Where to develop photos?

[shelomoh]

You take in DSLR, and want to print it out, where do we go?

Recommended places of course and what is the cost.

Some places that my friend went to, he said they anyhow crop and the color comes out different.

Let's say we want to develop 3R, what is the resolution to crop to and what color space to use?

 

[etegration]

mostly, digital develops as 4R now. i use fotohub most often. Snapfish is cheaper but not as sharp in printing.

http://www.fotohub.com

http://www.snapfish.com/

Snapfish has a rep in these forums and he replied and helped me when my prints was not delivered. Service i would say i good. Fotohub you can walk in as they have shops around the island and in house staff are really helpful and knowledgeable in their products.

 

[Octarine]

You take in DSLR, and want to print it out, where do we go? Recommended places of course and what is the cost.

Print labs are all over the place in Singapore. For recommended places please have a look at Consumer Corner.

Some places that my friend went to, he said they anyhow crop and the color comes out different.
Let's say we want to develop 3R, what is the resolution to crop to and what color space to use?

There is more than one topic you need to read up (and maybe your friend as well):
- Colour space and colour profile (sRGB and Adobe are fine - as long as you keep the profile embedded)
- Calibration of your monitor for exact colour editing
- Print size and necessary resolution / aspect ratio.
For the last point you might want to read this thread and search the forum for more details. Key words are in red, feel free to adjust on your own.
Another website about printing: http://www.bythom.com/printsizes.htm

 

[tunge]

I go here

Konota Dept Store
Shop : 111 Peninsula Plaza, #01-40 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179098
Contact: 63334492
Email: konotaquck@hotmail.com
OPERATING HOURS: Mon-Fri 10:00am-8:00pm, Sat 10:00am-7:00pm, Sun 3PM to 7PM

 

[laposto]

I go here

Konota Dept Store
Shop : 111 Peninsula Plaza, #01-40 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179098
Contact: 63334492
Email: konotaquck@hotmail.com
OPERATING HOURS: Mon-Fri 10:00am-8:00pm, Sat 10:00am-7:00pm, Sun 3PM to 7PM

do they allow dark room rental here.. if yes.. then what kind of enlarger do they have and what focal are the lenses?

 

[tunge]

do they allow dark room rental here.. if yes.. then what kind of enlarger do they have and what focal are the lenses?

wah biangz u don't have phone meh?! i post the details of the store, u can call them to ask all that u wanna ask.

i only say i go there to develope my photos, i don't work there leh

 

[night86mare]

dslr?

got so many.. grace.. triple d.. ruby photo.. chinatown got a few.. konota.. you go look around more, do a google search restricting site search to clubsnap, sure can find..

 

[ianhyk]

do u guys know if most printing shops have calibrated monitors and printers?

 

[laposto]

wah biangz u don't have phone meh?! i post the details of the store, u can call them to ask all that u wanna ask.

i only say i go there to develope my photos, i don't work there leh

nobody says you work there mah. u can just simply say you are not sure instead of bragging like an auntie wif period. if u dun want to be asked then don't post lah jsut keep your mouth shut. forum is QnA.. no point to be rude coz i ask u nicely. :nono:

 

[tunge]

nobody says you work there mah. u can just simply say you are not sure instead of bragging like an auntie wif period. if u dun want to be asked then don't post lah jsut keep your mouth shut. forum is QnA.. no point to be rude coz i ask u nicely. :nono:

i'm free to post what i want... btw i posting the Shop in response to TS question, u come in n OT, kao bei what.

already post the full shop address with telephone number n address. u just need to lift up ur golden fingers n dial a few numbers u can get all the answers u need, but then guess what, u decide to go off topic on other people's posting. :thumbsd:

it's precisely people like u who expects to be spoonfed like a baby that just irritates me :nono:, somemore u r not newbie, somemore still call urself an "organiser" i laugh haha.. :bsmilie:

 

[laposto]

i'm free to post what i want... btw i posting the Shop in response to TS question, u come in n OT, kao bei what.

already post the full shop address with telephone number n address. u just need to lift up ur golden fingers n dial a few numbers u can get all the answers u need, but then guess what, u decide to go off topic on other people's posting. :thumbsd:

:bsmilie:

point taken. if you feel its off topic even the subject is to where develop photo then i apologize but do you u have to be rude when someone asked u nicely?

if you feel agitated and irritated and you feel that my question is too spoon feeding for u then lets just cut it off.. this little difference wont do anything nice anyways. not in this forum.

I know you can post anything you like and anything u want anywhere and anytime but it does not mean you cannot answer nicely also.

i apologize if i called you names... that is a sudden blood rush talking. nonetheless this is the last post for me in this subject.

 

[shelomoh]

Thanks for all your inputs, I will read up more and check out the shop.

 

[chua beng]

do u guys know if most printing shops have calibrated monitors and printers?

I find that to tally what you see in your own computer with what the lab computer sees and prints is not worth the effort. A reliable lab like Konota and many others recommended in CS will print your pics nicely based on the judgement of the person who prints for you. To achieve good printing results from labs, it will help if you have calibrated your own monitor(even basic Adobe Gamma can do) and that you are not using cheap lousy monitors(Sony and Viewsonic are reliable), and that your basic judgment of colors are ok. This is all so subjective. There are many who will go all the way to calibrate their monitors with expensive calibrating hardware and software but that does not necessarily make the labs see the same colors as you do at home. In commercial digital photography, hardcopy color proofs are always attached to softcopies in CDs/DVDs for color-proofing and fine-tuning if necessary.

Overall, if you want minimum fuss, try out a few different lighting condition image files at selected few labs that are closer to your home or office and see which lab churn out the nicest prints for you to decide which lab you wanna stick to. Again, that does not guarantee consistencies. So, you will still have to keep trying till you find your preferred lab. Cheers and Good Luck! (Personally, I like Konota).

 

[Octarine]

I find that to tally what you see in your own computer with what the lab computer sees and prints is not worth the effort. A reliable lab like Konota and many others recommended in CS will print your pics nicely based on the judgement of the person who prints for you. [...]

After spending certain amount of time to achieve an effect to my liking I don't want anybody in mass printing lab deciding that the colours should be changed. Even the basic calibration that you suggested is useless if some newbie at the printing machine uses a standard printing setting just get the job done. I have seen many nice pictures with intended colour shifts - using the 'standard holiday picture profile' would destroy everything.
For proper post-processing a calibrated workflow is mandatory - and the lab should respect colour decisions and editing results instead of tinkering around. After all - how can one learn about PP when a lab always sneaks in and makes changes?

 

[sebianos]

After spending certain amount of time to achieve an effect to my liking I don't want anybody in mass printing lab deciding that the colours should be changed. Even the basic calibration that you suggested is useless if some newbie at the printing machine uses a standard printing setting just get the job done. I have seen many nice pictures with intended colour shifts - using the 'standard holiday picture profile' would destroy everything.
For proper post-processing a calibrated workflow is mandatory - and the lab should respect colour decisions and editing results instead of tinkering around. After all - how can one learn about PP when a lab always sneaks in and makes changes?

Agree but many things will affect the intended effect. The type of paper and the printing machine for examples. Best way is to send the same file to a few print developer to see which one you like best.

Doing fine prints is an art and whole books have been written on the chemicals and papers used to achieve a certain print. And also why prints made by a master printer can cost you, my friend recommended konota even though he said that the prints are not as good as they were years back.

 

[neech7]

I go here

Konota Dept Store
Shop : 111 Peninsula Plaza, #01-40 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179098
Contact: 63334492
Email: konotaquck@hotmail.com
OPERATING HOURS: Mon-Fri 10:00am-8:00pm, Sat 10:00am-7:00pm, Sun 3PM to 7PM

One of the ladies working there is quite nasty. Talked down to me. Asked a few questions and she started to get impatient. She seems to treat me and other customers like we know nothing about photography and that we should accept her opinion as fact.

Maybe I need to carry a Canon 1DM4 with a big white lens attached into the shop to impress her first otherwise she treat me like a kid. :bsmilie:

 

[tunge]

One of the ladies working there is quite nasty. Talked down to me. Asked a few questions and she started to get impatient. She seems to treat me and other customers like we know nothing about photography and that we should accept her opinion as fact.

Maybe I need to carry a Canon 1DM4 with a big white lens attached into the shop to impress her first otherwise she treat me like a kid. :bsmilie:

i don't know u ask her what questions... but i've been there quite a few times w/o any problems leh. end of day the day, i bring my pictures, they print for me, i like the quality. no complains.

 

[neech7]

i don't know u ask her what questions... but i've been there quite a few times w/o any problems leh. end of day the day, i bring my pictures, they print for me, i like the quality. no complains.

I asked her whether they make colour adjustments to my pictures before they print cos when using the self service machines, my pictures looked very warm compared to my monitor at home. I only went there cos I was at Peninsula Plaza to see my lawyer. At 40 cents per print, they are not exactly super cheapo, so I wish the service would be a little better.

Do note that there's more than one lady working there, so we could have dealt with different people.

 

[HLZQ4]

After spending certain amount of time to achieve an effect to my liking I don't want anybody in mass printing lab deciding that the colours should be changed. Even the basic calibration that you suggested is useless if some newbie at the printing machine uses a standard printing setting just get the job done. I have seen many nice pictures with intended colour shifts - using the 'standard holiday picture profile' would destroy everything.
For proper post-processing a calibrated workflow is mandatory - and the lab should respect colour decisions and editing results instead of tinkering around. After all - how can one learn about PP when a lab always sneaks in and makes changes?

Hi Octarine, with regards to your post above, does it means that if I have calibrated my monitor and have done the PP to my liking and then brings it to the lab and tell them to develop with NO ADDITIONAL adjustments, the prints will come out close to what I see on my monitor? Regardless of what their own screen (calibrated or not calibrated) at their shop shows? (That is to ignore the effects of machine, paper etc...)

 

[haorengz]

I used snapfish service several times, but not really satisfied with the quality of the print, cheaper print paper is used. but no complain to their service and price...