Seminars on Digital Fine Art Reproduction
As one of the photographers/printmakers who played a role in the development of the HP Artist Software Solution for Nikon, I receive a steady stream of questions about digital fine art reproduction. Some people ask about the type of technical equipment and photographic proficiency required. Others are more concerned about the feasibility of getting into digital fine-art reproduction as a business. All of these questions are valid, and I will address many of them on a new post on this blog next week. But if you’re seriously interested in entering the digital fine-art reproduction business, I would encourage you to attend one of the seminars I will be presenting in the New York and Washington, DC area in early June.
You may be surprised to see how much things have changed. A few years ago, the level of financial investment and technical skill required for digital fine-art reproduction was daunting. Now, the technology and software have advanced to the point that digital fine-art reproduction is no longer strictly an enterprise for a small elite.
The HP Artist Software Solution for Nikon helps make it more practical for more museums, galleries, artists, art publishers, and curators to convert more of the artwork in their collections into digital files and print them out in various sizes and formats as desired.
Applications for fine art reproduction include (but aren’t limited to): the creation of limited-edition reproductions of watercolor paintings, drawings or sketches for sale or exhibitions; the restoration and archiving of national collections of artworks; and reproductions of private art collections for family estates and heirlooms.
Once the art has been digitally captured and archived, the files can also be used to create various types of promotions for gallery exhibits as well as posters and other items to be sold in museum or resort-area gift shops.
Many museums, galleries, and art publishers may choose to establish their own in-house art-reproduction facilities. But many opportunities also exist in digital fine-art reproduction for enterprising photographers and print-service providers who want to diversify their businesses.
If you attend one of my seminars, I will show you exactly how the HP Artist Software Solution for Nikon works. First, I’ll talk about how to prepare your studio for image capture using the Nikon D3/D3x, then I will demonstrate how the HP Artist Software solution embedded in the Ergosoft StudioPrint RIP controls color, exposure, illumination, density and media selection. You will also see how the printing process is managed with the Designjet Z3200.
Best of all you’ll be able to see for yourself how the quality of the Designjet reproduction compares to the original captured with the HP Artist Software solution for Nikon. I think you’ll be amazed to see how much less labor-intensive and less expensive is has become to produce gallery or exhibition-quality prints.
In the seminar, I’ll also explain why I firmly believe most start-ups should be able to achieve the transition from break-even to profitability within a year. I’ve spent a lot of time doing profit/loss calculations for different reproduction scenarios and will be happy to share my findings with you. We will also review methods for recruiting artists or organizations as new customers, and show how you can help coach your clients to effectively market their art reproductions at reasonable cost. You’ll also receive access to a downloadable portfolio of supporting technical papers, how-to guides, and other documents. (For a preview, visit the HP Artist Solution for Nikon directory on my website.)
The first three seminars are scheduled for: Monday, June 1 at B&H Photo in New York, Tuesday, June 2 at Adorama Photo in New York; and Wednesday, June 4 at Mac Business Solutions in Gaithersburg, MD (serving the Washington DC Metro area). If you can’t attend any of these first three seminars, but might be interested in attending seminars in other cities, please let me know.
And if you’re still not sure whether Digital Fine Art Reproduction is an opportunity that makes sense for you, check this blog next week when I’ll be posting answers to the most frequently asked questions about the still-expanding field of Digital Fine Art Reproduction.
Photokina Report 2: The HP Artist System
By David Saffir
The HP Artist System for Digital Fine Art Reproduction is truly something new under the sun. First demonstrated with the Designjet Z3200 at Photokina 2008, this system incorporates end-to-end production tools and workflow for very high-quality fine-art reproduction. What used to be a tedious, time-consuming, and expensive task is now much more streamlined, consistent, and less costly. In fact, my preliminary analysis shows that the cost of reproducing one piece of artwork can now be reduced by as much as 70 to 80%. This does not include any savings which may be realized through reduction in wasted materials or unneeded proofs.
In the past, photographer/printmakers such as myself typically used some type of flat-copy setup to photograph artwork. Supported by an easel, the artwork was illuminated by two lights at opposing 45-degree angles. With the camera centered on and parallel to the artwork, I photographed the artwork then printed it.
This method involves several problems. First, the lighting setup described above makes it difficult to render finer details of textures and brushstrokes in the reproduced print. Given the uniformity of the lighting, the final image often looked “flat.” While advanced lighting and Photoshop techniques can mitigate this, it requires additional time and expense to do so.
Controlling the color temperature of lighting can also be problematic, as can ensuring that illumination is perfectly even (i.e., +/- 1/10 stop). Some lighting types can be inconsistent and reflectance and density vary from painting to painting, as does color. In the past, managing these variables has required painstaking attention to detail at every stage of production. In order to succeed in the fine-art reproduction business, a photographer needed experience and specialized training.
The new HP Artist Solution streamlines the workflow, provides critical support in key areas of production and quality control, ensures consistent results, and saves time and money. The HP Artist solution is embedded in Ergosoft’s StudioPrint RIP, a specialized print-management program for wide-format photo printers. From the main menu, choose Tools>HP Artist. This dialogue box will appear:
There are ten basic, easy-to-follow steps:
Step 1: Set the artwork up on a flat background, preferably black in color.
Step 2: Ensure that your workroom doesn’t allow ambient light to interfere.
Step 3: Set up your lights, continuous or strobe. They can be arranged in a copy-style setup, or on only one side of the artwork to emphasize textures.
Step 4: Place a clean white board (such as a matt board) on the easel. Illuminate the white board as you would the artwork.
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Step 5: Set up your lighting. It isn’t necessary to create even illumination on the target. The computer program will correct any variations in luminance, even in the corners. Allow your lighting to warm up for 30 minutes, or fire strobes several times.
Step 6: Set up the camera on a tripod or studio stand square to the white board, and photograph it at a proper exposure (check your histogram!) The Nikon D3 using the 105mm Macro VR lens is recommended.
Step 7: Without changing the placement or geometry of the setup, place the artwork on the easel and photograph it. Once work has begun, you can photograph as many additional pieces as necessary.
Step 8: Save these files to a folder on the same computer where you keep the HP Artist software.
Step 9: Follow the provided instructions. You will now take simple measurements of the lighting striking the target, the white board, and the artwork. The artwork measurements involve sampling colors from the piece itself using an X-Rite i1 spectrophotometer. With a bit of practice, I can do this for a 20 x 30 piece in about five minutes.
Step 10: Load your measurements and images into HP Artist software. Click “Process.” In less than a minute, you’ll have your adjusted image file, ready for final editing in Photoshop
How does this system compare to older methods?
In my view, HP Artist provides a greatly improved adjusted image file, ready for final tweaking in Photoshop and printing. Time to completion is significantly less.
The chart below is based on my own experience over the past few years. It compares the amount of time it typically took me to set up and shoot artwork using my previous steps to the time it now takes me to do the same job with the HP Artist software in the Ergosoft RIP.
Note that a job that once took more than five hours (315 minutes) can now be done in slightly more than a hour (67 minutes).
The cost savings are substantial. Assuming labor and overhead costs of $150/hr., a job that once cost $800 to complete can now be done for about $165.This savings of $630 doesn’t even take into account any additional materials costs that might have been incurred making multiple proof prints. Even if my HP Artist cost estimates are off by 50%, the cost reduction is still quite significant.
In my next post, I’ll present a pro-forma Profit and Loss statement that can help you evaluate what type of impact this kind of investment can have on your business.
The HP Artist System for Digital Fine Art Reproduction is truly something new under the sun. First demonstrated with the Designjet Z3200 at Photokina 2008, this system incorporates end-to-end production tools and workflow for very high-quality fine-art reproduction. What used to be a tedious, time-consuming, and expensive task is now much more streamlined, consistent, and less costly. In fact, my preliminary analysis shows that the cost of reproducing one piece of artwork can now be reduced by as much as 70 to 80%. This does not include any savings which may be realized through reduction in wasted materials or unneeded proofs.
In the past, photographer/printmakers such as myself typically used some type of flat-copy setup to photograph artwork. Supported by an easel, the artwork was illuminated by two lights at opposing 45-degree angles. With the camera centered on and parallel to the artwork, I photographed the artwork then printed it.
This method involves several problems. First, the lighting setup described above makes it difficult to render finer details of textures and brushstrokes in the reproduced print. Given the uniformity of the lighting, the final image often looked “flat.” While advanced lighting and Photoshop techniques can mitigate this, it requires additional time and expense to do so.
Controlling the color temperature of lighting can also be problematic, as can ensuring that illumination is perfectly even (i.e., +/- 1/10 stop). Some lighting types can be inconsistent and reflectance and density vary from painting to painting, as does color. In the past, managing these variables has required painstaking attention to detail at every stage of production. In order to succeed in the fine-art reproduction business, a photographer needed experience and specialized training.
The new HP Artist Solution streamlines the workflow, provides critical support in key areas of production and quality control, ensures consistent results, and saves time and money. The HP Artist solution is embedded in Ergosoft’s StudioPrint RIP, a specialized print-management program for wide-format photo printers. From the main menu, choose Tools>HP Artist. This dialogue box will appear:
There are ten basic, easy-to-follow steps:
Step 1: Set the artwork up on a flat background, preferably black in color.
Step 2: Ensure that your workroom doesn’t allow ambient light to interfere.
Step 3: Set up your lights, continuous or strobe. They can be arranged in a copy-style setup, or on only one side of the artwork to emphasize textures.
Step 4: Place a clean white board (such as a matt board) on the easel. Illuminate the white board as you would the artwork.
Step 5: Set up your lighting. It isn’t necessary to create even illumination on the target. The computer program will correct any variations in luminance, even in the corners. Allow your lighting to warm up for 30 minutes, or fire strobes several times.
Step 6: Set up the camera on a tripod or studio stand square to the white board, and photograph it at a proper exposure (check your histogram!) The Nikon D3 using the 105mm Macro VR lens is recommended.
Step 7: Without changing the placement or geometry of the setup, place the artwork on the easel and photograph it. Once work has begun, you can photograph as many additional pieces as necessary.
Step 8: Save these files to a folder on the same computer where you keep the HP Artist software.
Step 9: Follow the provided instructions. You will now take simple measurements of the lighting striking the target, the white board, and the artwork. The artwork measurements involve sampling colors from the piece itself using an X-Rite i1 spectrophotometer. With a bit of practice, I can do this for a 20 x 30 piece in about five minutes.
Step 10: Load your measurements and images into HP Artist software. Click “Process.” In less than a minute, you’ll have your adjusted image file, ready for final editing in Photoshop
How does this system compare to older methods?
In my view, HP Artist provides a greatly improved adjusted image file, ready for final tweaking in Photoshop and printing. Time to completion is significantly less.
The chart below is based on my own experience over the past few years. It compares the amount of time it typically took me to set up and shoot artwork using my previous steps to the time it now takes me to do the same job with the HP Artist software in the Ergosoft RIP.
Note that a job that once took more than five hours (315 minutes) can now be done in slightly more than a hour (67 minutes).
The cost savings are substantial. Assuming labor and overhead costs of $150/hr., a job that once cost $800 to complete can now be done for about $165.This savings of $630 doesn’t even take into account any additional materials costs that might have been incurred making multiple proof prints. Even if my HP Artist cost estimates are off by 50%, the cost reduction is still quite significant.
In my next post, I’ll present a pro-forma Profit and Loss statement that can help you evaluate what type of impact this kind of investment can have on your business.
| PREVIOUS METHOD | Minutes |
| Set up lighting | 15 |
| Meter and adjust lighting on artwork | 25 |
| Photograph color chart or gray card | 5 |
| Photograph artwork, review result | 15 |
| Adjust camera/lighting. Photograph again | 15 |
| Import image into Photoshop. Edit color, luminance, contrast, etc. | 90 |
| Calibrate printer | 30 |
| Profile media | 120 |
| TOTAL TIME | 315 |
| HP ARTIST SOFTWARE IN ERGOSOFT STUDIOPRINT | |
| Measure artwork | 10 |
| Photograph reference backing board | 1 |
| Set up lighting | 5 |
| Measure lighting incrementally by hand w/ incident lightmeter | 1 |
| Photograph color chart or gray card | 5 |
| Photograph artwork, review result | 15 |
| Adjust camera/lighting. Photograph again | 0 |
| Import measurement data and images into HP Artist/StudioPrint and process | 10 |
| Calibrate printer using automated system on StudioPrint and Designjet Z3200 | 10 |
| Profile media using automated systems on StudioPrint and Designjet Z3200 | 20 |
| TOTAL TIME | 67 |
