Sharpening Help

Seajay

Seajay

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,493
Name
Cathy
Edit My Images
Yes
Afternoon all I quite like this shot and hope to try and improve it later this afternoon.

Main question today is when do i know when I am sharpening it too much is there a guide line when the photo would be ruined for print if i over sharpen.
Usually use photoshop but trying to learn Lightroom so would be willing to use either.
Cathy


Santa'sBored by cooriedoon, on Flickr
 
remember that your screen dispays at (usually) 72ppi, whereas you print at 200ppi or greater. So generally speaking, your screen image should look just a little over-sharp to get the right amount in a print.

If you begin to see halos around edges you've over-done it. Always use unsharp mask, set threshold to around 5 if sharpening a portrait. Radius around 0.5 or less, amount whatever it takes. Just a rule of thumb, though. Avoid the other sharpen commands in Photoshop.

That image above looks fine at that small size.
 
Last edited:
Thank you to both of you for your welcome advice.

I have noticed in Lightroom that when working on the JPG that the image size is only 72 dpi surely this is not big enough to print I am new to Lightroom and Raw but my version of photoshop will not open my raw files so now trying Lightroom to enhance this photo little.Searching for a save button but cannot find one so off to google it to see how to save my work.
 
If you want to save as a jpeg you need to use the export command
 
Seajay said:
Thank you to both of you for your welcome advice.

I have noticed in Lightroom that when working on the JPG that the image size is only 72 dpi surely this is not big enough to print I am new to Lightroom and Raw but my version of photoshop will not open my raw files so now trying Lightroom to enhance this photo little.Searching for a save button but cannot find one so off to google it to see how to save my work.
Click to expand...

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

:thumbs:
 
Phil V said:
dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

dpi setting means nothing. it's the image size that's important.

:thumbs:
Click to expand...

+1. Look at the total image size, e.g. 3mb or larger, and look at the pixel dimensions in height and width. I should think that darn near every camera out there today, including camera/phone, can produce an image sufficiently large in pixels to print A4 without a problem.
 
Great that is good news! I somehow thought a photo had to have a certain DPI for printing.

No matter I was wrong.

Which makes me ask another question.What size do you all tend to save your image files at or what would be the average size to keep them at for work or printing?

Cathy
 
Seajay said:
Great that is good news! I somehow thought a photo had to have a certain DPI for printing.

No matter I was wrong.

Which makes me ask another question.What size do you all tend to save your image files at or what would be the average size to keep them at for work or printing?

Cathy
Click to expand...

It does - ish.

Keep your files at full size until you need to downsize them for output.
Never reduce an image for any reason other than output, and then make sure its a copy.
 
Seajay said:
Great that is good news! I somehow thought a photo had to have a certain DPI for printing.

No matter I was wrong.

Which makes me ask another question.What size do you all tend to save your image files at or what would be the average size to keep them at for work or printing?

Cathy
Click to expand...

Dpi does play an important part but image size determines how big you can print. Its basic aruthmetic. Take the image dimension in pixels and divide by the resolution to find out the final print dimension achieveable.
 
Do selective sharpening and you tend to sharpen less for screen than you do for print.

Don't sharpen if you intend to interpolate first always sharpen after you have increased size
 
Thanks Carol Frank and Poah.
Now I will need to google what you mean by interpolate :)
 
Best not to upsize. Sharpening should always be the last step. Never save the sharpened version as the original, always 'save as'
 
Photodiva said:
Best not to upsize. Sharpening should always be the last step. Never save the sharpened version as the original, always 'save as'
Click to expand...

Not strictly true.

There are two types of sharpening, import and export.

When you shoot in Jpeg, the import sharpening is done by the camera at the capture/conversion stage.

If you shoot in RAW, that needs to be done manually.

In Photoshop, that's the sharpening sliders in ACR. In Lightroom, it's the Develop module.

Export sharpening is applied as it sounds. In Lightroom the option is in the Export module/text box, in Photoshop it's the Sharpening tab under filters. In both cases it's applied (or should be) as the final step.
 
woof woof said:
There's some help on sharpening on Ken Rockwell's site...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/photoshop/sharpening.htm
Click to expand...


Ahh.. yes... Ken Rockwell.

Ken Rockwell said:
I print directly from the JPGs from my camera without sharpening.
Click to expand...

Right Ken.... uhuh...

Ken Rockwell said:
The $150,000 professional printers I use for 15 cents a print at my local Costco or any discount lab like WalMart, Adorama or Target add just the right amount of sharpening automatically.
Click to expand...

uhuh... i seeeeee....

Ken Rockwell said:
Good luck if you're still piddling around at home on an inkjet.
Click to expand...

Damn.. that's where I'm going wrong. I'm using a fully colour managed workflow into a Epson 4880. Darn it.. I should listen to Ken and go to Tesco because their printers coast more than mine!


I wish someone would put Ken Rockwell out of his misery.

Sorry... carry on... I just had to rant.
 
DemiLion said:
Not strictly true.

There are two types of sharpening, import and export.

When you shoot in Jpeg, the import sharpening is done by the camera at the capture/conversion stage.

If you shoot in RAW, that needs to be done manually.

In Photoshop, that's the sharpening sliders in ACR. In Lightroom, it's the Develop module.

Export sharpening is applied as it sounds. In Lightroom the option is in the Export module/text box, in Photoshop it's the Sharpening tab under filters. In both cases it's applied (or should be) as the final step.
Click to expand...


Um, three types. :)

There's selective sharpening as well, where you sharpen (or soften) part of the image during editing.

Whatever. Just don't apply the same amount of sharpening automatically to every shot. Just don't. It's very, very wrong and a kitten dies every time you do this.
 
jon ryan said:
Um, three types. :)

There's selective sharpening as well, where you sharpen (or soften) part of the image during editing.
Click to expand...


That's an artistic effect rather than part of the development process! :p

Go back to shooting gin palaces! ;)
 
On a cold, dank December day only a very cruel man would remind me of that. And as I'm not cruel, I won't mention the fact that in one week from just about exactly now, I will be landing in Nice. If I get the chance I shall shoot a gin palace in Monaco for you. One with the sun on it.
 
There's a word that I'm thinking of and it's quite rude!!

It was a cracking banner btw.
 
Ta. It's a cracking place. Honestly Mark, if you haven't booked anywhere for your hols, put Symi on the list. At the top.
 
Seajay said:
Thank you to both of you for your welcome advice.

I have noticed in Lightroom that when working on the JPG that the image size is only 72 dpi surely this is not big enough to print I am new to Lightroom and Raw but my version of photoshop will not open my raw files so now trying Lightroom to enhance this photo little.Searching for a save button but cannot find one so off to google it to see how to save my work.
Click to expand...

What has screen dpi to do with it?

If you have a 1200x1200 image and print it at 200 dpi, it will be 6"x6". If you display it on screen at 75 dpi it will be 16"x16".

The 2 values are independent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top