In the Print module, watch out for items that don’t even look like they are selectable. For example, in the Page panel’s Identity Plate area, when you have the Identity Plate check-box enabled you will see a small indicator to the right of it showing the current rotation in degrees.
When you click this you’ll see a popup menu offering other rotation options to choose from.
Labels: degree, identity plate, Lightroom, options, page panel, print module, Rotate, rotation, rotation options
One hidden feature of the Lightroom print module is the ability to add a frame to an image. In this post I’ll show you how to add a frame to an image before exporting it as a JPEG image ready for uploading to the web or printing.
In Lightroom 3 you can create an image and export it as a JPG image from the Print module – however before you set this up, it’s a good idea to create a frame to use. I’m going to use a hand drawn border but you can use anything of your own design.
Start in a program like Photoshop and create a new image the size that you want to print from Lightroom. This is a critical step because the border image that you’re about to create cannot be resized any larger in any dimension than the Lightroom file dimensions that you plan printing to.
So, for example, if you want to print a landscape image on letter paper you need to create a frame image of the exact dimensions (or at least the exact ratio of dimensions) of an 11 x 8.5 inch sheet of paper. If you do this, the frame can be sized to the full size of the image in Lightroom.
Set the resolution of the new image as desired – I do this so it matches the resolution that I want to print from Lightroom at – so I use 300 dpi
Design your frame making sure the inside of the frame is transparent if you plan for your frame to be placed over the image in Lightroom.
When you are done, choose File > Save As and save the image as a PNG format file so that the transparency information is retained – the JPEG image file format doesn’t support transparency.
Close Photoshop, open Lightroom, select the image to print and click to open the Print module.
From the Layout Style panel select Custom Package. In the Print Job panel select Print To: JPEG File. Select Custom File Dimensions and set the size to the same 11 x 8.5 inches that you set the frame to be.
Set the File Resolution to the desired resolution – I’ve used 300 dpi.
You will add the frame as a graphical Identity Plate. So open the Page panel and select the Identity Plate checkbox. Click on the identity plate box and, from the menu which appears, choose Edit then select the Use a Graphical Identity Plate option button. Click Locate File, select the frame png file you just saved and click Choose. You will most likely be warned that the file is very large – if so, click Use Anyway and click Ok.
The frame will appear as an Identity Plate over the top of the image. Adjust the Scale slider to size it up to 100 percent which should ensure the frame fills the page size that you are working with.
As the middle of the frame image was created as transparent, the image underneath it shows through it.
You can use the Render Behind Image option to place the frame under the image if that’s the way you have designed it to work.
Once you’ve added your identity plate select to print to file and the framed image will be printed to a new file.
Before I am done, I click the Identity Plate box again and choose Edit and then from the Custom dropdown list I choose Save As to save the graphic frame as an Identity Plate I can use at any time in the future.
Armed with Photoshop you can create any sort of frame and import it as an identity plate to add a border to an image in Lightroom.
Labels: add a border, border, identity plate, Lightroom, Lightroom 3, Photoshop, print, print module
Categories:Uncategorized
One issue with Lightroom is that all the images that you print from the print module print with white backgrounds.
While Lightroom does not offer color backgrounds for images, there is a workaround that you can use to print with any color background you like.
Here’s how to do this:
Start in Photoshop or another bitmap editor that lets you create and save JPG images. Create a new image the size of the page that you want to print.
For convenience, I’d create images for all the paper sizes you plan to use all at once. This means you may want one for 5 x 7″ paper, one for 4 x 6″ and one for Letter paper for example. Whatever size you print at, create a new image that size and at around 96 pixels per inch if you’re using a solid color background.
Fill the document that you have created with the color background that you want to use. For example, if you want a black background, fill the documents with black and for another color background, fill the document with that color.
If you typically use an Identity Plate to print your name or other details on the image in Lightroom then you’ll need to know that what you’re doing right now is creating something that will replace the Identity Plate in Lightroom so you can’t use both a background and a text identity plate.
However, if you know this ahead of time you can add the same details you add to your identity plate to this image as text.
If you plan to do this, you’ll will need separate documents for each paper size in each of the two orientations: Landscape and Portrait. If you’re just using plain backgrounds you won’t need to create one in each orientation as you can rotate the images later on – you just won’t want to rotate something that has text in it. You will probably want the images to be a better size for printing so 1500 x 1000 pixels will print on 6 x 4 paper at 250 dpi so the text will look crisp and neat.
Once you’ve created all your documents, save each with a name that indicates its size and color and, if relevant, its orientation. I suggest you save it somewhere that will make it easy to find and so they are safe from being removed accidentally.
Return to Lightroom and switch to the Print module. Set up your image or images to print. You can use a Contact Sheet/Grid layout or a Picture Package.
To add your background locate the Overlays panel on the right and click the Identity Plate checkbox. Click on the Identity Plate to display the menu and select Edit. When the Identity Plate Editor dialog opens, click the Use a graphical identity plate option and click Locate File.
Select the image that you created for this paper size (and orientation, if applicable), and click Choose. Click Ok to add the image as the Identity Plate.
When the image appears in the document set the scale to 100 so it fills the page layout and drag it into position.
You might notice that you cannot make the image any bigger than the page itself and you can’t drag it out of its original aspect ratio – this is why you need to create multiple versions of the image one for each paper size as the ratios 8:10, 5:7 and 4:6 are all different.
Once you’ve dragged the background over the entire page, click the Render Behind Image option in the Overlays area.
This moves the solid color image behind the pictures on the page.
You can now change the stroke border if desired to, for example, add a white or gray stroke if you’re using a black or dark gray background.
Then go ahead and print your image.
You might realize by now that any image can be used as a print background.
So, for example, you can crop an image in Lightroom to the size that you need for the background, export it to disk as a JPG and then reimport it as an Identity Plate to use as a background for your printed images.
You could do this with a black and white version of an image or a color version. The Overlays > Identity Plate area also provides an Opacity slider allowing you to make the image partially opaque to lighten it so it doesn’t overwhelm the images you are printing.
When you are done, save your Identity Plate by clicking on the Identity Plate option, choose Edit and then from the custom dropdown list, choose Save As and save it so that it can be easily accessed next time.
Labels: Lightroom 2, print module, print with colored backgrounds
Categories:Uncategorized
