Difference in sharpness in PS RAW and PS

[avz10]

I have recently started taking pictures in RAW and this has made a huge difference!

What I have noticed, is once editing in RAW and I open the photo in PS, the picture in PS is often not so sharp.

I attach 2 photos- not good examples- but difficult if I need to sharpen more in PS.
Your opinion please. Could there be a settings problem?

 

[avz10]

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[dv8_fx]

I believe the person who posted was new and violated forum rules by adding signatures and spam links. The mod would usually remove and ban the user from the forum...

I've never used PS Raw... but I'm sure others here have. Just be a bit more patient..... after all , it was a holiday yesterday.

 

[Steve]

Hi Avz10.
That message was deleted as spam.
His comment doesn't answer your question and he posted links trying to sell electronics out of China.
...

I'm glad you're shooting in RAW, it's the only way to go IMHO.

You're right, when shooting raw the image may not appear as sharp as the JPG but all the data is there.

When shooting JPG the camera applies sharpening, brightness, contrast, etc. based on the picture style you select and then bakes those settings into the image.

In Raw, you're dealing with the "raw" data.
None of the information like exposure to some degree, white balance, contrast. and much more, as well as the sharpening is locked in yet.

When you open an image in ACR it automatically applies a little bit of sharpening and you can apply more, but I would use it sparingly.

Sharpening an image should be the last step in the process, and you sharpen specifically for the output.

You would sharpen more for print than for the web for example.

 

[avz10]

Thanks Steve

My question is- and I post another picture- if I edit in RAW, the image looks very well.When I carry on and open in PS, some of the detail has disappeared and I need to sharpen a bit more.

I post these two pictures. The first one after editing in RAW and the second one just after opening in PS CS5. Especially if one looks at the stainless steel containers in the foreground.

My basic question then is:
1. After I have edited in RAW, should I only save as jpeg and print OR should I keep on tuning the sharpness, etc. This is for printing as photo purposes.

2. And then a second one- for viewing and choosing photos, which programme should I use to get my family to look at a slideshow and decide? Windows, I find not sharp enough; possibly Picasa or Irfanview??

Thanks

 

[Slipperman]

As Steve says, the sharpening procedure is generally specific to what your using the image for, so really, you should do any editing you need to first, such as levels, contrast, brightness, saturation, cropping etc... Then if you intend to use it for the web for example, resize the image, then sharpen it, if you want to resize it for print, resize it as necessary for the print size then sharpen it.

You've also got to remember, different image output devices such as a computer monitor, laptop monitor, a tv, phone etc... All display images in different colours and at different sharpness levels.

With regards to slideshows, I couldn't comment too much, I've never really noticed it much with Windows Slideshow, perhaps it's because the image is upscaled in the slide show, so it's having to display more details, thus in turn losing sharpness.

 

[avz10]

Thanks for your quick response, I appreciate it.

As Steve says, the sharpening procedure is generally specific to what your using the image for, so really, you should do any editing you need to first, such as levels, contrast, brightness, saturation, cropping etc...

My need is usually to print some photos )I basically do not have other needs )- in this case 200 wedding jumbo photos!

So, I start in RAW and follow the sequence- white balance, light, contrast, vibrance and then some sharpening in RAW- usually go up to more than 100 in RAW, etc. Then I am normally satisfied with the output as a photo.(I would be happy to print- but still in RAW format)

For every photo, I would then go to the "normal" PS, but this is where I see the discrepancy between the edited RAW and PS.

In PS, I would do levels, but then I get unsure- should I sharpen more (I like the High Pass filter) as in PS it needs more, as in RAW I was quite happy with the outcome, but not in PS.

I usually use High Pass and then save as a JPEG to print.

Now, with this project, I am not sure. Obviously I need photos. I would like the family to see the images as close as what they would appear on a photo, as this was my task for this wedding! That was the reason for my question= a basic photo editing program where I can show them the photos, so that they can decide what looks best (eg Picasa, etc) -ie not a programme where I continuously click on the next photo.

I am not sure if this is clear??

Thanks for any opinion.

(The difference between the RAW image and the PS image is much clearer on my screen than on the screen shots)

 

[Steve]

For starters I see the color space in ACR is set to Adobe RGB so make sure your color settings in PS are set to North American Prepress2 and check all the "Ask" boxes on the bottom.

Using North American Prepress2 keeps the image in the larger Adobe RGB color space.
...
To me the image in PS looks crisper than the the one in ACR, but your saying it's the other way around.
When you sharpen in ACR you don't see a difference no matter what you do in the sharpening panel unless you're at 100% magnification or greater.
Holding down the Alt key while adjusting the sharpening or masking can be helpful to.

As for your questions, I never save files as jpg's, I always save to PSD and retain all the layers.
Other people prefer TIFF, it doesn't matter but you should save the image in a lossless format.

When you're ready to print, the amount of additional sharpening (if any) depends on the image, the paper, and your personal taste.

You want to leave the sharpening to the end of the process, Slipperman summed it up perfectly.
If you start off with a sharpened image other adjustments may not look right.

If your using a matte paper you may want to sharpen it more than a glossy paper, that's where "Proof Colors" comes in.

I can't recommend a viewer either put if you're going to share the images you can resize, change to color space to sRGB, and "Save As" filename.jpg

...

For every photo, I would then go to the "normal" PS, but this is where I see the discrepancy between the edited RAW and PS.

In PS, I would do levels, but then I get unsure- should I sharpen more (I like the High Pass filter) as in PS it needs more, as in RAW I was quite happy with the outcome, but not in PS.

I usually use High Pass and then save as a JPEG to print.

I like Hi pass to for sharpening and every image need some sharpening.
I'm confused about the differences your seeing between ACR and PS.
Check the color settings in PS.

 

[smalltrees]

just as everyone has mentioned, sharpening should be the last step, and is device/media dependent...

all sharpening/contrast adjustments, should be applied to the Luminosity mode, as not to affect color...
or better said... to affect the colors correctly...
sharpen.. then edit/fade change the blend mode...

 

[avz10]

Settings for Canon EOS 450, Adobe Camera RAW, PS CS 5 and printing photos= changing

I have a Canon CS EOS 450, have used PS CS5 in the past. I have now been made aware of Camera RAW and have started using it. My problem is that the images varies when I open the photos in different programs. My laptop is a HP Probook, 64 bit, Windows 7, etc.

So, my question is about settings on the different devices; Camera and programs:

1. I shoot in RAW, so I believe no change in camera settings.

2. Adobe CR- I use white balance, contrast, clarity, and vibrance. Any programme changes on ACR programme necessary (ie colour, etc in the programme to match with my screen?))

3. Biggest difference between moving from ACR to PS CS5- usually a big difference between these two (colour; sharpness)

4. And what would be the best proramme to use the photos that will look as close to what I will get if I print these in photos?

 

[Steve]

You can see a big difference in an image on different computers if you don't calibrate your monitors.

When you open an image in ACR using Adobe RGB color space, make whatever adjustments you feel are necessary.
Everything you do in ACR is non destructive and 100% reversible.

When you then send that image to PS it should look identical to how it looked in ACR on that same computer, assuming your settings are right.

I've already told you those settings.

If your positive your color settings are right and you still see a difference try resetting PS and then go back and enter the settings again.

To Reset Photoshop:
Start Photoshop and immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows)
or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS X).

Then, click Yes to the message, "Delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file?"

4. And what would be the best proramme to use the photos that will look as close to what I will get if I print these in photos?

Photoshop, I explained how all already in message #8, Proof Colors.