I need some clarity: Ok, Both me and some of my photos need some clarity. Please tell me why and if there is something I can do diff. When I take a photo and it appears very sharp as...

OneShotOne18

Ok, Both me and some of my photos need some clarity. Please tell me why and if there is something I can do diff. When I take a photo and it appears very sharp as is.... even when printed. However, if I choose to zoom in on the subject and then print it it is way out of focus. Very grainy. This is probably a simple issue to some of you. I have not been able to find a solution no matter what I try. THX

billnourse Loc: Bloomfield, NM

How much are you zooming? What camera and lens? Extreme zooms are going to cause images to fall apart, just the nature of the beast. Some camera sensors handle it better than others. There are a lot of factors to consider before you can get a definitive answer. Could you post some examples and be sure to store as original.

Bill

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

OneShotOne18 wrote:

Ok, Both me and some of my photos need some clarity. Please tell me why and if there is something I can do diff. When I take a photo and it appears very sharp as is.... even when printed. However, if I choose to zoom in on the subject and then print it it is way out of focus. Very grainy. This is probably a simple issue to some of you. I have not been able to find a solution no matter what I try. THX

I sometimes see a beautiful woman across the street. I go over to ask her for a date, but when I closer and get a better look, I change my mind. Distance is your friend. : )

If you want to enlarge an image and still have it look good, you need lots of pixels, for one thing. Still, there is a limit to how far you can zoom in and maintain quality.

There was an image posted online. I think it was an ad by Bentley. It was a distant shot of the Golden Gate Bridge. As you zoomed in to the Bentley driving on the bridge, it was still sharp. I found it. Zoom all the way in, and you will see the "B" on the seatback - razor sharp.

https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/apps/look-closer.html

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

It’s a matter of resolution.. consider your picture made up of a bunch of little dots.. (which it exactly is). Like a newspaper. Looks fine when normally printed because there are millions of dots and you can’t see them individually. But when you zoom in, the dots essentially become ‘bigger’ because there are less dots to make up the picture.

Hope that helps.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

OneShotOne18 wrote:

Ok, Both me and some of my photos need some clarity. Please tell me why and if there is something I can do diff. When I take a photo and it appears very sharp as is.... even when printed. However, if I choose to zoom in on the subject and then print it it is way out of focus. Very grainy. This is probably a simple issue to some of you. I have not been able to find a solution no matter what I try. THX

Are you zooming with a lens on your camera, or are you cropping deeply into an image with software on your computer?

While the tele end of a zoom may be softer than the wide end, that’s not enough to be very noticeable at normal distances.

Cropping throws away part of the image. If you enlarge what’s left to fill the space you cropped off, you’ll make each pixel more visible. Once you get fewer than 240 ORIGINAL, from-the-camera pixels spread over each linear inch of an 8x10, the image gets softer... EVEN IF you use interpolation software to maintain pixel count.

So... Avoid cropping. Get closer, use a longer lens, and forget using the “digital zoom” feature on your camera (if it has one). Digital zoom just crops in the camera.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

OneShotOne18 wrote:

Ok, Both me and some of my photos need some clarity. Please tell me why and if there is something I can do diff. When I take a photo and it appears very sharp as is.... even when printed. However, if I choose to zoom in on the subject and then print it it is way out of focus. Very grainy. This is probably a simple issue to some of you. I have not been able to find a solution no matter what I try. THX

Are you refocusing after you zoom in?

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

jerryc41 wrote:

I sometimes see a beautiful woman across the stree... (show quote)

...and hers!

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Get closer instead of depending on the long zoom lens. Then you won't have to enlarge/crop so much and the pictures will look better. Use the zoom to fill the picture for a "close up" of the subject.
This is a common problem for wildlife and bird photographers. And the main reason I have a popup hunter's blind in my back yard near the feeders. Pictures from 10-20 feet look better than taken through the family room door at 50-75 feet.

Linary Loc: UK

jerryc41 wrote:

I sometimes see a beautiful woman across the stree... (show quote)

Clever PP- the bridge is a photo, the Bentley is a vector graphic embedded into the jpg. It will always be sharp no matter how much the zoom is.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Do you mean zoom in with a zoom lens, or do you mean crop and enlarge a small fraction of your photo?

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

Jerry - The Bentley......Unbelievable!!

Largobob

jerryc41 wrote:

I sometimes see a beautiful woman across the stree... (show quote)

Hi Jerryc41. I agree.....the link you sent was pretty amazing. I'm thinking (strongly) that there is more to it than meets the eye. Even the Hubble Telescope doesn't have that kind of resolution.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

I don't think for printing large images this really holds fast and true "If you want to enlarge an image and still have it look good, you need lots of pixels". They printed large posters and billboards back when 6MP was the normal camera (perhaps not as well as today). At 16MP you usually get better ISO performance over higher MP cameras, and for boosting print size many editing software can enlarge the photo, however the problem will be the limitation of the printer watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCaZt5ndRW0 .

jerryc41 wrote:

I sometimes see a beautiful woman across the stree... (show quote)

Orson Burleigh Loc: Annapolis, Maryland, USA

jerryc41 wrote:

I sometimes see a beautiful woman across the stree... (show quote)

Astounding photo: The Bentley logo stitched into the back of the passenger seat is clearly visible

Also noticed that the beige over brown Bentley appears to have the same wing-mirrors as my VW Golf GTI.

If you're in this situation, don't put your reading glasses on. Presbyopia greatly enhances one's chances for mature romances.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

Orson Burleigh wrote:

Astounding photo: The Bentley logo stitched into the back of the passenger seat is clearly visible

Also noticed that the beige over brown Bentley appears to have the same wing-mirrors as my VW Golf GTI.

If you're in this situation, don't put your reading glasses on. Presbyopia greatly enhances one's chances for mature romances.

Photoshop is a wonderful tool. Compar the sharpness of the bridges suspension cables to the car,just saying.