 susanlgendron.com - Susan Gendron  Contact Susan Gendron Susan Gendron's Gallery |
Camera Settings to Sharpen Images? I read a bit here about camera settings to sharpen my images. I have a Canon Rebel XTI and am not happy with the (lack of) sharpness in my images. They're just not spot on crisp. Looking briefly at my menu didn't give me a clue about where to go to check the settings. Any ideas? I know a tripod will help, but I am using an IS lens, and even with my 10-22mm sometimes don't get the detail I'm looking for. Thanks!
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Amy JACKSON |
You can adjust the sharpness on your camera...but I sharpen most of my images differently afterwards depending on what the subject is. I use unsharp mask in photoshop and can adjust the radius, threshold and percentage.
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Bernard |
Susan here are a few suggestions: 1. lens sweet spot (for sharpness)is approx. two stops from Max aperture. 2. use a tripod. 3. use a fast shutter speed. 4. use flash 5. close attention to focus 6. is subject moving or stationary 7. amount of ambient light
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Pete H |
Susan, On your XTi the in camera sharpening is in "Shooting Menu 2" You have 7 levels available. Use it with caution. Some lenses benefit more from sharpening than others. As a example: My 18-200mm when shooting less than 100mm is quite ok as far as sharpness is concerned, as long as the f/stop hovers in the f/8 to f/16 region. Above 100mm when the f/stop is 5.6 or more, I sharpen in camera a little. I've assigned the sharpening to one of my "custom shoot" settings when I KNOW I will be shooting a lot of tele for the day. This simply cuts down on the amount of post processing I need to do later. At the other end of the spectrum, my 50mm prime requires ZERO sharpening; in camera or post process as it is almost too sharp from the start! LOL
Pete
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Paul D. |
Susan, the very process of capturing an image on a sensor does add softness. You need to bring that back out in post processing with Photoshop or some other editing software that does sharpening. There's no camera setting that will give you the pro look you get from sharpening in post-processing. If Photoshop is out of budget range, Photoshop Elements is an excellent choice as it has almost the same sharpening tools as the big version. You'll want to use the "Unsharp Mask" to sharpen. A good starting point for settings for your 10mp camera is: Ratio: 0.7 Make sure you are viewing your image at 100% (or if necessary 50%) when you sharpen, and click the Preview button on and off to see the effect. A VERY GOOD electronic book on sharpening has been written by Tim Grey. I highly suggest this e-book to anyone doing digital photography.
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John P. Sandstedt |
Pete - Is there a similar "Shooting Menu" on the 30D. I can't seem to find it.
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susanlgendron.com - Susan Gendron Contact Susan Gendron Susan Gendron's Gallery |
Thanks, everyone for the suggestions. I have Photoshop Elements 4.0 and will look for Unsharp Mask. Pete, I have a 50mm prime, too, the really cheap one - what a lens!!! Susan
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Pete H |
John, Yes. It's found under "picture style" and then "details." There are 7 levels of sharpening for the 30D. Pete
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Jerry Frazier |
I wouldn't sharpen in-camera. Always sharpen in post-production. You can't unsharpen in post, but you can always add it if it needs it. Same thing goes with contrast. Just shoot with everything real flat. Then punch it up in photoshop.
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Pete H |
Jerry, I can only (partly) agree with your comment on "Always sharpen in post-production.." Unlike (scene modes) which are really stupid in my opinion; in camera sharpening, color saturation, WB etc DO have their place. The idea of these features is to cut down on post processing..I'm all for that. Some lenses, be it tele or prime may or may not be what we desire in sharpness; so a solid understanding of what the camera is doing is paramount prior to making adjustments. I do see your point in NOT sharpening in camera, as once done, we can't go back and undo it. However; your advice to never sharpen in camera suggests one should always shoot in RAW mode as well, since once shot in jpg, those adjustments are not reversible. Well; I don't shoot in RAW mode all the time..BUT, when it really counts, I DO shoot in RAW mode. Adjustments in camera should remain in the control of the photographer, as we all know photography is so much more subjective than it is objective. Personally, I love the idea of having some in camera control when shooting jpg. The adjustments are being made at the RAW level too! Very cool. It's a great feature IF we understand how, when and how much we should use.
Pete
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doug Nelson |
The camera makers are trying to please every kind of user. Sharpening in camera is for someone who wants to shoot in jpg mode and have a print or an attachment ready to send right out of the camera. For the shots you REALLY care about, Unsharp Mask should be the last step in your post processing in your editing software.
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Paul D. |
Good point Doug. If you don't want any post processing and you just want your JPEGs ready right out of the box, then it's possible, BUT, sharpening in-camera isn't the only area to experiment and play with. Cameras offer other settings to consider, such as saturation and of course white balance. And, most importantly, you'll want to keep an eye on your histogram because that will be your ONE chance to get Levels right with no blow-out of highlights, etc. It's possible to get decent output by doing all this, and if you're shooting many hundreds of shots at an outing/kids camp/etc, then that's fine. Nobody wants to post-process 800 shots of a family vacation that's going to end up as 4x6's or a Flickr slideshow. But if you're trying to capture an important image such as a scenic at sunset or a posed shot of an outdoor wedding, you'll definitely want to run your RAW through the post-processing workflow and end it with sharpening to get the best image possible.
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