accurate proof has been produced for each, the master files can then be burned onto TWO copies of DVD's or CD's. One is the master copy (once checked, do not use) and the second copy for use: - to produce prints, images for web sites etc. Keep the master and copy sets in two different locations for safety/security reasons.
Software:
The main software needed is a good image editing program. The program I've used since it first came out and quickly became the industrial/professional standard is 'Adobe Photoshop'. It is by no means the cheapest image editing program, there are other programs, which offer some if not all the features for less money.
Below are some useful links relating to colour/color management/correction:
Photoshop CS colour/color management by Ian Lyons (eight pages)
Basic Tone & Colour/Color Correction by Ian Lyons (four pages)
The ideal (if you have the space) is a CRT 19 or 21 inch monitor. A large monitor makes life that much easier when adjusting/working on the files but there's a greater cost/space involved.
The monitor will need to be calibrated (colour/color corrected) at least once a month, which is straight forward with the software and Spider (see below).
When working on adjusting the images, the room should be dark, no reflection's etc that can effect the colours/colors being judging on the screen.
The background on the monitor should also be set to a mid gray so as not to contrast with the image when making colour/color adjustments.
Monitor Calibration Device:
There are two parts to this. The first is the software which checks, sets up and creates the profile. The second is what's called a 'Spider' which is attached to the screen of the monitor and reads the colour/color being produced by it.
Calibration Devices have come down in price greatly of the last few years making them more affordable.
Once set-up the monitor will need calibrating at set periods (which only takes a few minutes) as all monitors are different and change over time, the older the monitor the more frequent it need calibrating.
Below are some useful links relating to Gamma and Monitor Calibration.
Monitor Calibration and Gamma or A background to Monitor and Gamma by Norman Koren
Gamma tutorial from W3C.
Gamma FAQ by Charles Poynton.
The Monitor calibration and Gamma by Pete Andrews.
CGSD Gamma Literature from CGSD.
The right scanner makes all the difference. Quality is paramount, a good scanner will provide top quality prints - a bad one will not. Most scan up to A4 size but A3 or larger versions are available.
The scanner should come with a TWAIN-compliant software program that allows the scanner to communicate with the image editing program e.g. Adobe Photoshop . What you can and can't do with your scanner will depend on the supplied software and this differs for each brand and is not transferable between brands. Some won't have a Descreen setting, others only able to scan at preset DPI values, no UnSharp Masking adjustment etc.
Another thing to consider is space either side of the scanner so that larger paintings can be scanner easily.
Scanner software
Scanners operate under the the control of software, which is supplied by the manufacturer and by a couple of vendors.
Hamrick VueScan For WIndows or Mac this is a popular and inexpensive program that supports a wide variety of scanners. Produces excellent results, but has a few drawbacks which are limited colour/color and tonal controls i.e. no curves and very slow screen refresh. Not a professional or high end program.
LaserSoft Silverfast This is a professional program which operates through the TWAIN interface. Silverfast supports a wide variety of scanners and offers greater and finer control over most manufacturer's software.
What to look for when choosing scanner software:
1. Does it have a histogram? Histograms are very useful for making tonal adjustments (for ensuring that shadow and highlights are set properly - 'Levels' in Photoshop).
2. How fast is it?
3. Does it support 48-bit scanning? But check that your image editor can handle 48-bit.
4. Can you lock the exposure settings? This can save lots of time and very useful when scanning a large painting and knowing all have been scanned using the same exposure settings.
Below are some useful links relating to Scanning and Scanners.
A few scanning tips by Wayne Fulton.
Scanning film by Norman Koren. Covers scanning of photographic film but the process and information relate to artwork.
A Primer on Image Histograms and Curves - How to scan Good tutorial by Dane Kosaka.
Imaging Resource has scanner reviews, tutorials plus lots of other image/photo/printing information and forums.
LaserSoft SilverFast Tutorials by Ian Lyons
Epson TWAIN Module by Ian Lyons. Useful introduction to Epson Twain.
One of the many Calibration charts available
Printers
For 13 inches wide (A3 plus) Epson Stylus Pro 2200 (to be replaced by R2400)
or Epson Printers for higher volume work.
For 17 inch wide Epson Stylus Pro 4000.
For 24 inch wide Epson Stylus Pro 7600.
For 44 inch wide Epson Stylus Pro 9600.
Papers
Epson sell a wide variety of excellent, reasonably priced, and reliable papers, but independent manufacturers are constantly expanding their offerings. Fine art digital printing papers tend to be versions of traditional art papers: thick, archival (100% cotton or rag), with variety of matte surfaces ranging from smooth to rough textured. For example "Velvet" is lightly textured (Epson's premium matte surface); "Watercolor" is more heavily textured (Radiant White) and "Fine Art" (only available in rolls). Please be aware that the surfaces of these paper can be quite delicate: they should be handled with care, before and after printing.
Inks
All inkjet printers fall into two categories: dye and pigment-based.
Dye-based inks are less expensive than pigment inks and tend to have larger colour/color gamut, but they are less light fast and chemically stable.
Pigment inks tend to be more expensive than dye inks, but they are much more light fast and chemically stable. Lifetimes are estimated at 80 to 200 or more years.
Epson are currently the only supplier of pigment-based inkjet printers, but several independent ink manufacturers supply pigment inks (via bottles etc attached to the printer). Epson photo printers fall into three categories:
Dye-based 6-color printers (Epson 1270/1280/1290, etc).
Early pigment-based 6-color printers (Epson 2000P, 5500, 10000, etc.)
Pigment-based 7 or 8-color "Ultrachrome" printers (Epson Stylus Photo 2100/2200, 7600, 9600, 4000, R800).
Below are some useful links relating to Printer Calibration, ICC profiles and Printing.
Printer calibration and Photo printers plus Papers and inks by Norman Koren
Steves Digicams - comprehensive set of printer reviews
Inkjetart.com lots of information on Epson printers, scanners, inks and paper
Managing Colour when Printing by Ian Lyons
Soft Proofing using the display by Ian Lyons (three pages)
