Beamer/projector presentation - what needs to be observed?

[LaFoto]

There's going to be a presentation of my photos taken in Berlin and Potsdam on our second visit there of last year, the one in October, and it is going to be done by beamer ... is there anything I need to observe?
In how far will the presented images differ from my screen (i.e. the way I see them and like them)? I hear they are darker? And beamers cannot produce true black? What is there to know and how do I have to treat my images beforehand?

 

[(Ghastly) Krueger]

is there anything I need to observe?
In how far will the presented images differ from my screen (i.e. the way I see them and like them)? I hear they are darker? And beamers cannot produce true black? What is there to know and how do I have to treat my images beforehand?

Hi Corinna

I use beamers a lot at my work, but only for conceptual presentations. We use a lot of text, diagrams and graphs, but almost no photographies and even when we do, we care little about the faithfulness of colors. Anyway, I think I can give you some general tips (some may seem very basic, just disregard them if you already know)

Colors do vary. Sometimes the colors of two bars in a graph look different in the monitor (say red and orange) but seem exactly the same on the beamer (both red?).

The light in the room affects how the image looks, especially brightness and contrast. Strong light hitting the projection surface can make the image almost invisible. In some specialized rooms you can turn some lights on (on the back of the room) while keeping the front (where you project) as dark as possible.

A beamer can have different resolution than a monitor and not all pcs and laptops change automatically. If this happens, the image sent from the PC will not fit the image projected and you will have to make some manual adjustments.

Also, if the beamer is not perpendicular to the surface where you will project, you get a trapezoid image. In some beamers this can be adjusted via menu, in other cases you have to change the position of the beamer (you know put some books under the front part or something like that).

All this of course varies from beamer to beamer.

My suggestions would be to ask for at least 1/2 hr to test and make adjustments.

Another suggestion, check what equipment they will provide. Just as an example, I've seen many presentations go no where because there is no video cable available.

Good luck.

 

[cal_gundert05]

Ha, in the US we call "beamers" projectors.

To us, a "beamer" is a nickname for a BMW car.

That is all.

 

[LaFoto]

OK, Cal, changed my title accordingly ... I could present them my beamer, too, but it usually is unwashed ... so - no good.

OK, you know what I am talking about?
My photos on DVD, to be put into someone's laptop computer which itself will be attached to a projector that can beam the image onto a screen (like was done with colour slides via slide projector when I was little).

Does anyone have any experience with how PHOTOS may change from how I see them on my monitor here to how they will look like on that screen?

 

[(Ghastly) Krueger]

Oh.
Sorry I was no help.

 

[markc]

It will change in similar ways that an image will differ from monitor to monitor. If you want to tune to that projector, you'll probably need to view it with that projector while you edit in Photoshop. If you do one and save the actions or layers, you can then apply them to all you images, so you only have to spend the time with the one. If both your monitor and the projector are calibrated, then it might not change much. I haven't worked with them much myself, so this is mostly theory.

 

[droyz2000]

I have found that projectors make the colors a little bit more muddier than what they are on screen. If there are real subtle differences in color, they can kind of bleed together depending on the projector. It really all depends on the projector. Basically, the pictures are probably not going to be as nice as they are on your monitor. That is something that everyone has to accept when they project pictures.