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So what tricks are those, Teppy? Do tell.
First of all, you have to go into the iPhoto preference file (not the preference menu item within iPhoto, but the preference file in the preferences folder) and change the dpi of the PDF that gets output from the book files. For some reason, the dpi setting for the smallest book is 300, which is fine, but the dpi for the medium and large books is 150, which is....not so fine. So that's Tip #1 -- change the dpi in the preferences file.
The other thing is to manipulate the photos a wee bit -- generally, they're going to need to be lightened a smidge, the colors may need to be adjusted, and they're going to need to be sharpened. Of all those, sharpening is key, because as the ink is spread onto the page (it's slick paper, but it isn't photo paper), the paper will absorb a tiny amount of the ink, which ends up softening the pictures.
How do you sharpen them??
How do you sharpen them??
Either in photo software like Photoshop, or you can sharpen them (I'm pretty sure) within iPhoto.
Hmm. I see "enhance" and "retouch", but "sharpen"? NSM.
"Sharpen" is under the "Filters" menu in Photoshop.
"Sharpen" is under the "Filters" menu in Photoshop.
Under Filters, "Unsharp Mask" actually does a better job of "sharpening."
And the award for least intuitive operation name of all time goes to...
Yeah, no one one ever pick that one on purpose. I learned it from another graphics person.
Hmm. So I'd need to get Photoshop, eh? Sigh.
I've been wanting to make a "book" of my trip pictures (at least, the highlights), but definitely want them to look nice!!
Nah, most image editing software has some form of sharpen function. It may take some digging to find it.