You can use the “Browse in Bridge” function in Photoshop, located under the ‘File’ drop down menu.
In Bridge, select an image and check the metadata window for details on the “colour mode” and “colour profile”. If there is no data for the colour profile, you may either be shooting in RAW format or your camera is not tagging the file with the profile used. (eg. Camera tags file as sRGB when in sRGB mode but leaves the file untagged in Adobe 1998 mode.)
When shooting in RAW the profile is embedded when converting the file to TIF or JPG.
A profile must be assigned before working on the file. If a profile has already been assigned you can convert the profile in Photoshop. Converting will preserve the colours’ appearance whereas assigning a new profile preserves the colour values, which could change the colour in your images.
Typically, we do not accept RAW files. Instead we would prefer to help you find your way in converting and editing these files.
If you’re capturing in the RAW format, RAW files do not have a colour profile listed, this is applied during the converting of the RAW files to JPEG or TIF. For work to be submitted to Streets Imaging, we recommend either sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998. It is critical that your files are tagged with the correct profile otherwise unpredictable results will occur.
sRGB and Adobe RGB 1998.
With our lab’s digital printing software, your file’s embedded profile is used and converted to the profile of the output device at the time of printing. If there is no profile embedded in your file, it will be treated as sRGB, which is the default for many earlier cameras and scanners.
Which ever colour profile you use, use it ALL the way through your workflow. From the profile your camera embeds when shooting JPEG or the profile embedded when converting from RAW to JPEG, to the default colour space of your editing software and in any of your designs or template files. This way you will save unnecessary conversion and will not risk the wrong profile being ‘assigned’.
No, use sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998 as your working profile
Some labs may say that they will give you the profile that applies to their printer. This is fine if they only have one printer and do not ever intend to use any other method of output. Streets Imaging use a variety of devices and materials to output your images and each device/material combination has its own unique profile.
Why this works for you:
- You do not need to think about which printer we might use. We do the hard work of converting the profiles of your images for you.
- Our software works out what output device is to be used and converts to that profile before printing. It never forgets and it always selects the correct one.
- When we add new equipment or paper types are updated the new profiles will automatically be applied to your images when necessary.
- Without this you would need to convert files for Canvas prints, then again Lustre up to 12”, then again for Metallic up to 12”, then again for Lustre 20 and 30” wide, then again for Metallic up to 30” wide and so on and so on.
By using a standard working profile, getting your monitor calibrated correctly and having the white balance and exposure correct in your camera, you can send your files directly to Streets Imaging without having to do anything to them – thus saving you time and money.
We recommend you send your sample files to the lab for a FREE sample print and then compare the results on your monitor under standard viewing conditions.
This is for expert users only, contact Streets Imaging for a soft proofing profile for the paper type you are using. These profiles are solely for use in Photoshop/view/proof setup to give you an idea of any out of gamut colours that may occur in your image. They are for evaluation of an image only and are not to be used as a working space profile or unpredictable results will occur. This is not recommended for inexperienced users.
Streets Imaging embraces RGB colour for all output devices for all digital printing. This is because Streets Imaging’s output is mostly to photographic paper which has yellow, magenta and cyan dyes which make up all of the colours visible in the photograph. This system is commonly referred to RGB since RedGreenBlue light sources are used to expose the paper regardless whether the sources are lamps, LEDs or lasers.
Even though our inkjet printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) inks, they are set up to receive RGB files so our workflow is consistent. Sending us files set up as CMYK will give unpredictable results.
See images below for colour settings for sRGB and Adobe RGB 1998 in Photoshop and Lightroom…
Monitors should be calibrated approximately every 6 months.
The following settings are best used when calibrating your monitor for outputting to photographic print:
White point: D55 (D50 is a little warm for photographic print)
Luminance (Lux): 120K
Gamma: sRGB
When using a calibration device it’s best to use the automatic display control if that is an option.
Always make sure you are editing in a well lit room with any automatic brightness features turned off. Dark spaces can trick your eyes into thinking your screen is brighter than it actually is.
Please remember that a computer screen will not exactly match a photograph because of the different methods of generating the colours that are viewed. Computer screens emit light whereas the dyes in photographs absorb light and the paper base reflects light which is not absorbed. Consequently, it is important to view photographs under standard lighting conditions when trying to assess whether the colours match what was expected from the screen image.
How to Color Match Your ColorEdge Monitor and Photo Prints
For optimum results, it is recommended to use a high quality LED or LCD monitor. (A monitor with ability to control individual colours will give better results). It is important to purchase a high quality screen that has individual colour controls for calibration and profiling (please take care when selecting the screen as some models do not have the ability to select custom RGB controls meaning that calibration using a calibration device can be difficult).
We use Eizo LCD screens which can be calibrated and profiled to match our output closely. Laptop screens are not recommended for critical colour judgement because of the differences observed in the image at different viewing angles.
It is important to set up your monitor correctly. Streets Imaging recommend that if you are doing professional digital work that you invest in a monitor calibration device and calibrate your monitor regularly, as often as every 6 months. If you are receiving most of your income from photography, consider a calibration device as one of your “tools of trade”. We recommend and stock the X-rite i1 Display Pro, which can be purchased through our online ordering software.
PRINTS LOVE LIGHT!
The colour and density of a print is determined by the colour and quality of light falling on it. Viewing prints in a poorly lit room will not demonstrate the true colour and quality of a print. Streets Imaging recommend viewing photographs with a standard colour viewing light source available at professional graphic arts suppliers or professional photographic retailers. At the very least Streets Imaging recommend viewing with a compact fluorescent natural white. Incandescent (tungsten) bulbs are too yellow for critical viewing and standard fluorescent tubes have a gap in the red end of the spectrum giving a characteristic green cast to objects lit by them. As simple exercise take mental note and compare a print in dimly lit room to outside in full sun, what do you think about the exposure in that print? In a well lit room hold your print against a colourful wall or object, how do you feel about your skin tones now?
Walls, furniture even brightly coloured clothing can all impact the colour of an image. Avoid these or other outside objects that could bounce colour onto your screen or prints. Beware windows that allow daylight to enter the room, this will cause problems as the colour of the daylight will changes depending on the time of day and the weather.
In 1978 Kodak used an image of a model named Shirley as their standard testing card/image. Since then every model used as a test image as adopted the nickname “Shirley”.
We can supply you with a printed “Shirley” and you can download the digital copy of the image here. This serves as a quick reference guide for you to check our printers’ output compared to your monitors calibration.
Along with the portrait demonstrating a range of colours and even skin tones is the 12 Macbeth colour patches, our printers’ 100% Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow output and grey scale patches representing our printers density gamut.
The grey scale patches are an extremely useful tool as these demonstrate the values at which printers start to lose detail in the black and white most points of your image. For instance if you are concerned about loosing the fine details on a white wedding dress you can use the eyedropper tool in Photoshop and hover over the white most points of the image. If your RGB values for that area sit above 245 you may risk loosing detail and will need to adjust the white point in your levels. Likewise with darker areas of your print, if the values all sit below 10 where there should be details – your black point will need to be brought up a few increments.
It sure is! We use eWAY, a verified, secure online payment gateway for all online transactions.
If you have selected pick up or night box we will send you an SMS notification as soon as your order is ready.
If you are having your order delivered you will receive a tracking notification email from Australia Post or Couriers Please.
We strongly suggest purchasing your own monitor calibration device. Streets recommends the X-rite i1 which you can purchase online from our Streets Online Ordering Software.
Streets Imaging offer a monitor calibration service for local clients using the X-rite i1 which also includes advice on lighting conditions and workflow management and a whole lot more! Interstate clients can hire our loan X-rite i1. Contact us to find out more about our screen calibration service.
We have a range of online ordering methods that help automate our workflow and our staff are more than happy to help you use them. If you would like to send your orders by email or a large file transfer service you can however, a $15 service fee will be charged.
The colour of your print is determined by the dyes in the print and the colour and amount of light falling on the print.
The colour of your image on the screen is determined by the setup of your monitor regarding brightness, white point and contrast.
Unless these variables are set correctly, you will not be able to get the image on the screen to match the image on your print. Consequently, correct viewing conditions for your print and a calibrated monitor are a basic necessity. Find out more about colour management or contact our staff to discuss.
When you click ‘Add Images’ SOOS wants you to choose the folder containing your images – not the individual files. Navigate to the folder containing your photos, highlight the folder and then click ‘Open’ this will import all of the images from that folder into the ordering window. Only .jpegs and some configurations of .tiff and .png files can be imported.
See the How to use the Streets Online Ordering Software video.
If you do not receive your second order confirmation email, please check the following before contacting us:
- Check that your credit card payment has been approved in the payment confirmation email.
- Make sure the Streets Online Ordering Software was not shut down prior to the upload being complete.
- If you are ordering images from an external device like a USB or CD, make sure these are not removed until the upload is complete (or change file locations or filenames during the ordering process).
- Click “Show Order” next to the upload to confirm your email address was entered correctly.
If you are concerned your order has not been received, please contact us to discuss further.
You will receive two emails once your order has been placed. The first will be a payment confirmation and the second will be an order confirmation. When you have received both emails your order has been received successfully. When you have received both emails your order has been received successfully. (Please allow 10 minutes after your order has been fully sent for the second confirmation email to arrive).
SOOS(roes) is designed for fast and easy uploads. The software is not colour managed and uses lower res previews of your images for cropping and ordering purposes only. The means the software is less likely to lag during the ordering process. For an accurate preview of your file please use colour managed software on a calibrated monitor.
Click on the apple in the top left hand corner, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General and change the following setting:
Under the section labelled Allow applications downloaded from, select Anywhere. On the prompt that appears, click Allow From Anywhere. Be sure to revert this setting after the install is complete.
OR
When opening the downloaded launch.dmg file right click instead and click open. When the error comes up you will have an option to ‘open anyway’.
The first thing you will need to check is that you have Java installed and up to date.
If you are having difficulty with the software install please call us on (07) 3255 1130 (Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm) – It helps to be in front of your computer so we can get you started. Alternatively you can type in your problem or error at the ROES Help Desk to find the best solution. If all else fails please download the Java version of our software here.
Check to make sure your internet is connected and working well and if it is, the next thing to check would be to see if you have a firewall enabled that is preventing the software from uploading.
If you are ordering images from an external device like a USB or CD, make sure these are not removed until the upload is complete (or change file locations during the ordering process)
No, please leave the default account number as 99999.
If you require custom templates built for your ordering purposes please contact us.
You should receive an email delivery notification with a tracking number when your order leaves the lab. If you have not received your delivery notification it may be that your order is not yet complete, the email has gone into your junk folder or your email address was entered incorrectly.
You can find out the expected dispatch date for your order here or if you have any concerns regarding your delivery please contact us.
Please photograph the damaged packaging and damaged products and contact us as soon as possible. Every case is addressed individually and as quickly as possible by the staff and will be followed up with the delivery company.
If you select eParcel or Express post we can address your order to a PO Box. Couriers however, will not deliver to a PO Box.
Yes! Streets Imaging provides a 40% off Studio Sample Discount* to enable you to show your clients what the product you are trying to sell them looks like. We know that having a physical product rather than digital images of the product gives you a significantly better chance of selling that product, which suits us just fine also. We also understand the larger the sample the larger the size you are likely to sell them (often it is the size down from the sample you show them). And so the Studio Sample Discount is also to incentivise you to display our products in your showroom or at your client presentations.
The discount is only used for this purpose though. For example, the discount is not for studios to decorate their walls or fit out their reception. For this reason, we have the following guidelines:
- The studio logo must be prominently positioned on the image.
- One size per product is eligible for the studio sample discount*
- One image per product is eligible for the studio sample discount*
- The discount is refunded after the order is placed and approved by the staff.
What is eligible for a Studio Sample Discount and what is not eligible remains solely at the final discretion of Streets imaging. We understand that your success is our success so please contact us to discuss your requirements if they fall outside of these guidelines.
Please note; Studio samples are NOT processed with standard turnaround times. Please check when placing the sample order for an updated turnaround time. Any studio sample orders placed in December may not be received until mid-January.
*Discount excludes presentation products and easels. 20% off for acrylic and aluminium prints. Studios with multiple locations may have one size and image per location but these pieces need to be sent to those locations directly from Streets.
YES! Many of our Clients choose to have their orders sent directly to their customers. Their packages are sent with no reference to Streets Imaging and no invoices.
To have your order sent ‘drop ship’, enter your Customers postal details in the shipping address section of the check out. If the shipping address is different to the billing address, your order will automatically be treated as a ‘drop ship’ order.
If you would like your files checked prior to production, select ‘Colour Correction’ as you proceed through the check out and let our staff know specifically what you are concerned about in the ‘Notes to lab’ and if you want us to make any adjustments to the colour or density of your images.
Using this will charge you 50 cents per image. Our workflow is fully automated, which allows us to give you such great prices and turnaround on your orders. By default no files are checked prior to printing unless they are a large format item and that is still not guaranteed. Please ensure the files you send are set up for digital output and follow our file preparation requirements. Any reprints that need to be done due to files sent incorrectly sized or with editing errors will be at the Customers expense.
Our pricing structure is designed with professional photographers in mind as a tiered system, so the more you order the cheaper your prints get.
While we tend to market mostly to photographers we encourage everyone to print professionally. However, a certain amount of colour management and file preparation knowledge is needed in order to ensure you are getting the print results you are after.
Yes, we do! But only on true photographic prints and fine art prints and only within our desktop ordering software. Find out more and see our pricing here. Select “International Shipping” as your delivery option in the checkout and you will be charged a deposit of $18.50. Once we receive your order the remainder of the charge based on our pricing table will be charged automatically to your credit card.
Sorry, we will not. Each orders shipping is calculated based on the weight and dimensions of the products in packaged order. We may find an exception to this with small orders of small format prints.
YES! Providing your order will fit in our after-hours collection/night box you sure can (which is mostly the case). As you are proceeding through the check out you can select ‘Pick up from night box’ as your preferred choice.
If you selected pick up from lab you can still collect from the night box if you need to. Just contact one of our friendly staff during our business hours and we can pop it in there for you.
Streets Imaging is open from 8am – 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
Of course you can!
We love seeing our Clients face to face. We have a computer at the front of our lab to use to place your order and we can show you how to use the software if it’s your first time.
The great thing about coming into the lab is you can see and touch our range of prints and products!
If you need to cancel your order please contact the lab as soon as possible by email or by phone. If your order has already begun production it is too late to cancel the order. Please choose and check your files carefully prior to submitting your order and double check your shopping cart to make sure you have everything you need.
Files can be replaced providing we receive the replacement file before production begins. If you have missed prints from your order these will need to be placed as a new order. Contact us as soon as you can, our production team are pretty quick!
Our printers print at 300 pixels per inch. So you can work out the best print size for your file by dividing the pixel width and height of the image by 300.
Eg. an image that is 3600 x 5400 is sized to print (3600/300) x (5400/300) = 12″ x 18″.
You can get a good indication of your print quality by viewing it on your computer at 100%. If you start to zoom in closer you will see the kind of quality you will get when you enlarge its print size.
Another thing to take into account is the distance of view for your print. See the example below – the image on the left has half the pixels of the one on the right which is why it looks like it has less definition. But as you move away from the two images the difference in image quality becomes a lot less obvious.
When images are saved for print it is important to make sure that the jpeg compression is set at its highest quality. Reducing the compression quality could result in images with compression banding and a loss of image sharpness.
Streets Imaging has a minimum order of $10.00. Once your order totals more that $10 worth of product the $5.00 invoice charge will disappear – if it does appear at the bottom of your invoice and your order is over $10 you will find it is not included in the total. The invoice charge is there to cover the costs that are involved in processing your order.
The Streets Online Ordering Software is not available for mobile devices however, you can use our web based Order Online option.
The daily cut off for orders to be completed for the same day is 10am. To calculate the expected pick up time or delivery date of your order please visit our Turn Around Times page. Streets Imaging will not be held responsible for any delays caused by Australia Post or the courier company delivering your order.