www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

OK, how is it that when I process the RAW images I can get down to scale perfect, but zooming out to the whole insect it looks less well focussed than my Lumix produced I have a feeling it's down to jpegs and screen resolution etc etc, but anyone have advice as to how to set my screen to show the benefits of DSLR MPs, or whether to store Tiffs or jpegs... confused by learning process and discovering these things actually might matter

Please forgive any ignorance I have just shown

Hi Paul,

What software are you using?

Cheers,

- Pete

HI PAUL, a raw file has no sharpening , so after conversion needs to be sharpened, unlike a jpg that is sharpened in camera when shot.

i sharpen a small amount in lightroom when converting , then re sharpen jpg when finished after re sizing for web, or before printing.

phil

Sorry... I use Dig Photo Professional for all the RAW stuff now, I seem to be having to push the sharpening up to 5 / 10 points after I've finished the other bits of correction. But no matter how sharp it seems when magnified, when looked at on my monitor at normal size it looks slightly fuzzier than I'm used to!!... maybe should get my eyes checked

Here's my theory, Paul, speaking as a complete non-expert!

It sounds as if you're sharpening a huge image and then zooming out to view it at smaller dimensions. That way, it's bound to lose its apparent sharpness, because it was sharpened at what is now below pixel level.

If you want it to look like your old pictures, surely you need to resize it first, to viewing dimensions, and then sharpen it.

Guy

Guy suggested

...resize it first, to viewing dimensions, and then sharpen it.

I would have thought that was standard procedure even for pictures not taken in RAW.

Jack

I always sharpen before resizing, I find a image can end up looking very etchy, ( made up word ) if sharpened at 1024 or 800 pixels.

Regards Gruditch

Here's my two penneth worth but could well be wrong.

I thought that once you've messed around with your RAW file it was eventually saved as a JPEG. JPEGs are quite unstable and if anything is performed once a JPEG then sharpening would be inevitable. I must admit I sharpen after resizing and performing changes to contrast and colour as this degrades the image if performed when using a JPEG image. Not sure of the best method if all changes are made to the RAW file only as I don't use RAW.

It's an interesting thread.

and a light goes on in the dusty corridors of my empty head. thanks all... I suspect size does matter

...and some images are just sharp enough to start with; sometimes over-processing brings more pixellation and images do look worse

I generally process and sharpen before I crop and re-size; in fact a slightly fuzzy shot printed or viewed at A4+ may look reasonably sharp when reduced to 800x600 pixels on screen. Loss of resolution helps hide slightly off-focus wing-tips or antennae, for instance!
(...don't ever start printing them yourself Paul; that's another minefield )

Is it that your old camera was significantly lower resolution than your new one, and that when you say viewing at 'normal size' you mean so the whole image fits the screen?

If you are viewing at 100% and it looks great, but then are only viewing at say only 20% of it's full size to fit it all on screen compared to say 50% of the full size for the old camera, then that could be the reason why the full image looks softer, in the same way that an image looks softer when you make it smaller.

Hi Fishee.... yep I think you've summed it up... I didn't know that happened! - I do now - the full size images are sometimes brilliant, but they look soft when viewed smaller... any advice on prepping them for example for this site viewing?

Paul
I find that resizing in Photoshop Elements (I think that is the sme as you use?) does result in a soft image.
I also use Photoshop Elements for the small amount of editing I do-
A little crop, a little lighting adjustmennt - (I usually underexpose a stop or so), and a very light sharpening.
Then, for putting on the internet, I resize in Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
It is - I hasten to add - the ONLY thing I use it for.
It does, however maintain the crispness.
See my P-b Fs on the April 2011 pages.
Personally, I do not enjoy editing photos. The quicker I can get it over and done with the better.

The full PhotoShop has different options for the resizing algorithm. The results range from soft to way oversharpened. Check if Elements has similar options!