Image sharpness question

Lawrence F

Lawrence F

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Lawrence
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I'm looking for some advice on image sharpness. I use a Canon 40D with various lenses (Sigma 17-70 & 10-20, Canon 55-250 IS, Canon 50 f1.8) and seem to have variable success with the sharpness of images. Chief suspects at first were the lenses (ie. not 'L' quality!), autofocus or camera shake but now not quite so sure...

Always shot in RAW, using the Standard picture style, with all custom functions OFF (highlight tone priority/high ISO noise reduction etc etc).

Just recently, I have had a play with picture styles, and found that shooting everything in Landscape style (which has a sharpness setting of 4/7 as opposed to 3/7 of the standard style) has a marked effect on sharpness, both on the camera screen and on the computer. Once images are output to JPEG, sharpness seems better.

I'm using Lightroom to process my RAW files.

Any suggestions as to ways you deal with this? Am I missing something? :help:
 
Suggest you post and image or two. Remember that all the processing modes and settings are irrelevant for RAW files; therefore you need to sharpen in post production... unlike JPEG from the camera which is processed in the camera dependant upon what processing settings you choose in the camera.
 
Are you doing any sharpening in LR?

To cut a long story short, all RAW images need some degree of sharpening, if you shoot jpg the camera is just applying some arbitrary settings to the raw for you. Therefore you shouldn't expect a crisp sharp image from the RAW file alone and you will need to do something in 'post'.

Now, sharpening can be an even more emotive topic that politics, religion or even toast, so I suggest you try a few methods until you find upon a system that suits your workflow. A lot of people will only sharpen in PS, however I don't have any issues with the sharpening tools in LR (from v2 onwards anyway).

Have a look at http://x-equals.com/blog/?p=1792 it gives a pretty good explanation.
 
Thanks for your quick replies!

Gordon: here is an image which illustrates my point pretty well. Taken back in January with the Sigma 17-70mm, at the 70mm end. Tripod, low ISO, wide aperture (perhaps this could be to blame?), manually focussed... this is of course the JPEG output from the original RAW, and I have to admit, fairly heavily compressed for Flickr. It could be me being overly self-critical, but on a properly calibrated monitor at 100%, it's just not tack-sharp like I had expected!

4343179867_cf1f8ed8b9.jpg


ArtphotoasiA & kennysarmy: interesting to hear both your thoughts... I shall try using the adobe98 colour profile!

Can anybody shed any light on the use of AdobeRGB/sRGB use? I read many months ago in a magazine that for serious users of RAW who do all processing using software, that AdobeRGB was the only way to go... I've therefore had my camera set to this ever since. Am I getting the best results by using this mode?
 
Lawrence, if you can get your hands on a copy of Martin Evening's books on CS3/4 or Lightroom, there is a chapter on Adobe camera raw and its how to use its sharpening for different types of image. It certainly opened my eyes to the process and is well worth a read.
 
OK here goes a quick resume of my past 2 years with digi SLR's

Started out with a D60 (Canon 6.2mp) and Canon 28-105, very quickly gravitated towards RAW and processing in DPP.

I used to crank the RAW sharpness setting up and down to taste and usually ended up applying a bit more sharpening in Photoshop. Happy bunny.

Then I bought a 40D and 17-85 lens, now 10mp and same workflow not quite getting the results I was happy with from the D60, but after lots of reading around and seeing a rather enlightening thread on here I started to use the RGB sharpening control after leaving the RAW sharpener at a default 3.

Setting the RGB shrpening to between 100-150 sharpened the images up nicely - most of the time.

I have just bought a 70-200 f4 L IS and this lens produces as sharp or sharper images with no RGB sharpeing than my other lenses with it - amazed.

Anyway my point is that once you have ruled out camera shake, subject movement etc then you just have to compensate for the equipment characteristics you have - or spend lots of money on better glass!!

I have A2 prints on the wall of subjects that I could never of hoped to capture on film (see THIS ), and I'm very happy with that.

HTH

David

And the RGB/Adobe RGB question, I saw some very good advice on here, if you have to ask then you don't need it. I drove myself mad changing profiles and assigning this that and the other, only thing I did was produce some very poor miss profiled prints (both at home and online printed) and gave up. Now a happy s RGB user.

Came to the conclusion I'd rather be out taking photos than worrying about the edges of some colour space.
 
Lawrence F said:
Always shot in RAW, using the Standard picture style, .

I'm using Lightroom to process my RAW files.
Click to expand...

Unless you use Canons DPP to process the raws any picture style settings like sharpening will be ignored by Lightroom.

You will get a glimpse of the jpeg embedded in the raw until lightroom renders its own preview and that will have the style settings applied to it.
 
RobertP said:
Unless you use Canons DPP to process the raws any picture style settings like sharpening will be ignored by Lightroom.

You will get a glimpse of the jpeg embedded in the raw until lightroom renders its own preview and that will have the style settings applied to it.
Click to expand...

Yes I guess you right.... I think also the profile is ignored at least in RAW... but it became essential in jpg.......

you use a jpg for the web >>>> srgb profile
you use a jpg to print of >>>> adobe98 have wider gamut and so better compatibility with printer tone....
 
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