Color Originals
Photographic Images - Most printed color images are reproductions of photographs. The originals may exist as positives, negatives or transparencies.
- In the absence of a digital camera, color originals must be scanned to be reproduced. (Really a digital camera is just a live scene scanner, so all images must be scanned to be printed.)
- Color photographs are based on 3 color CMY dyes plus black from silver atoms (but a wider gamut than CMYK inks).
- Films balanced for daylight (5000 °K) are better for reproduction and viewing under standard viewing conditions
- Transparencies and prints are generally good for scanning on a desktop scanner. Many desktop scanners are unable to handle color negatives. We’ll return to scanning later.
Artist Renditions - These may be created on conventional media, paper, canvas, etc. with conventional materials, oils, watercolors, chalk, crayon, etc. or using painting programs such as Fractal Design’s Painter or even Photoshop.Artwork can be scanned so long as it fits on the scanner.
- Pigments and dyes used by artist may not match well the color gamut of the printing inks.
- Fluorescence and texture in artist’s original may not be reproduced well with process colors on flat paper.