Image Enlargement - Photoshop vs Lightroom

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gingerweasel

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Hi all, I'm currently looking at my digital workflow and one of the steps I want to add is image enlargement. In future I'll be printing up to 18x12 so I figured I'd batch enlarge all RAW files into my working directory as TIFFs.

Two questions:

1) Should I do this as my first processing step before any tweaks are made?
2) Which is better for image enlargement, Lightroom or Photoshop with bicubic enlargement?
 
Interesting, I'd like to know too since I'd sorta be doing the same thing :)
*watches thread*
 
Enlargement or reduction is usually the last step I do before saving.

I don't have LR so use CS5, I just recorded an action for each size I want to create and each aspect, ie 18 x 12 portrait, 18 x 12 landscape, 18 x 18 square.

When recording the action don't forget to set the resolution to the desired output, I try to keep larger sizes 300 DPi or larger, medium resolution (1200-800 pixels for web) is 150 DPi and 72 DPi for smallish web stuff ie 600 pixels or smaller.

After spending a little while recording each action and saving it I can now just click on automate and batch, then run the action on all suitable images, the only downside is I havent found a way around having to separate my images into landscape format and portrait format before running the automation.
 
iancandler said:
Enlargement or reduction is usually the last step I do before saving.

I don't have LR so use CS5, I just recorded an action for each size I want to create and each aspect, ie 18 x 12 portrait, 18 x 12 landscape, 18 x 18 square.

When recording the action don't forget to set the resolution to the desired output, I try to keep larger sizes 300 DPi or larger, medium resolution (1200-800 pixels for web) is 150 DPi and 72 DPi for smallish web stuff ie 600 pixels or smaller.

After spending a little while recording each action and saving it I can now just click on automate and batch, then run the action on all suitable images, the only downside is I havent found a way around having to separate my images into landscape format and portrait format before running the automation.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure DPI is only relevant for printing, only pixels matter for web stuff..
 
Hi Ian thanks for the response.

My reason for considering this as the first step was so LR or PS was only having to look at enlarging the RAW data rather than any processing I've added. That way my noise reduction or sharpening would be applied more affectively?

In terms of which application I would prefer to use LR as most of my processing is done through that. However it's been suggested that the algorithm used by LR for enlargements is not as affective as those used in PS.
 
Is there any advantage to enlarging yourself rather than just cropping to the aspect ratio you want and sending it to a decent printing place?
 
grum said:
Is there any advantage to enlarging yourself rather than just cropping to the aspect ratio you want and sending it to a decent printing place?
Click to expand...

I would have thought that the printer would simply resize in that situation which would reduce the dpi and therefore the quality.

Enlarging myself I maintain the dpi.







.
 
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grum said:
But why is your resizing going to be any better than the printer's?
Click to expand...

I figured they resize rather than enlarge?

So essentially they stretch the existing image to fit the given dimensions. With upscaling or enlarging PS or Lightroom simulate additional pixels based on complex algorithms that analyse the surrounding pixel data.

One is attempting to increase the image size and data within it, the other is simply stretching, or am I wrong?
 
gingerweasel said:
With upscaling or enlarging PS or Lightroom simulate additional pixels based on complex algorithms that analyse the surrounding pixel data.
Click to expand...
This is the key. In PS you have a choice about which upscaling algorithm you use. If you give it to someone else to do, you have no choice... Does it make a difference - possibly, possibly not...
 
Either way, definitely don't do it /before/ lightroom... lightroom's purpose is for organising all of your files and applying basic processing. You then export to finish the image.

That and TIFFs of every single photo that you take will burn through hard drives...
 
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