Preparation

Submission of all digital images

We use PhotoEntry for submission of all digital images (including those associated with Print competition entries and Internal Competitions).

PhotoEntry details can be found here: Competition Entry System

Print Preparation

General competition rules specify that mounts must be 50cm x 40cm. The only exception to this is for the Beginners Class in the Merit Competitions and the Print Panel Competitions where mounts up to 50cm x 40cm can be accepted.

The print can be placed anywhere on the mount. Any colour is acceptable. Prints do not have to be mounted in ‘cut out’ double mounts but can also be stuck to the surface of a mount board. Please bear in mind however that prints must be acceptable to the Competition Secretary and should not be mounted in such a way that other prints are damaged when stored in the boxes used for the competitions. Mounts do not require a backing board but it is advisable to do so for protection. Prints framed in glass or similar are not acceptable.

Demonstrations on mounting prints are given at the Welcome Back meeting. If in doubt, please talk to any committee member before mounting your print. The club has a mount cutter that can be booked out to members.

If you need further advice on print competitions, please do not hesitate to contact the Competition Secretary or any member of the Committee who will be happy to help you further.

An excellent practical print mounting guide is available here: Create a Mount

Print Labels for 2023-24 Season

Labels should be placed in the top left corner on the back of the mount in the orientation in which the print is to be shown. The label needs to clearly specify: Competition name, Class (for Merit Competitions), Image Title and Your name.

Competition rules are available on the Competition/Rules page here

PDI Preparation

Please note the maximum image size is 1600 wide x 1200 high.

If your image is in portrait (or square), then the maximum length of the vertical side is 1,200 pixels.

You do not need to purchase Photo editing software to finish your images or resize them. There are many free solutions available, including from the manufacturers of your camera(s). Here are a few others:

Desktop / Laptop

GIMP

Paint.Net

Adobe Photoshop Express

Smartphone/Tablet

Snapseed

Adobe Lightroom CC

Apple Photos (Apple only)

Online

Photopea

Pixlr

 

Below is some technical guidance on preparing images using a few software packages. If you have any procedures for other software which would help club members, you can submit them for inclusion here via groups.io or the website contact page.

Competition rules are available on the Competition/Rules page here

 

Photoshop (may be slightly different in later CC versions)

Resizing

  • In the top bar left click on “Image”
  • In the drop down menu, left click on “Image Size”
  • In the box that appears, left click on “Scale Styles”, “Constrain Proportions”, “Resample Image”, and make sure the boxes on the left of these are ticked. In the box below these  “Bicubic Automatic” works well but more experienced members may prefer other option.
  • With these boxes checked, in the area under where it says “Pixel Dimensions”, enter the desired size (pixels not percent) of “1600” Width or “1200” Height. You only have to enter one set of numbers; Photoshop will resize the other side in proportion. You just have to make sure that neither of these numbers are exceeded. If they are, simply enter the correct number on the oversized section and let Photoshop adjust accordingly.
  • Now save and title your image with the using the steps below.

Titling

  • In the top bar left click on “File”.
  • In the drop down menu left click on “Save As”.
  • In the box that appears, type in the full title as specified in the competition rules. Make sure the box saying ‘Format’ is set to “jpg”. You can always  rename it later if you are not sure of the specific competition naming requirements.
  • Left click on “Save”
  • The next screen gives “Jpg Options”. In “Image Options” a ‘Maximum and 10’ is normally sufficient. (The setting for ‘Maximum 12’ uses up a lot more space with little apparent increase in quality).
  • Left click on “OK” and your image should now be ready for entry to the competition.

Colour Space

  • You can convert to a different colour space simply by using EDIT>CONVERT TO PROFILE, then select the colour space from the drop-down list.

Microsoft Paint

Resizing and Titling

  • Click on ‘Start’.
  • Click on ‘Accessories’.
  • Select ‘Paint’.
  • Click on ‘File’.
  • Click on ‘Open’.
  • Select your image and click on ‘Open’.
  • Click on ‘Resize’. (Depending on your version of Windows, this could be an icon next to ‘Select’ which looks like to a small square with a bigger square in front of it.)
  • Click on the circle next to ‘Pixels’.
  • Click on the box next to ‘Horizontal’ and enter “1600”.
  • Check that the box next to ‘Vertical’ has a figure less than “1200”.
  • If these figures are equal to or less than the numbers stated, click on ‘OK’.
  • If they are not, and are greater than the numbers stated, re-enter the too large figure to the correct size (the other should resize in proportion). Then click ‘OK’.
  • Click on ‘File’.
  • Click on ‘Save As’.
  • In the box that appears, type in the full title as specified in the competition rules. Make sure the box saying ‘Format’ is set to “jpg”. You can always  rename it later if you are not sure of the specific competition naming requirements.
  • Click on ‘Save’.
  • Now you can Email your entry to to the PDI Competition email address

Lightroom

Resizing, titling and setting colour space