Creating PDIs
Here you will find guidelines for creating Club standard PDIs for competitions.
Summary (full details below):
Dimensions: 1600 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high.
Colourspace: sRGB.
File type: JPEG.
Filename: Author's Name_Image Title_Class.jpg (Class: L for League, or O for Other).
Dimensions: 1600 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high.
Colourspace: sRGB.
File type: JPEG.
Filename: Author's Name_Image Title_Class.jpg (Class: L for League, or O for Other).
It is assumed that you are using Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom
or similar software. Other free tools are available (see the
Links.)
Full details for submitting your images are included in the
Competition Rules.
The cactus image
on the right links to an example of an acceptably prepared PDI
though it's unlikely to score a 10.
Make sure your monitor is showing correct colours and tones, otherwise your images are
unlikely to look right when viewed elsewhere or printed. Consider calibrating your monitor
and using test charts to get this right.
1. Select
It may seem obvious, but you need to start with a good competition picture.
Does your image show creativity? Does it show or provoke emotion? Is there good
composition, lighting, tonal range and form or colours? Ignore any personal or
sentimental reasons when choosing an image for competitions.
2. Strengthen
Crop, clone, heal, dodge, burn, convert to monochrome, and otherwise embellish your image to
create your masterpiece.
Using Photoshop
If you know how to, change the colour mode to sRGB and set the
Mode to 8-bit. Save a copy of your work.
3. Size
The image does not have to be exactly 1600 by 1200 pixels, just that it must not exceed
those dimensions; it doesn't have to be
to scale. So you could have an image 1600 x 1000 pixels, or
1500 x 1200 for example. You don't need to fill the edges with black.
Using Photoshop
Images should be resized to a maximum of 1600 pixels wide and 1200 pixels high. Select the
'Image Resize' option. Make sure that the 'Constrain Proportions' and 'Resample Image'
boxes are ticked. Choose one of the Bicubic resizing options.
Enter 1600 pixels as the width. If the height is then shown as greater than 1200 pixels
change the height to 1200 pixels. Press OK.
You may choose to ignore this step, but your image will not look at its best,
may not be emailable and cannot be chosen for competitions against other clubs.
Using Lightroom
Resizing is done at Export.
4. Sharpen
The image on the right of the cactus has been sharpened on the lower half only to show the
difference that sharpening can make. The top half has not been 'softened'.
Using Photoshop
After all other edits have been made, apply sharpening using 'Unsharp Mask' or
'Smart Sharpen' or any other technique you prefer. A starting point for settings
in Photoshop is a radius of 0.5 pixels and an amount of 80%.
Using Lightroom
Use the Develop,
Detail section, but final sharpening is done at
Export.
5. Save
Using Photoshop
To save the file in JPEG format select File,
Save As, select JPEG from the File format
drop-down and rename the file as shown below.
Press Save and when it asks for JPEG options
Quality must be set to maximum: 12.
Using Lightroom
Use the Export option. Select the
Export Location where you want to save the file.
In File Naming select Custom Name. Rename the file as described below. In
File Settings
select Image Format: JPEG, Quality: 100,
Colourspace: sRGB, do not limit the file size. In
Image Sizing select
Resize to
Fit: Width &
Height, W: 1600, H: 1200 pixels. In Output Sharpening select
Sharpen For: Screen,
Amount:
Standard (but adjust to taste). Do
not use a watermark. Press Export.
Filenames will look like this:
Your Name_Your Image's Title_L.jpg or Your Name_Your Image's Title_O.jpg where the last letter indicates the class: League or Other.
For example: a League image name would look like: Captain Scarlet_Spectrum is Green_L.jpg; or for a themed competition: Peter Floyd FGEH_Another Brick Another Wall_O.jpg.
The '_' is the underscore symbol, typed using shift+hyphen. Please type correctly as any mispellings will be repeated on scoresheets and certificates. Your name must be fully spelled out to avoid confusion with other photographers in our region. Include any photographic distinctions after your name. The '.jpg' will probably be added automatically, so do not type .jpg into your file name.
Both your name and the title must use 'Title Case' to improve readability and consistency. (Title case means only using capital letters for the principal words).
The title shouldn't affect the mark, though an accurate title may help the judge for natural history subjects and a little wit is often welcome.
Your Name_Your Image's Title_L.jpg or Your Name_Your Image's Title_O.jpg where the last letter indicates the class: League or Other.
For example: a League image name would look like: Captain Scarlet_Spectrum is Green_L.jpg; or for a themed competition: Peter Floyd FGEH_Another Brick Another Wall_O.jpg.
The '_' is the underscore symbol, typed using shift+hyphen. Please type correctly as any mispellings will be repeated on scoresheets and certificates. Your name must be fully spelled out to avoid confusion with other photographers in our region. Include any photographic distinctions after your name. The '.jpg' will probably be added automatically, so do not type .jpg into your file name.
Both your name and the title must use 'Title Case' to improve readability and consistency. (Title case means only using capital letters for the principal words).
The title shouldn't affect the mark, though an accurate title may help the judge for natural history subjects and a little wit is often welcome.
6. Send
Please email them to:
.
Alternatively they may be brought on a USB stick, CD or DVD a week before the competition. Please let the Competition
Secretary have emailed images by midnight on the Sunday before the competition at the latest, so
that any problems can be rectified in good time.
