% of images you sharpen?

[vinlyn09]

Just curious...what percentage of your shots do you sharpen during post-processing on the computer?

[Canon-Fodder!]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

If you shoot RAW then ALL images will need sharpening to some extent - IMO; but the amount of sharpening will depend on the ultimate use of the image... and, of course, the owners own preferences. I for example, in general, prefer sharper images to softer images...

The whole question of sharpening is a book volume in itself - even the process of capture sharpening, creative sharpening & output sharpening is subject to immense mounts of discussion! Just Google "photo image sharpening" for about 1.6 million hits!

If the image is for commercial use, you also need to abide by the printers requirements, many of whom require NO sharpening to the image...

[collywobbles]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

Am I the only person who does not do post production?- To be quite frank, I can't be ar**d and don't have the soft ware or skills necessary!- I'm cr*p with computers.

[colin C]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

Am I the only person who does not do post production?- To be quite frank, I can't be ar**d and don't have the soft ware or skills necessary!- I'm cr*p with computers.

No, you are not the only person ......... but it is a very small club that you belong to!

Leaving aside image manipulation, if you shoot in RAW you will have full control of the technical make up of the shot post capture. You can tweek exposure, contrast, highlight and shadow control, white balance, hue, saturation, sharpness, noise reduction, etc, etc. whilst you may think "I can't be ar**d with doing that on every shot ......... you don't have to. Many shots will be taken in the same light and need the same treatment, so get the first one in the sequence as good as you can and copy the same recipe to the remainder of that sequence.

The main difference is the quality of the shot between a well executed RAW file and a JPG. In JPG, you set up a few parameters in the camera and it does all the rest for you, but it is very much a compromise. In Raw, you take control and the teatment you provide is taylored to each shot.

Is it all worth the bother? Only you can decide. How good a photographer do you want to be?

Colin

[Canon-Fodder!]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

...and don't have the soft ware or skills necessary!

If you have a Canon piece of kit (as I assume you do since you're on here...) then you DO have ALL the software you need !

It's all on the CD that came with your kit. DPP for RAW processing is an EXCELLENT piece of software IMO, while ZoomBrowser will take care of the basics for all else if you can't be ar***d with external third-party software.

As for skills, that, of course, is your judgement. We're never too old to learn!

[Robert Scott]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

That raises an interesting question. Do you need strong computer skills to be a good photographer today, or is being able to 'see' and capture an image more important?

[briansquibb]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

As computer programmer by profession I would suggest that the level of skill needed to manipulate images is minute.

The need to understand the applications, colours, layers etc are far greater. I struggle with the manipulation applications but there is no way that I dont have the computer skills

[Millie]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

Being able to see and capture is the most important thing.

I am living proof that with even with good tech knowledge of photography and great kit you can churn out predominantly mediocre snaps.

Do all pics from DSLRs require sharpening?
I know it is a widely held view that they do, and I agree most of the time. I don’t think it’s strictly true in all cases, if it was, you wouldn’t have SF lenses.

One of my pet hates is soft images over ‘sharpened’ on a PC. When I see them I want to slash my screen with a dagger. However it wouldn't be cost effective or sane to do this. :tongue:

Millie

[Canon-Fodder!]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

That raises an interesting question. Do you need strong computer skills to be a good photographer today, or is being able to 'see' and capture an image more important?

No question really... being able to "see" and capture an image is by far and away the most important element... ("Seeing" the image being something that I continually struggle with!)

However, to make the "very best" of the power in the kit we now have, and the "very best" of the potential of the image, there is no doubt in my mind that digital post-processing has, de-facto, become the new "dark-room" of negative processing; and so a certain amount of computer literacy skills will be required!

Of course, if you're happy to allow in-camera processing, and you are confident of having captured that shot, then by all means allow the camera to do the JPEG conversion for you...

[Millie]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

However, to make the "very best" of the power in the kit we now have, and the "very best" of the potential of the image, there is no doubt in my mind that digital post-processing has, de-facto, become the new "dark-room" of negative processing; and so a certain amount of computer literacy skills will be required!

Yes that’s true.

Talking specifically about low end freelance press work, many people are moaning (justifiably) that no-one pays you for your time spent on the PC

For many people, it’s gone from, “here’s the film and the invoice, bye bye, enjoy” to something a bit more time consuming, for the same money.

In other ways the PC darkroom is wonderful.

Millie

[briansquibb]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

No question really... being able to "see" and capture an image is by far and away the most important element... ("Seeing" the image being something that I continually struggle with!)

However, to make the "very best" of the power in the kit we now have, and the "very best" of the potential of the image, there is no doubt in my mind that digital post-processing has, de-facto, become the new "dark-room" of negative processing; and so a certain amount of computer literacy skills will be required!

Of course, if you're happy to allow in-camera processing, and you are confident of having captured that shot, then by all means allow the camera to do the JPEG conversion for you...

Good comment - being relatively new to digital I stiill have the film frame of mind where the picture is essentially as it comes out of the camera, with no more than cropping and light adjustments.

Just my opinion - I am not saying it is wrong to 'photoshop' extensively just that by doing so we are moving towards digital art rather than photos

[Millie]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

what percentage of your shots do you sharpen during post-processing on the computer?

Every picture I think will benefit from sharpening, I would sharpen.
I don't know the exact percentage, but I'm guessing it's over 80%

Millie

[briansquibb]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

... I use sharpen when I convert to jpg as I find that the conversion unsharps it

[Millie]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

For many people, sharpening is the last thing they do before saving.
Different workflows for different things, as has been mentioned earlier Brian.

If you’re worried about degradation caused by compression.
-> you could convert to a tiff
-> Carry out adjustments using features not available in your raw converter,
-> then convert to jpg for dose of sharpening if you feel you want/need to.

The more you hack Jpegs, the more they degrade.

Maybe it's the same for tiffs, I'm not a computer boffin.

Millie

[Hampshire EOS user]

Re: % of images you sharpen?

Some interesting comments on this thread. If you want as good a picture as you can get, you need to get the basics right in camera - you can't make a bad picture good on the computer, but with care you can make a nearly-good picture considerably better. The key is not to over-adjust in computer - if you can see modifications it's too much. As said earlier, there is a thin line between improving an image and treating it as art. If you can't be bothered to work an image on the computer and if you want a good image, you need to get the settings right in camera, such as white balance, exposure, etc, at the time of shooting.