Recently I've heard of B&W plug-ins by an outfit called SilverOxide. However they are quite pricey running $60 to $70 per film type. I've the Epson 2200 printer but no RIP software other than Quadtone.
Would it be a waste to purchase such plug-ins under these circumstances?
Dave
Posted by Leo Doucet on January 31, 2007 at 10:08 AM
First I would try to download a trial version and see if it works with your set-up as they say, no trial version then don't buy.
... Leo ...
Posted by David Prichard on January 31, 2007 at 12:03 PM
I don't know anything about the particular plug-in that you mention, but anything that a plug-in can do can be done manually in PS. Plug-in's are decent tools for those with not enough Photoshop experience, although they're a waste of money and system resource hogs.
I agree with Michael. Printing neutral or accurately toned B&W on the 2200 requires selective control of the inks used. Only a RIP can give you that. Photoshop does not communicate directly with the printer. It sends the file to the driver which is not optimized for B&W.
Really Photoshop already gives you all the tools you need to convert the file, apply filtering, dodge/burn, and anything else you might do in a wet darkroom. My suggestion is to explore these tools, then experiment with Quadtone settings to get the print to match.
From what I understand SilverOxide can mimic the look of specific films. Personally I don't understand why that's useful. Even if you had the image on a film of your choice, chances are you'd still want to process it to achieve the right look in print.
If you do want to play with plugins, there's a lot of free ones, including some nice ones from TLR:
Discussion
4 repliesWould it be a waste to purchase such plug-ins under these circumstances?
Dave
... Leo ...
Unfortunately the demos don't let you print.
Dave
Really Photoshop already gives you all the tools you need to convert the file, apply filtering, dodge/burn, and anything else you might do in a wet darkroom. My suggestion is to explore these tools, then experiment with Quadtone settings to get the print to match.
From what I understand SilverOxide can mimic the look of specific films. Personally I don't understand why that's useful. Even if you had the image on a film of your choice, chances are you'd still want to process it to achieve the right look in print.
If you do want to play with plugins, there's a lot of free ones, including some nice ones from TLR:
http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/photoshop-tools.htm
Guy