How to merge CR2+JPEG files?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by inna on June 29, 2009 at 8:37pm

Well i had that problem too, but what I did is (and you can try it if you want) that I took the CR2 files and I used the program that came with my camera known as Digital Photo Professional and I can convert and save in there and just take Photoshop and resize it a notch and it looks perfect for me. Not sure how you'll like it and how big you want the pictures but if you want you can try it

Permalink Reply by Natalia Nikoloudakis on June 30, 2009 at 8:56pm

:) Thank you

Permalink Reply by Mac Sokulski on June 29, 2009 at 9:05pm

What you can do is select the pictures that you want, and export them. In the export window you have many choices with export. You can change the quality the size in pixels and dpi. If you have version 2, you can even sharpen the exported file for screen or for print. If you want jpg to print, I would not change the size or the dpi. Also make sure you have the setting for the quality set to 100%. That should produce a very nice jpg ready for print.

Permalink Reply by Natalia Nikoloudakis on June 30, 2009 at 8:27pm

ohh :)

Permalink Reply by Rob Bixby on June 30, 2009 at 4:19pm

Lightroom is a great program for processing RAW files without causing any degradation to the original image. That means you can retry any bad output with different settings.
Not having seen the original image, I don't know what saving the image as an 8-bit jpg, would have done to cause the image to degrade that much. When exporting a CR2 as a jpg, save it as the highest quality and at least a dpi of 240. This will provide the best printable image quality. As Mac mentioned, select the highest sharpening available for the paper you entend to use.

Permalink Reply by Natalia Nikoloudakis on June 30, 2009 at 8:44pm

I want to send my pictures to Mpix for printing. The problem is I don't want to use Photoshop. I like Lightroom much more. But I'm very confused with this program. For example after editing my picture in lightroom i want to save changes that I have made to it and somehow "take it" out of that program. I know that program doesn't make direct changes to the file. Instead I see gray masks that can be opened only in Lightroom as pictures that I want to print out. I know I sound crazy but it the only way I can explain it. How do u actually print out pictures from that Lightroom if you don't have a printer connected to you computer and you want to submit them online for printing.

Permalink Reply by Mac Sokulski on July 1, 2009 at 5:47am

All you have to do is export the finished edited file. Select the picture in the library, then from the menu, click File and then Export. A new window will appear. That will allow you to change the settings of the export. Export Location is where you specify where the file is going to be saved. File Naming is where you specify how the exported files will be named. I usually leave this step alone, and let Lightroom pick a name for me which by default is the same as the original file. File Settings is where you specify what format the exported file will be in. In the drop down choose JPG and move the quality slider to 100%. Since it's going to mpix for printing I would choose Color Space as sRGB. Next you have Image Sizing. Don't select Resize to Fit, and make sure the Resolution is 240 pixel per inch. Output Sharpening is where you choose the sharpening for the picture. There are 3 options there, for the screen, for matte paper and for glossy paper. This is where you have to decide if you want Lightroom to sharpen the photos more for which ever output media you choose. This is a gray area, that really is individuals choice. I personally do Standard sharpening, but as Rob pointed out he chooses the highest setting. Post Processing section allows for any extra steps after the picture is exported. I usually leave it as "Do Nothing". Once you have all that set, click export and the CR2 file you have edited will be exported to a JPG file, which then you can send to MPIX for printing.
Personally once I sent the file off, I usually delete the jpg. There is no point of keeping it, as you can easily export the file again from Lightroom. Hope this makes sense.

Permalink Reply by Sean on July 1, 2009 at 5:38pm

You said in your original post that you are submitting it for printing. You should save them as TIF. The people you are using to print your images should be able to use that format. If they don't find another printer.

Permalink Reply by Mac Sokulski on July 1, 2009 at 7:56pm

I must agree with this. TIF files are usually any professional printer will use. Mind you can still get good quality prints out of high quality JPG files.

Permalink Reply by Natalia Nikoloudakis on July 3, 2009 at 9:20am

Thank you so much for such a detailed answer. :)