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06-23-2020, 09:39 PM   #1
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How do I sharpen for Pentaxforums?

My images are sharp on my screen but when uploaded here they look soft. I use Raw and process in Photoshop Elements 11. How are people getting images to look sharp here?
Thanks,
barondla

06-23-2020, 10:06 PM   #2
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I wasn't a fan of Photoshop Elements' sharpening when I used it ages ago. Maybe it has improved.

I usually set sharpening in Lightroom to 50, with a little noise reduction if the ISO is over 400.
I export at 72 ppi, and "sharpen for screen" the "standard" amount.

So nothing fancy. Maybe I'm not doing enough
06-24-2020, 12:04 AM - 1 Like   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by barondla Quote
My images are sharp on my screen but when uploaded here they look soft. I use Raw and process in Photoshop Elements 11. How are people getting images to look sharp here?
Thanks,
barondla
I wouldn't change your processing necessarily, just make sure photos are within the attachment dimension limits (no more than 1400px wide and 900px tall). Then your files won't get compressed or altered compared to the local version.

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06-24-2020, 12:25 AM   #4
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I am using Elements on my travelling computer and I am finding the same thing. Resize to 850 vertical or 950 horizontal, ppi150. But not sharp. In hosting site, they are sharp. Odd but temporary- when i get back home when? if? i will have access to PS and LR again but it is disappointing.

06-24-2020, 01:14 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by barondla Quote
My images are sharp on my screen but when uploaded here they look soft. I use Raw and process in Photoshop Elements 11. How are people getting images to look sharp here?
Thanks,
barondla
I generally dont upload photos directly to PF but link to my Flickr page. This means that the image is not compressed by the forum software and this may be your issue.

Can you tell me:

What size jpegs (pixel dimensions) are you creating from your raw files ? Also what output sharpening are you using on those jpegs once you have created them.

I generally leave the input sharpening in Adobe Camera Raw at the default settings, and use the Unsharp Mask (USM) filter to sharpen up the jpeg.

Do not concern yourself with ppi settings unless you are creating a file to print. The ppi setting is irrelevant for screen viewing.
06-24-2020, 01:40 AM - 1 Like   #6
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I don't know why, but I always get better results by posting to Flickr and pasting the image from there (usually at 1024 pixels wide).

I haven't used PE so can't comment on that. But personally I rarely use the sharpening tool in my PP program (DxO PL3). I find that judicious use of the clarity tool, contrast and microcontrast create a more subtle appearance of sharpness. With a single subject (e.g. a bird) I usually leave the background with minimal treatment (sometimes darkened), mask the subject and apply clarity, microcontrast and contrast to taste.
06-24-2020, 04:34 AM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Then your files won't get compressed or altered compared to the local version.
Adam, the issue I get is that my attachments are upscaled when displayed on the forum. I upload them at 1203x800 and if I download them again they are unaltered but they are displayed roughly 20% larger.

Here the 1203x800 image is overlaid over how it is displayed on the forum (resized back down to 1203x800):

Name:  Shot0002.jpg
Views: 394
Size:  643.0 KB

I don't know if this is browser of forum related but the upscaling softens the image.

Edit: Firefox and Internet Explorer both show upscaled images and Chrome shows a downscaled image, say -5%.


Last edited by alfa75ts; 06-24-2020 at 04:43 AM.
06-24-2020, 09:14 AM - 1 Like   #8
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Adam put his finger on the main issue. I always save my jpegs at 100% image quality. When I first started posting on PF I noticed the same thing, softer on PF than on my computer. I looked at the EXIF data on the PF images and the jpeg quality was 85%. The website compressed them. The pixel size of the image posted determines whether or not it gets compressed on PF. Like Adam said, 1400px wide and 900px tall is the recommended max. I generally keep mine at 1200px wide and 800px tall max, PF usually shows the jpeg image quality at 100%, and they look as sharp as my local copy. Of course these dimensions may be too small to include all the elements of your image that you want to show. I have never used Photoshop Elements, but I do know that some software is better than others at downsizing images. Say that I have an image that is 2400x1600 that I want to post on PF. My every day jpeg editor PhotoFiltre is great at most things, but not downsizing. For that I use GIMP, which does a much better job and keeps detail and sharpness. I would think Photoshop Elements is good too, but others can comment on that.
06-24-2020, 12:45 PM - 1 Like   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by alfa75ts Quote
I don't know if this is browser of forum related but the upscaling softens the image.
The large image is just under 1200px on my screen, so it definitely looks like some sort of scaling being done by your PC. Do you have a high-DPI monitor? If so, programs that support it will render things smaller than ones that don't or that are configured to scale a certain amount. There are also system settings that control this.

The forum shouldn't ever upscale photos, and if you download the files they should be identical.

In case it's browser zoom, then control+0 should reset that.

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06-24-2020, 01:00 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
I wouldn't change your processing necessarily, just make sure photos are within the attachment dimension limits (no more than 1400px wide and 900px tall). Then your files won't get compressed or altered compared to the local version.
Good to know.
Thanks for the help,
barondla

---------- Post added 06-24-20 at 03:32 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by pschlute Quote
I generally dont upload photos directly to PF but link to my Flickr page. This means that the image is not compressed by the forum software and this may be your issue.

Can you tell me:

What size jpegs (pixel dimensions) are you creating from your raw files ? Also what output sharpening are you using on those jpegs once you have created them.

I generally leave the input sharpening in Adobe Camera Raw at the default settings, and use the Unsharp Mask (USM) filter to sharpen up the jpeg.

Do not concern yourself with ppi settings unless you are creating a file to print. The ppi setting is irrelevant for screen viewing.
I've been using 1024 for horizontal images and 800 for verticals. I develop the Raw in Pentax DCU 5 (came with the 645Z) and sharpening is set to standard. I save that to 8 bit tif and open it in PSE 11 to process, resize, convert to jpeg, sharpen and save. Usually save from level 6 to 10, depending on the image.

I've tried different sharpening settings in PSE. Lately it has been 115% and 1 pixel, but I'm no processing expert, and welcome base sharpening recommendations. I did open a Flickr account to post to the Single In Challenge here af PentaxForums. Posting to Flickr requires more steps to get it here, but may be the route I go. I also have a 4-5 yr old copy of Gimp but it wasn't the easiest to use.

Thanks for the help everyone,
barondla
06-24-2020, 02:14 PM   #11
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This is probably not much help, but, if you are using different browsers, are you sure they all display at the same zoom level ? For instance,, using Chrome, my zoom is set to 125%.
06-24-2020, 02:27 PM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
In case it's browser zoom, then control+0 should reset that.
Doh! Thanks Adam. Forum images are now identical to the originals in both size and sharpness.
06-24-2020, 07:23 PM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by barondla Quote
I've tried different sharpening settings in PSE. Lately it has been 115% and 1 pixel, but I'm no processing expert, and welcome base sharpening recommendations
Everyone has different favourite sharpening tools. I have always used the USM tool. With the K1 I generally use settings of Amount 20-45% Radius 0.6 ; Threshold 1. With my old K10 I needed a higher Amount in the region of 70-100.

If you are preparing an image for print you need more sharpening...as a rule of thumb double the numbers compared to those for screen viewing.

Last edited by pschlute; 06-24-2020 at 08:29 PM.
06-25-2020, 02:04 AM   #14
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I've done this in ACR since I discovered it on these forums: WOW!!!!! I didn't think high ISO would be THIS good!! - PentaxForums.com
06-25-2020, 07:09 AM   #15
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I Usually over sharpen my images a little if I know I'm going to upload to Pentax forums, but sometimes that does not seem to work ?
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