Faux Medium Format

I recently saw how a sized png file can be used in Lightroom as an identity plate to simulate a frame in the Print Module. The example was a grunge frame so I thought I would try to replicate the idea.

To start with I made a new Photoshop file sized to the same size as what the final print size would be in Lightroom. Saving the file as a png will retain the transparency of the image while being a mush smaller file than if saved as a tiff.

Once you are in the Print Module in Lightroom go to the Overlays pallet and click the Identity Plate box as shown below.

Next click the little down arrow indicated by the yellow circle. This will open a drop-down box and select Edit... This opens the Identity Plate Editor. This is where you will select the png image file you just created in Photoshop. The screen capture below shows the editor. If it is the first time in the Library you have opened

the editor you will need to click the “Use a graphical identity plate” radio button. Then use the Locate File... button to find the dng file you want to use for the identity plate.

Once you have the file in the editor, it is not necessary to do anything else other than save it if you are going to use it at another time. Open the Custom button and click on the Save As... option. This will allow you to recall the plate on another image. After you save the identity plate click OK to exit the editor. Make sure you uncheck the two boxes on the 

Overlays pallet as indicated by the yellow circle on the screen capture to the right. This will allow the png file to sit on top of the image allowing it to be revealed from the transparency of the png file. Finally at a later time when bring an image in to the Print Module, you just have to open the drop down menu and select the overlay you w ant to have on top of you photo.

If you wanted to know where the film look came from in the opening image it was a combination of two frames from onOne softwares Photo Frame Profession plug-in.

I always find it amazing how detailed the process is to make an image treatment look just right. That does not even include the image itself. Using the presets that lightroom allows makes it a once and your done proposition. Works great... lasts a long time.

Take care all... Doug