When capturing images, it is important that certain guidlines are followed to achieve the best product for the client.
The following Australian Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines are reproduced here and endorsed by:
ACMP (Association of Australian Commercial + Media Photographers)
AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography)
PICA (Photo Imaging Council of Australia)
More details can be found at Australian Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines.
The following guidelines have been established to help photographers delivering digital files. You are granted permission and encouraged to distribute these guidelines but only in their entirety and not for profit.
CRITICAL PARAMETERS
- ICC colour-managed environment.
- Captured digital images are in camera’s RAW format.
- Monitor is calibrated regularly with a hardware device to the D65 standard and Gamma 2.2. This is becoming a worldwide standard.
- For Prepress use
- Colour space: Adobe RGB (1998) embedded in final image.
- File format: TIFF uncompressed in Windows byte order, or JPEG at level 12 compression, @ 300 PPI (DPI).
- Files on CD/DVD burned to ISO 9660.
RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS
- For Web use
- Colour space: sRGB embedded in final image.
- File format: JPEG.
- Converting to CMYK
- Will convert files to CMYK when a profile or full press specifications are supplied by the client, and no further retouching is required.
- File format: TIFF uncompressed in Windows byte order, or JPEG at level12 compression, @ 300 PPI (DPI). Sized to final art with final sharpening.
- For printing to colour-managed lab
- File specifications are supplied as AdobeRGB, JPG, 300ppi unless specified otherwise.
- Soft-proof using lab-supplied colour profile for the specific media with monitor correctly profiled.
- Files are sent to lab in standard colour space like Adobe RGB 1998 unless specified otherwise.
- Sharpening applied if required or recommended by the lab.
- Uploaded files converted to JPEG or TIFF if supplied on CD/DVD
- Clients should view the files on a monitor profiled to the international standard D65.
- Embedded copyright & usage into the file metadata (IPTC) viewable in Photoshop File Info.
- ReadMe file with images outlining specifications and disclaimer is provided.
Disclaimer
This information is supplied in good faith as a generic guide. No legal liability is assumed for the suitability of this information to your specific needs. All recommendations should be tested in your own work environment. We recommend you have any disclaimer(s) checked by your legal expert and consult a digital colour expert for advanced advice.
Errors
Please report errors to: info@apdig.com
Copyright
© 2004-2010 the authors: William Long, Robert Edwards, Murray Fredericks, Nadish Naoroji, and Nick Rains. APDIG retains copyright on all content as enforced under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, in addition to local and international copyright laws. All rights reserved.
Contact
If your organisation would like to be involved in or endorse the APDIG please contact us:
email: info@apdig.com
It is important that you the client ensure that any photographer you employ should follow the above guidlines. If they do not, then you should look a photographer that does. – Peter
