lesdmd
Loc: Middleton Wi via N.Y.C. & Cleveland
Most photo processing software allows one to zoom in/out on an image. I wonder how many of us ever zoom to 100% or beyond to check sharpness, edit out unwanted artifacts, when masking a subject out of the background, etc.? Along the same lines, assuming you have a shot you just love, want to keep, expect to enlarge well beyond a 4x6 print, how long will you spend examining it during post processing? I realize some of us introduce variables that take time and involve complexity. It simply takes longer to process HDR or stack layers, but I am basically asking how "perfect" UHH members hope their photos to be, and how they go about achieving that level.
I always check my sharpness at 200% on a calibrated monitor.
I agree, 200% is usually good enough to do about any thing with the typical JPG. I simply zoom in and out as needed realizing as it goes larger sharpness and detail will suffer but sometimes you just need to get right in there with the zoom to see what you need to do.
I don't go above 100% because past 100% you are asking more than one pixel on the screen to display one pixel on the image. At 100% it is 1:1.
There are good reasons to go to 200% for some fine detail work, but I am not so sure checking sharpness is one. But it it works for you...
For cloning I sometimes go to 200%.
forbescat wrote:
For cloning I sometimes go to 200%.
Yes - even higher for REALLY close work.
lesdmd wrote:
Most photo processing software allows one to zoom in/out on an image. I wonder how many of us ever zoom to 100% or beyond to check sharpness, edit out unwanted artifacts, when masking a subject out of the background, etc.? Along the same lines, assuming you have a shot you just love, want to keep, expect to enlarge well beyond a 4x6 print, how long will you spend examining it during post processing? I realize some of us introduce variables that take time and involve complexity. It simply takes longer to process HDR or stack layers, but I am basically asking how "perfect" UHH members hope their photos to be, and how they go about achieving that level.
Most photo processing software allows one to zoom ... (
show quote)
I always zoom to 100% for any image I am going to spend serious production work on. I spend about the same amount of time on all the images I select to represent me - about an hour per pic give or take.
Since few of my images meet the normal criteria of sharpness they are by such definition imperfect to begin with. This saves me alot of time and worry. Since I can never make them perfect I don't have to pretend otherwise.
I go to 100% on any thing I want to keep.
I go to 150% on those I may want to print @ 8x10..
I use PS CS2 on a 20in Mon. I look at the pictures at 100% in the fit on screen setting. If its sharp there IT'S SHARP!
Sometimes going above 100% zoom to fix a flaw isn't necessary and will be a waste of your time. Yes while it's true that you may see the flaw at 200% your viewing audience will not see it at the intended viewing distance. One should ask themselves what they intend to do with the photograph,what size print, viewing distance,etc. before spending all that time in post processing.
To fix flaws, I zoom as high as necessary for that particular problem. If I anticipate enlarging a shot, I double check at 100% and as I sharpen, at about the same %.
For stock submissions, I go to 200% and pan across and down the entire image to remove sensor spots and other imperfections.
To check sharpness I go to 100%.. but I go to 300% to check for dust spots and cloning........
Fstop12 wrote:
Sometimes going above 100% zoom to fix a flaw isn't necessary and will be a waste of your time. Yes while it's true that you may see the flaw at 200% your viewing audience will not see it at the intended viewing distance. One should ask themselves what they intend to do with the photograph,what size print, viewing distance,etc. before spending all that time in post processing.
It becomes a habit to remove imperfections...and it really takes but a minute or so. It just makes me more comfortable with the picture.
To answer a related question Scott Kelby suggests you set your image size at 50% when doing sharpening. He says it works better. I don't know why and haven't tried alternatives...I find it just easier to do what he says in this case.
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