Of course, whatever works best for *you* and *your photographs* is without doubt the BEST way to do it. :-)
I have at least 20 different B&W workflows and gods only know how many color workflows in my notebook. There are a dozen or so books on my shelf on image processing theoretics, Photoshop, etc. Each of them has illuminated new things and produced good results.
In the end your eye, understanding of the process and materials you're working with, trial and error, practice and judgment are the bottom line. Just like in the darkroom...
Godfrey
On Apr 28, 2005, at 7:30 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I've read similar things in various places, most notably in Bruce Frasier's books and articles. However, I find I get better results if I sharpen RAW images a moderate amount before conversion. I don't go all the way with them, but I do enough to bring the RAW to a level somewhat comparable to an unsharpened scan. Usually that's between 24 (the PSCS Camera RAW initial default) and 50. After that, some additional overall sharpening or targeted sharpening can be applied before printing or after web resizing. I've tried working both ways. At least in terms of inkjet printing on my Epson 3200, those images sharpened before conversion show more apparent sharpness without artifacts than those sharpened only after conversion.
Paul
My research and limited experience shows that any sharpening/unsharpening should
be done to the final image after resizing for output. Contrary to what one would
think, the smaller the image the more sharpening needed. Very large prints may
need some blurring instead. It is very easy to over sharpen or unsharp-mask an
image and it can not be undone once the image is saved without loss of quality.
Ergo, produce the best possible image without any avoidable sharpening and save
that as your archive, then sharpen as need just prior to printing or posting.
graywolf http://www.graywolfphoto.com "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" -----------------------------------
Boris Liberman wrote:Hi!
It sounds like you have a good grasp of the RAW conversion process.
My main suggestion would be to use the Sharpness slider carefully. A
setting between 75 and 100 is a lot of sharpening. Blow your image up
to 100% or 200% when sharpening to see what it does to the edges and
transition areas. I find that I usually can't go above 65 without
causing damage and frequently end up in the 50s. You're also applying
even more sharpening after conversion. Without a doubt, you're
oversharpening. This will tend to significantly reduce the plasticity
of the image in that the transition areas will be "notchy" or abrupt.
I also think that if you get everything right with exposure,
brightness, shadows, and contrast before you convert, you shouldn't
often have to fuss with curves or limites. I sometimes add a minor
tweak after processing, usually just as a final contrast adjustment
with the rgb curve, but most of the time the RAW converter gets it
right. Too much is frequently too much.
Paul, I have to agree with you. It is just that I was often pointed out
that my images lack some sharpness and some contrast. It seems that I've
over-accepted that advise.
I am going to start with the same procedure I am applying, but with much
less sharpening, especially for image that would be printed. Then I will
slowly build up my experience from these prints.
Boris
-- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.10.4 - Release Date: 4/27/2005
