Lightroom print to file process.

jerry12953

jerry12953

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Jeremy Moore
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Hi,

I am trying to put the finishing touches (in Lightroom) to a five-images-in-one work ready for printing at a lab, framing and sale.

I had a user template for a layout like this but only for A4 paper. What I'm trying to do is the same layout on a larger sheet of paper. I haven't been able to find an easy way of doing this but if anyone can suggest one I'd be very grateful!

Failing finding the easy option above I've been trying to set up a new template for a larger paper size, and each image proportionally larger. I can't find a way of setting the gap between each image the same in each case. I've looked at using "inner stroke" in the print panel but that limits width of the "gap" between each image and seems to shrink the images anyway, which I don't want!

This is what i'm trying to achieve but suitable for printing on paper size 21 x 18 inches.

Any suggestions gratefully received..... :)
Birland 61_large.jpg
 
Once you change the paper size everything else remains the same. It's really annoying if you regularly print on different paper sizes as you end up needing a template for each size as well as the other things. Watching the thread to see if I'm doing it wrong.

I usually use "cell spacing" to separate multiple images evenly. I'm guessing you're doing that? You might need to juggle cell size alongside it.

Screenshot 2024-04-06 160957.png
 
No, I hadn't thought of using cell spacing.....der....... talk about overlooking the obvious!

Edit: I can't see a "cell spacing" option which explains why I didn't use it.... :(

No, with the settings i'm using, there's no sign of cell spacing.
 
Last edited:
jerry12953 said:
No, I hadn't thought of using cell spacing.....der....... talk about overlooking the obvious!

Edit: I can't see a "cell spacing" option which explains why I didn't use it.... :(

No, with the settings i'm using, there's no sign of cell spacing.
Click to expand...
Which Layout Style are you in? You have to be in single image/contact sheet to see the spacing.

2024-04-06_163241.jpg

Then you'll get this:

2024-04-06_161225.jpg

What I can't work out is how to set the page size to 21"x18". Maybe that depends on what the printer will accept?
 
Ed Sutton said:
Which Layout Style are you in? You have to be in single image/contact sheet to see the spacing.

View attachment 419325

Then you'll get this:

View attachment 419326

What I can't work out is how to set the page size to 21"x18". Maybe that depends on what the printer will accept?
Click to expand...

Ah, well I can tell you that! It may only be available in print to file but it is close to the bottom of the print panel and called "custom file dimensions"
 
I have referred myself to my previous post and tried the solution suggested there.

Two problems - (a) if you do it using "single image" it places the images in numerical order and you can't rearrange them :headbang:

and (b) if you use cell spacing it seems to change the size of the images,
 
jerry12953 said:
Ah, well I can tell you that! It may only be available in print to file but it is close to the bottom of the print panel and called "custom file dimensions"
Click to expand...
(y) I couldn't see it for looking!

jerry12953 said:
I have referred myself to my previous post and tried the solution suggested there.

Two problems - (a) if you do it using "single image" it places the images in numerical order and you can't rearrange them :headbang:

and (b) if you use cell spacing it seems to change the size of the images,
Click to expand...
a) if you put the files in a collection you can reorder them in the collection.

b) clicking or unclicking zoom to fit might help in that if you have cropped the image already.
 
Any sort of grid for any page size is easily produced in a page layout program. Then once you've got the grid, you can read off the image sizes, produce them to suit, & insert them. Or you could just insert them anyway - it depends what app you prefer to do the interpolation.

I suppose that more or less equally, you could do it all in Photoshop ...

I'm not trying to over-complicate anything & am all for minimum effort in mechanical processes - there is a satisfying elegance in achieving economy of means!
 
Unfortunately I don't have a page layout program - what would you recommend? Preferably something cheap or free as I wouldn't use it very much!

I'd like to think the Lightroom print module would be capable of doing this but it seems to be very much an afterthought to the main body of the software now and badly needs a rethink.
 
Well Affinity Publisher is very good (and good value) but I don't know if you can export from a trial version. Then there is Scribus which is open source and free and pretty capable.

Obviously you might have to end up with a tif or jpg to send to print, unless the printers will accept a pdf.

Of course there's a learning curve to get your head into how they work but to my mind it's quite a modest one. In this case it would be a question of setting a page size for a new document then setting up guides within that to delineate your grid, then picture boxes within that.

Photoshop (which you presumably have if you have LR) could provide a simpler workaround - work out proportions in mm, px or whatever (with pencil & paper!), then make & copy blank white spacer images & line them up to a grid between your actual images that've been sized accordingly. I've just made that method up but it should work easily enough. ;-)
 
jerry12953 said:
Hi,

I am trying to put the finishing touches (in Lightroom) to a five-images-in-one work ready for printing at a lab, framing and sale.

I had a user template for a layout like this but only for A4 paper. What I'm trying to do is the same layout on a larger sheet of paper. I haven't been able to find an easy way of doing this but if anyone can suggest one I'd be very grateful!

Failing finding the easy option above I've been trying to set up a new template for a larger paper size, and each image proportionally larger. I can't find a way of setting the gap between each image the same in each case. I've looked at using "inner stroke" in the print panel but that limits width of the "gap" between each image and seems to shrink the images anyway, which I don't want!

This is what i'm trying to achieve but suitable for printing on paper size 21 x 18 inches.

Any suggestions gratefully received..... :)
View attachment 419314
Click to expand...

How big do you want each of the individual images to be when they are printed on your 21" x 18" paper?
 
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