best way to get sharp images for web cs3/4

[natureshooter]

Hello All.

Just wondered if anyone can help me out,im wanting to know what the best way of resizing and sharpening photos for web is?

ie workflow,stage 1 till finish.what the best order?

What shoud you do first,when to sharpen,how much,what to resize to and just the best way to do it.

I ask this as i see plenty of images on the web from the sigma 150-500os like mine,and to be honest they look stunning and lots of detail,i cant sem to get the same quality.

Whats the best software.

I have lightroom cs3/4..

Thankyou Gary

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by natureshooter

Hello All.

Just wondered if anyone can help me out,im wanting to know what the best way of resizing and sharpening photos for web is?

ie workflow,stage 1 till finish.what the best order?

What shoud you do first,when to sharpen,how much,what to resize to and just the best way to do it.

I ask this as i see plenty of images on the web from the sigma 150-500os like mine,and to be honest they look stunning and lots of detail,i cant sem to get the same quality.

Whats the best software.

I have lightroom cs3/4..

Thankyou Gary

All digital images need some sharpening, no matter how expensive the camera and lens:

Sharpening in Photoshop -- Part I

The degree of sharpening is dependent on the final size at which the image is to be viewed, and the media on which it is displayed - whether it's a monitor or paper print. It's normally carried out at the end of the workflow - right after resizing.

By far the best sharpening software I've met is:

PixelGenius - PhotoKit Sharpener

You can download and use it for a limited time for free, but I advise against it if you baulk at the cost of buying it - having used it, you won't want to go back to not using it!

Check out these reviews:

PhotoKit Sharpener Review

PhotoKit Sharpener

and others.

Jim

[natureshooter]

hey thanks mate,going to check it all out now..sounds good,will post sample once done..

Thanks

[natureshooter]

Hiya.

After doing the resizing,when should i use the seperate software?

Should i just resize in photoshop then save jpg and then put into sharpening software?

thanks

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by natureshooter

After doing the resizing,when should i use the seperate software?

Should i just resize in photoshop then save jpg and then put into sharpening software?

It isn't separate software, it's a Photoshop plugin and in CS2 appears under file->automate. You resize within PS, then select Photokit Sharpener, flatten the layers and save as a JPEG or TIFF. Or you can keep the layers and save as a psd. It's very flexible.

Download and read the 'User Guide':

http://www.pixelgenius.com/downloads...Manual-123.pdf

Jim

[natureshooter]

HI Jim

Just a quick one to save my eyes,what the best setting once running,hi res sharpen ?which do you use?

thanks gaz

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by natureshooter

Just a quick one to save my eyes,what the best setting once running,hi res sharpen ?which do you use?

Depends what sort of camera you use.

I first of all use the 'Capture Sharpener' and select 'Digital Hi_Res Sharpen' from the 'Sharpener Set' and 'Narrow Edge Sharpen' for the 'Sharpener Effect.

I don't usually do any of the 'Creative Sharpening' effects, but when ready for the output, use the 'Output Sharpener', with the 'Sharpener Set' set to 'Web and Multimedia Sharpeners' and the 'Sharpener Effect' set to 'Narrow Edge Sharpen' at the output size I want (usually 1024 pixels for this site).

One of the beauties of Photokit Sharpener is that the original image is never touched - everything is done in layers. If you don't like an effect, you can deselect the layer and have another try.

Jim

[glsammy]

Jim,

I've just tried to install that sharpening program in CS3, it causes CS3 to stop working. Not sure if it's because I'm using windows 7.
It's only a problem when I try and use one of the sharpening options so it's no real problem.
Shame, it sounds useful.
I've sent the details to their tech support, so I'll see what they say.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by glsammy

Jim,

I've just tried to install that sharpening program in CS3, it causes CS3 to stop working. Not sure if it's because I'm using windows 7.
It's only a problem when I try and use one of the sharpening options so it's no real problem.
Shame, it sounds useful.
I've sent the details to their tech support, so I'll see what they say.

I'd be interested to hear what they say, 'glsammy'.

Jim

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

I'd be interested to hear what they say, 'glsammy'.

Jim

They sent me another version, but it still has the same effect. I'm puzzled to see why though. I've no other problems with other plugins.
I've now removed it. I'll try it again later, just in case something odd happened the first time.