More versatile print module

I'd like to have a more versatile print module to realise composition with one or many pictures. It could also be nice to include more border options like in the mogrify plug in.

The ability to export ICC profiles directly from LR without having to use Photoshop, Mogrify, or some other printing program would help those of us who use commercial printers. The concept of using Lightroom only with in-house printers is not consistent with the cost of good photo printers today, $600 and up, not to mention the expense of ink for large prints.

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More text options in Print Module

It's frustrating to be able to do just about everything in LR - but not quite. I'd like more text options for the printing module. For example, when I'm printing a limited edition print, I put the edition number in the bottom left corner, under the image, within the border of the print. The title goes in the middle, slighty larger font, and then possibly a watermark.
I can use the Identity Plate to create a nice looking title, but the Photo Info will only print in the middle with no options for positioning it anywhere else, or no options for other fonts.

I would second this proposal..... with a serious passion. I think it is unbelievable that Adobe will not provide us with the option to print the metadata with our images.
The current metadata print options are in the dark ages, a joke and an insult to anyone trying to put a proper caption on a printed image. For example, one cannot currently control the postion or font of a basic caption, never mind a considered template which might incorporate copyright, date, author, etc.. I also make folios (ala Lenswork). Unfortunately, a detour to PS also means that this must be done manually, rather than using a template. Adobe have all the tools to make this work, many of them are in the Slideshow module, so already the code is inside Lightroom. It is so sad that a company like Blurb can provide these tools free of charge in free software, but Adobe seem incapable of providing these basic features. I was disappointed they were not in version 1, frustrated when missing from version 2 and apoplectic when not in version 3. I might excuse the omission if I could build a template in PS which allowed me to place text from the metadata into a formattted page layout, but this is not possible either. So despite the fact I have purchased both Lightroom and Photoshop, and paid for upgrade after upgrade of both products, this basic facility is still missing.
I can only deduce that people in Adobe print images in two modes.
1) a lonely image in approx middle of the page with no text formatting or
2) an image in draft mode with a caption and a name plate and uncontolled other text in ad hoc placements (totally unsuitable for presenting to a client).
I would put this requirement ahead of so many other popular requests (even ahead of requests such as networked storage, soft proofing, etc). I can mention other software products who do a really good job of printing meta data with images, do serious work on sharpening, etc. for a fraction of the cost of the Lightroom / Photoshop combination. Becasue I am on an Adobe site I will not mention the names of these non Adobe products. If these small companies can solve this problem, surely Adobe can do so as well.
I also find that I cannot trust the page setup templates that I do create. It seems to me that many of the properties (ie page size, orientation, matt / gloss options) disappear without warning. I suspect this happens when I have problems printing to networked Epson printers (maybe others, but I only use Epson ...with Windows 7.) This is very frustrating when my template changes from Matt in to Gloss, with subsequent wasted of ink and frustration and lost time in correcting and re-updating the template.
Adobe, please finish the Print Module. I do not want any more glitzy updates to publishing to the most recent social media exchange medium. Can we not get basic printing working first.
(..... thanks for listening.....end of rant).

More Creative Layout from Print Module?

Hello,
I am using LR 3.2 and am wondering if it is possible to make more creative layouts inside the print module?
I would like to have a backgorund, maybe some drop shadows and also be able to rotate images by a few degrees like 15 degrees.
This seems impossible with what I have tried so far.
Is there a plugin or something of the like? Or maybe a good workflow with other CS applications?
I am trying to preserve the RAW images and do as much in LR as possible but it sounds like maybe InDesign might be the best for this?
This is for a large photo volume application, not just a one off design.
Thanks for your input

Lr certainly doesn't have the ability and I'm not aware of any plug-ins that allow the type of layout you describe. You might wish to submit a feature request though http://forums.adobe.com/community/lightroom/lightroom_feature_requests?view=discussions In the meantime, InDesign is probably your best option.

More generic overlays in print module

Currently there's a way to place the identity plate on images in the print module, but it could use some work. Here are some additional features I'd like to see:
Instead of using the specific identity plate as overlay, the print module should use more generic overlays. The identity plate would be just the content of a generic overlay, making other content possible, like metadata.
Content of an overlay would be dynamic, using token placeholders similar to the web module.
Each overlay could have an option to auto-rotate with the image, instead of always being on the long (or short) edge of the paper. For example I'd like to be able to place copyright info always on the bottom-right of the image, regardless of whether the image has landscape or portrait orientation.

Currently there's a way to place the identity plate on images in the print module, but it could use some work. Here are some additional features I'd like to see:
Instead of using the specific identity plate as overlay, the print module should use more generic overlays. The identity plate would be just the content of a generic overlay, making other content possible, like metadata.
Content of an overlay would be dynamic, using token placeholders similar to the web module.
Each overlay could have an option to auto-rotate with the image, instead of always being on the long (or short) edge of the paper. For example I'd like to be able to place copyright info always on the bottom-right of the image, regardless of whether the image has landscape or portrait orientation.

Bug in Print Module, LR3.6, custom package

Hi everybody,
After two days of unequal fight with Print Module bug I hope I finally pinned it down.
Hope it saves someone time
I have my photos usually cropped in DSLR format (2:3)
Printing I use often two popular formats 13x18cm and 15x21cm that are close to 5:7 (first one is 5x7in)
Initially I was using virtual copies and had them cropped to 5:7 format.
However this makes a little mess in my workflow and it's time consuming.
What I found was Custom Package in Print Module.
Having cell with target size I drag desired photo into the cell and using cmd-key drag this foto to have proper look as the width target format is smaller. So far so good, but ...
From time to time printed photo looked totally different from what I saw on-screen.
First of all there are couple threads about that problem. I visited them but they remain unanswered
http://forums.adobe.com/message/3344521
http://forums.adobe.com/message/3278739
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/697107
http://forums.adobe.com/message/3885690
There are visual samples there of what happens.
Photos in JPG file that was created from LR look differently than in LR. Photos in file are bigger or/and wrong positioned within the cell
What I managed to find is:
Everything goes fine until photo is rotated by 'Rotate to Fit' function. It happens in my case only with photos that have the same orientation that template.
Example:
Template is set on A4 borderless format set to portait (Page Setup... button).
Two cells 14,85cm height x 21cm width (A5 format). First one over second and both in landcape position.
When I drag photo cropped in Landscape orientation such a photo is rendered properly.
When I drag photo cropped in Portrait orientation it's atutomatically rotated 90 degrees (couterclockwise) by "Rotate to Fit option" and that is when **** happens.
Final print (to file or printer) shows that user dragging is omitted in render. What's more if "Photo border" is set to on, photo in this cell is not reduced. Instead of this (as far as I can see) photo border just crop some part of picture.
If I switch orientation of the A4 page from portrait to lansdcape, magically photos that are cropped in portrait orientation start to render good (they are not rotated now) while those in landscape start to render wrong.
This looks 99% as software bug.
I'm using LR3.6 on mac osx 10.6.8
I'd like someone to follow it and to check if the same happens on different Mac or Windows.
Cheers
Robert

Confirmed in LR 5.3, OS X 10.9.1.
Screen display is fine, user repositioning is ignored when printing if page is in landscape mode and the image is rotated 90° (Rotate to Fit on). A4, Epson printer. Bug also appears in PDFs generated via the "Printer…" button. I didn't check JPEG export.

Better captioning and text handling in print module

I don't know if this has been brought up before, but I would like to see a bit more sophisticated text handling for captioning in the Print module. It sure would be nice to be able to choose a font, position the text, choose a color, add a drop shadow, etc. Nothing too crazy, but photo captions are a pretty important part of some photographers' workflow, and as of now I have to move between PS and LR to get any kind of nice text on the page, which interrupts the LR workflow. I'd love to do almost all my work in LR and only use PS for the real heavy pixel lifting.
Thanks for a great product!
Jim

I don't know if this has been brought up before, but I would like to see a bit more sophisticated text handling for captioning in the Print module. It sure would be nice to be able to choose a font, position the text, choose a color, add a drop shadow, etc. Nothing too crazy, but photo captions are a pretty important part of some photographers' workflow, and as of now I have to move between PS and LR to get any kind of nice text on the page, which interrupts the LR workflow. I'd love to do almost all my work in LR and only use PS for the real heavy pixel lifting.
Thanks for a great product!
Jim

Print module - exporting to a .jpg file - borderless printing

I'm attempting to export a picture as an 8 x 10 .jpg file in the Print Module - I want the image to be borderless. I have gone ahead and changed my page setup to reflect the same dimensions, I've removed margins and I've also gone into the Layout section and adjusted my cell size dimensions and removed margins...I can't seem to get two borders to disappear - if it's a portrait image, the sides have white borders and if it's landscape, the top and bottom have white borders.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. If more information is required, let me know. Thanks!

If your image is not in exact 8x10 (4x5) aspect ratio, you'll need to select the "Zoom to fit" box.
Phil

Print Module templates layouts do not update on the fly

Print layouts do not update on the fly when attempting to choose between various Print Module>Template Browser> Lightroom or User templates. This occurs in all three Layout Styles. The very first layout chosen in Single Image/Contact Sheet, Picture Package, or Custom Package is the permanent 'default' and cannot be changed. The Preview will show as expected however any image stays stuck in the very first layout I chose after installing LR4 beta.
For example, I first chose Template Browser>Lightroom Templates>Maximum Size, and Layout Style>Single Image/Contact Sheet. Clicking through any other Templates (Lightroom or User defined) will alter the preview but not the layout display in the Print window. Same problem in either of the other Layout styles. I have been trying for days to rectify this, but it seems somehow more difficult than LR3. and not what I expect.
As a comparison, using the same steps in LR3 works perfectly as all print template/layouts can be changed on the fly as expected. I have no problems generating different layouts in LR3 and have been using LR print module since version 1 without this issue.
Is this a bug or are there any extra steps or workarounds I have not discovered? Any other testers seen this?

Update with more info. What am I doing wrong, if anything?
Print layouts do not update on the fly when attempting to choose between various Print Module>Template Browser> Lightroom or User templates. This is not a hang since the layouts do not change after the initial choice no matter how much time elapsed.
iMac OS 10.6.8. 8GB RAM.Processor Intel Core 2 Duo. NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS.
The steps as follows:
1) Lightroom 3.6 & LR4Beta exist side by side.
2) LR4 Beta> Print Module;
3) From filmstrip choose image;
4) Template Browser> Lightroom4Beta Templates>Maximum Size;
5) Preview displays as expected;
6) Layout Styles>Single Image/Contact Sheets
7) Template Browser> Lightroom4Beta Templates>click through any other templates (Lightroom or User defined);
8) Image layout in main window does not update;
9) Previews update;
10) Layout Style>Picture Package;
11) Template Browser>Maximum size is then automatically shown, however the template in the main window is actually (1) 7x5, (2) 2.5x3.5;
12) Any further attempts to change the layouts regardless of Style Layout choices are not successful.
13) Close LR4Beta>re-open LR4Beta;
14) Repeat test;
15) Print Module layouts do not update on the fly as expected;
16) Close LR4Beta and all applications;
17) Reboot iMac.
18) Open LR4Beta only;
19) LR4Beta>Print Module>Template Browser >Lightroom Templates>Maximum Size;
20) Image displays in main layout window with Template and Preview display as expected;
21) Choose different image>Template Browser>Lightroom Templates>Maximum Size;
22) Click through templates, layouts DO NOT update in main window although previews do automatically update.
23) CONCLUSION - In Lightroom 4 Beta>Print Module>Template Browser, image layouts do not change after initial choice as expected.
I posted this on Photoshop.com as a problem.

Print Module - Set Explicit Font Sizes

In the Print Module Identity Plate can Lightroom set font size explicitly instead of using only a % scale factor?
The scale factor is a great idea but it would be a lot more convenient at times to set the font size explicitly to 10 or 12 or whatever so it could carry over to other titles if you want all your titles to print in a specific font size (e.g. 12 points). That's already possible with Vibrance, Recovery and a host of other settings (including the Identity Plate scale factor itself!) and it's very valuable to be able to have those exacting controls.
Thanks,
Robert

Ian,
I'd be very pleased if I'm doing something wrong. From what I see the Identity Plate supports only one font size, and only for the most recent photo. When I choose Edit and type in a new title of a different length Lightroom changes the size of the font (the longer the title, the smaller the font and vice versa). Try this:
1) Open Identity Plate and title the picture "Hello".
2) Change the title to "I just love Adobe Lightroom so very much!"
The title will be smaller. Lightroom seems to disregard the Identity Plate font size.
I just tried your recommendation and no matter how I changed the Identity Plate font size in the Print module (e.g. from 38pt to 8pt) the photo's title text size barely changes, I have to use the Scaling slider every time. That font sizing functionality only works for me in the Library module when I'm creating my actual Identity Plate.
Every time I change pictures I have to re-do this step. The way I'm dealing with this is changing the scaling factor (or with your recommendation, the font size) every time for every different-length title and/or enlarging/shrinking the title box for each photo.
As I explained in my other reply to your other post, this is very time-consuming when you're printing 50-100 titled photos in a single day/weekend (not to mention the fact that it's physically impossible to set every scaling factor so all titles print exactly the same size font).
It would be a lot better for Lightroom to automatically save all the print parameters the way it saves all other of the picture's metadata.
If you could share an easy way to make that much faster I'd be quite grateful.
Robert

Print module - print to file options

When creating JPEGs using the Export function of the Library module, Lightroom 4 offers you very detailed control over the export options, including automated rules for the folder/filename structure.
When creating JPEGs using "print to file" in the Print module, the controls seem to be much more limited. Notably, the folder/filename has to be specified manually for each print job.
Is there a way to keep (or append to) the original filename when exporting from the Print module, short of typing it in by hand for every single image?
(For context: My print lab requires that submitted files exactly match the print, pixel-for-pixel, for everything to work correctly. If the file doesn't match, their print driver will scale and crop until it does. So, if I use the Library module's Export function and the aspect ratio of the file is different from that of the closest available paper, two edges may get cropped. Or, in other words, I have to pad the image with white bars to fill the paper's aspect ratio if I want it to print the way I want it to. The Print module creates files that are perfect for my purposes. But, since I can't figure out how to get it to keep the filename, the back print data on the paper copies- which I will need 8 years later to find the original when a re-print is ordered- is useless.)

Thanks Effeegee. At your suggestion, I tried LR/Mogrify + ImageMagick and, with a bit of tweaking, it does exactly what I need (and far more efficiently than LR4 Print).
For other users' reference, the LR/Mogrify configuration to do this is:
In Lightroom Library -> Export, LR/Mogrify adds "Post-Process Actions". Turn on "Background Canvas" and "Compress to file size".
Under the regular "Image Sizing" control, turn on "Resize to Fit: Dimensions" and set the paper size (long side first) and printer resolution. This resizes the image to fit within the specified paper size.
Under "Mogrify Canvas", set the paper size again (in pixels, long side first), and turn on "Adjust for landscape/portrait". This pads the image with blank borders to exactly fill the specified paper size.
Note that if the short side is specified first, LR/Mogrify sometimes pads on all sides....
To minimize additional JPEG artefacts, I suspect that under Lightroom export's "File Settings" the JPEG quality should be 100 (i.e. negligible loss) and the final compression should be done only after all post-process actions, i.e. use LR/Mogrify's "Compress to given file size". (But don't quote me on that as I haven't traced the actual code path.)

To plugin developers: can I have access to any metadata field of the catalog in Print Module?

Dear LR plugin developers,
Maybe one of you has already implemented such a feature, maybe I can entice you to do so, if several people find this useful?
Is there a forum for plugin feature requests? If so, forgive me for using this general user-to-user for this. Or would you look on the Adobe feature request forum for such input?
I would like to have access to any metadata field of the catalog in Print module, ok if for all LR standard catalog fields, preferable if also for custom fields created by other plugins.
I would want to add such a field underneath each image on a print page, e.g. something like complete exposure info.
Doing so in export in a "Mogrify-like" way would also be ok, if metadata accessible. Fixed custom text obviously would be cumbersome, as limiting to 1 image to export at a time. Creating jpgs in export is ok,
Print module would be preferable as I was hoping for more than one image per page=jpg.
Now if such text could even be placed anywhere on a print template, possibly containing also free text, and formatable - you would have corrected the basic design flaw of the Book module imo...
Cornelia

Cornelia
The problem one faces is that the SDK does not access Print or Book. You'll need to (ab)use the fields that are available, and I'd suggest you look at my Search and Replace plugin which can transfer values between fields. So you could move info from an inaccessible field to one that can be printed. Maybe use virtual copies which you can just discard afterwards?
John

Color management: Adobe RGB 1998 issues in print module

When printing to a JPEG file from the Print Module, I've noticed that the "Adobe RGB" profile differs substantially from the "Adobe RGB (1998)" profile supplied with Windows.
When viewed with Photoshop, the "Adobe RGB" images are much more saturated than the image previews from the Lightroom window. Photoshop displays the same "Adobe RGB (1998)" profile for both files.
I have tried to reinstall Lightroom, but this has not solved the problem.
It seems that when selecting "Adobe RGB", Lightroom is in fact converting the image to sRGB, but embeds the "Adobe RGB (1998)" profile.
ICC profile selection: http://julianchoquette.com/fichiers/forum/lightroom-color-a.png
This will output files that look like the previews in Lightroom: http://julianchoquette.com/fichiers/forum/lightroom-color-b.png
Profile selection pop-up: http://julianchoquette.com/fichiers/forum/lightroom-color-c.png

Yeah that is completely different. My guess is that this is the bug I mentioned before. It should not happen but clearly does. It works normally on my system (I just tried again).
>Note that both dialogs do not display exactly the same name for the Lightroom provided Adobe RGB profile. http://julianchoquette.com/fichiers/forum/lightroom-export-dialog.png
That's normal and doesn't mean anything. On my computer it actually says "AdobeRGB" without the (1998) that yours shows but I believe that's simply a difference between the Mac and PC version. You can try whether it does the same thing if you select prophoto. But somebody with Vista x64 and LR 2.3 should try the same thing to see if this is a bug specific to the PC version of LR.

Minor bug in Print module (numbering of Contact Sheet pages)

I have selected one image from the Library or the film strip, went to the Print module and selected "5x8 Contact Sheet" from the Template Browser. On the top/left corner, it states "Page 1 of 2", while obviously there is one page only. Adding more pictures to fill in multiple pages, and moving from one page to another, the indication on top/left is recurrently wrong, e.g. indicating Page 2 of 2 when I am on 1 of 2. Numbering in the lower right rectangle is correct, instead.

Lightroom automatically wraps text under the thumbnail in contact sheets. The Text Template Editor does not allow you to enter line breaks. So, if your Filename is long enough to fill the first line, the caption will start with the second. If not, you can tweak the template somehow so that it looks the way you want.

Is there a serious flaw in LRs Print Module?

I have been having no end of difficulty getting a decent print from LR. The more I search for answers the more I find that others have the same issue. It seems to be related mostly to Canon and HP printers. Most Epson users indicate they are getting great prints.
Multiple combinations of settings have been suggested (all from very helpful folks, thks!) but all attempts have not produced anything remotely close to whats on the screen. PSE3 prints perfectly for me, and other comments indicate that CS2&3 and PSE4&5 also deliver superior results to LR.
It seems that there a serious problem with LRs Print Module whereby it cannot interpret and convert profiles properly? Has this been officially addressed by Adobe? If so, please direct to where I can find that information, please.
Dont misunderstand me, LR is a fantastic program and a very powerful RAW workflow tool. Even the Print Module has some really cool stuff, but not so cool when the colours dont come out close to the original.
Where does one go from here to find a solution to this problem?

Hi Dave
I posted this earlier in this thread about CS3 printing problems that Adobe has addressed and I just reviewed it again and noticed some common problems under the "Issues Fixed in this Release" as follows:
"Color matching is now correct on BPE printers (notably the Epson 3800) when Photoshop is set to handle color management."
"BPE Printers expect a Profile to be passed when Photoshop manages color. Photoshop now passes the Profile."
"Epson 2400 driver no longer does double color profiling when PS is handling the color management and we explicitly turn off Epson color management in the Print dialog."
"Color management will now produce identical results on Intel and PowerPC-based Macs."
"Correct Page Setup now comes up in the Print dialog when you change printers to print different documents."
"Page Setup would sometimes show the preferences for a previously selected printer."
"RGB to CMYK conversion with a specific ICC profile and Adobe(ACE) engine is fixed."
"Specific types of ICC profiles were being incorrectly converted. Converted images would appear close to black, if not entirely black."
These appear to be the same issues that are happening in LR that require a similar fix that CS3 required.
Here's the link again:
http://www.adobe.com/support/photoshop/ts/documents/kb402846/PhotoshopPrintingNotes.pdf

Major print module issue in LR3

I've hit a wall in trying to figure out an extremely frustrating issue with the print module in Lightroom 3: every time I attempt to print a contact sheet to PDF, the entire system locks up immediately upon "rendering images," system usage seems at 100% across the board, and I have to forcibly shut down the application via the task manager. After Lightroom has finally closed, I see an error dump txt on my desktop from Adobe Distiller which reads as follows:
%%[ ProductName: Distiller ]%%
%%[ Error: syntaxerror; OffendingCommand: --nostringval-- ]%%
Stack:
/build_pattern
%%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%
%%[ Warning: PostScript error. No PDF file produced. ] %%
I don't know if this Distiller error is in fact initiating the crash or if it's just the result of having forcibly shut down LR-- thus, I guess question #1 is whether this is an Acrobat or LR issue. I have uninstalled/reinstalled Lightroom at least three times; deleted and recreated the catalog; and updated to the latest version 3.2, and the error persists. I've also tried the print procedure with different batches/folders of images residing both on my local and external drives with the same behavior.
My system info is as follows: ThinkStation E20 w/ X3450 Xeon and 4GB RAM, nVidia FX580 video card, running 64-bit Windows7 and 64-bit LR 3.2; also running latest updated version of Acrobat Pro, i.e .9.3.4.
Only other thing I can think of that I haven't already tried is to uninstall and reinstall Acrobat Pro, which I've kept from the CS3 suite, although I'd rather avoid doing so if possible. I'll also add that this is a brand new system with fresh installs of *all* software including the CS5 suite.
Printing contact sheets is one of my most common tasks in LR, so any help is *greatly* appreciated.

well, interesting development here-- I have to humbly rescind my particular criticism of LR3 with respect to this issue, as much to my surprise after downgrading to 2.7, I experienced the exact same problem-- i.e. upon printing a contact sheet, the program locks up at "rendering images" and brings the whole system to a halt.
in light of this development, it occurred to me to uninstall (64-bit) 2.7, and reinstall 32-bit LR3-- and lo and behold the print issue seems to be no more. so now the question is why would this be? an issue between LR3 64-bit and the OS (Windows 7 64) ? or perhaps a conflict between LR and Acrobat? maybe a driver conflict?
any ideas/insights are welcome.

More versatile print module

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