Automation

Automating the creation of print sheets.

For many years when I wanted to make a print, I would export the image from Lightroom in the proper dimensions and sharpened for printing. I would then put that image in an InDesign document to be able to type in the title and other information on the page with the image. I would then export the InDesign document to a PDF that I would use to actually print with Mirage Print that would handle all the profile and color management of the printing.

Well, after many years I finally sat down and automated the whole process! I will now export an image from Lightroom with all metadata (including the title, location etc.), and use a program I wrote to extract the metadata and add it to a LaTeX document that will be used to generate the the PDF that is used for printing.

The final print sheet will then look like this:

All maintaining of information on an image is now only done in Lightroom, no more manual typing or copy/paste.

I do the same for all images on this website, and the result of that process can be seen below.

This means that all information about an image will be consistent and come from the same source, Lightroom, whether it’s a print or an image on my website. As a bonus there is almost no work to create a print or publishing an image on the web, after the image is finished in PhotoShop and Lightroom.