JPE file format

[Bill Melvin]

I have had problems getting jpeg images from the Konica Minlota 7D
printed at a high street photo lab. This is because the files are changed from jpeg to JPE files when opened in photoshop or put on a CD and the photo lab won't recognise the JPE format. I eventually managed to get them printed by the laborious process of re saving every JPE as a jpeg.
Why are the files recorded as JPEs in the first place and is there a way of avoiding having files recorded as JPEs, by making an adjustment either in the camera or on computer.

[Greg Beetham]

I have had problems getting jpeg images from the Konica Minlota 7D
printed at a high street photo lab. This is because the files are changed from jpeg to JPE files when opened in photoshop or put on a CD and the photo lab won't recognise the JPE format. I eventually managed to get them printed by the laborious process of re saving every JPE as a jpeg.
Why are the files recorded as JPEs in the first place and is there a way of avoiding having files recorded as JPEs, by making an adjustment either in the camera or on computer.

Hi Bill,
I just had a snoop in my Dimage program to try and see what the reason was for the JPE file extension (useless help file in Dimage), as far as I can see it is for when Extra Fine is selected as the choice of file type.
I'm assuming that this is a variant of JPEG compression peculiar to KM and that some third party programs don't or can't (or they never bothered) directly to support it.
BTW I just opened a file with JPE extension in Elements 5 without any problems so at least that third party program recognizes it...... there's never a dull moment in the world of digital imaging is there?
Greg

[David Kilpatrick]

JPE is a file extension used to indicate adobeRGB colour space, that's all. High Street lab printing machines only want sRGB, and will not recognise the .JPE extension as a JPEG. It is used deliberately, to prevent people from getting bad results by feeding sRGB printers (EXIF Print II, PictBridge) with wrong colour space files.

If you just resave the file as a JPEG, without first running CONVERT TO PROFILE (not ASSIGN PROFILE - serious potential error) to sRGB, you will get poor colours from your prints compared to the best output.

If you regularly use card-slot printers, cable connected to camera printers or High Street mini-labs, change your preferences and shoot sRGB JPEGs in camera. It will then work without a hitch.

David

[Bill Melvin]

Thanks David. That clarifies the problem.

[Bill Melvin]

Question for David Kilpatrick.
Following your advice on JPE files I went in to Convert to Profile in Photoshop. The destination space was set at Working CMYK WEB Coated( Swop ) V2.Is this correct. I am using Epson 1200 and R1800 printers.

[David Kilpatrick]

No! Set the destination space to sRGB. Do not convert your files to CMYK. This is just a default setting for prepress work. I assume you are in the USA as you clearly have your Photoshop set up for USA defaults. That SWOP profile will just wreck anything even for press use in Europe. It's amazing how many pro users, including agencies, never go into COLOUR SETTINGS and change the set up to EUROPE PRE PRESS DEFAULTS - they spend years getting lousy colour and wondering why, spending money on calibration, consultants etc.

First step in Photoshop - set your preferences to your own zone (Europe, USA, or Japan pre-press to get the right CMYK). Next step - ignore this entirely, never use CMYK unless you are genuinely sending stuff to a litho printer.

After you change CONVERT TO PROFILE to have sRGB as the target space, it will remember this. I have edited my shortcuts so that CONVERT now has a keystroke combination, speeds up my web conversions.

David

[David Kilpatrick]

Question for David Kilpatrick.

I am using Epson 1200 and R1800 printers.

It does not actually matter what colour space you work in when printing using Epson printers. What matters is that you follow, exactly, the Print Dialog instructions.

First, do PAGE SETUP. Select your printer, and in the Paper Size settings be sure to select the correct type of feed - rear single sheet manual, auto feed, front platen feed etc as required. If you do not select the correct paper source and size (including the sheet feeder for the R1800) you will be unable to access the colour profiles for specific paper types like Velvet Fine Art or Watercolor - these must be fed as single sheets, and selecting the auto feeder greys out the paper choice later on. You can also do page setup from the next stage (print dialogue 1 or Print with Preview in earlier PS versions).

Now go to PRINT/PRINT WITH PREVIEW. Go to the COLOUR SETTINGS options, and then select your paper ICC profile (Epson papers should all be installed, for papers like Harman, Ilford, Permajet, Hahnemuele, Fotospeed, Kentmere etc you need to download a profile). Selecte PERCEPTUAL rendering and consult your paper instructions on whether to tick BLACK POINT ADJUSTMENT or not. You have now set Photoshop to use its own internal ICC management, and convert any colour space (CMYK, aRGB, sRGB etc) to the same final printer colours.

From this dialogue, click PRINT again. This will bring up a printer options menu. Check that the right printer is shown at the top (it is quite capable of showing the wrong one even after Page Setup). There are only two Epson settings which matter, and you must access them in the right order. First, do PRINT SETTINGS and in this you select the paper type you are using (if you can not select it, you have chosen the wrong paper feed source in page-setup earlier on). Then click ADVANCED mode for the colour settings, and do not change anything else. After doing this, go to PRINTER COLOR MANAGEMENT and turn this OFF. Do not use Colorsync or Printer Manages Colors.

IF YOU NOW GO BACK AND CHANGE THE PAPER SETTING, you will revert this choice and get wrong results. You must always go to Color Management after changing anything in the paper print settings item, and turn it to OFF (NO COLOR MANAGEMENT) again. It won't stay that way if you subsequently alter any other parameter.

Check at all stages that the correct printer is shown in all top of dialogue boxes. Finally click PRINT.

As long as you have the correct profile and have used the correct paper type choice you'll get a perfect print (for example, Harman FB Matt needs setting to Watercolor or Velvet Fine Art in the P3800 - both of which are single sheet feed only, meaning that Harman FB Matt is also limited to single sheet rear feed).

Please feel free to pass this set of instructions on to others. It is very easy to get it wrong, but the results when you follow the full process accurately are usually spot-on.

David

[Bill Melvin]

Thanks again David for a comprehensive answer to my query. Incidentally
I am not in USA but in Scotland. Like the others you mention I was ignorant of the importance of Colour Settings.

[David Kilpatrick]

Thanks again David for a comprehensive answer to my query. Incidentally
I am not in USA but in Scotland. Like the others you mention I was ignorant of the importance of Colour Settings.

Sorry, I was being a bit sharp there. I just get annoyed with that SWOP setting constantly appearing in UK documents!

David