SmugMug sharpening

allanrubé

I have a web site where I reduce images to 800 pixels, sharpen, and then upload (without further sharpening.) If someone orders I go back to my ful size tiff, sharpen it to my desire, and print.

Smugmug has me confused. I have to upload very large images f I want people to have the potential of ordering a 20 by 30 print. I wander what others do.

Should I sharpen those images and then upload reducing the smugmug sharpening as much as possible or

Should I just upload lhem with the default sharpening (or some other)? I have a delay for printing so I can replace images before they are sent to the lab. It seems easier this way as long as others who do it like to do it that way.

I am open to all opinions - and would liek them. TIA

jfriend

allanrubé wrote:

I have a web site where I reduce images to 800 pixels, sharpen, and then upload (without further sharpening.) If someone orders I go back to my ful size tiff, sharpen it to my desire, and print.

Smugmug has me confused. I have to upload very large images f I want people to have the potential of ordering a 20 by 30 print. I wander what others do.

Should I sharpen those images and then upload reducing the smugmug sharpening as much as possible or

Should I just upload lhem with the default sharpening (or some other)? I have a delay for printing so I can replace images before they are sent to the lab. It seems easier this way as long as others who do it like to do it that way.

I am open to all opinions - and would liek them. TIA

I believe that the Smugmug sharpening is applied to the smaller web-sizes that Smugmug creates after they are reduced from your original, not to your original and not to what is printed. So, sharpen your original like you were going to print it. Upload that. Then leave the Smugmug default for sharpening. Reducing an image for web display causes it to need some resharpening which is what the Smugmug sharpening is for.

Andy

Hi, have a look here: http://www.smugmug.com/help/display-quality

And holler with any questions after reading that page, okay?

allanrubé

Andy wrote:

Hi, have a look here: http://www.smugmug.com/help/display-quality

And holler with any questions after reading that page, okay?

John and Andy - thanks.

John, yes I knew sharpening did not apply to the original. I was just interested in the display - if it would look over or under sharpened.

Andy, I understand in theory what is on these pages. The way I do it now requires a different amount of sharpening for each image - well - I look at them individaully. Changing to the SmugMug default, I would be applying the same to all images. But - it would save a lot of work.

I guess I will have to give it a try. Andy, do you use defaults?

Andy

allanrubé wrote:

John and Andy - thanks.

John, yes I knew sharpening did not apply to the original. I was just interested in the display - if it would look over or under sharpened.

Andy, I understand in theory what is on these pages. The way I do it now requires a different amount of sharpening for each image - well - I look at them individaully. Changing to the SmugMug default, I would be applying the same to all images. But - it would save a lot of work.

I guess I will have to give it a try. Andy, do you use defaults?

I do use the defaults, yes.

jfriend

allanrubé wrote:

John and Andy - thanks.

John, yes I knew sharpening did not apply to the original. I was just interested in the display - if it would look over or under sharpened.

Andy, I understand in theory what is on these pages. The way I do it now requires a different amount of sharpening for each image - well - I look at them individaully. Changing to the SmugMug default, I would be applying the same to all images. But - it would save a lot of work.

I guess I will have to give it a try. Andy, do you use defaults?

I apply a different amount of sharpening to different images too, but that's when I sharpen the original. On the original, it is definitely image-dependent for how much sharpening you want.

But, it is a relatively fixed algorithm for what happens when you downsize an original so if it was appropriately sharpened to being with, it should not vary a lot how much sharpening needs to be added after downsizing (at this point, it's basically just math, not very image dependent at all). That's why a fixed sharpening value can work pretty well.

If, in your current workflow, you find that you have to sharpen some images a lot more after reduction, then that's probably because their original was under-sharpened.

Try it, it works pretty well if you sharpen the original to taste (when viewing at 100%) and then let the Smugmug defaults take care of the web sizes.