Miscellaneous Questions - Sharpening/Luminosity & PSD vs DNG file

[DanK]

Colin,

Very helpful.

Christina, if you are processing first in Lightroom, you can accomplish something very similar to Colin's local contrast adjustment:

Firstly 10px @ 35% to give it a bit of "pop"

with the "clarity" slider.

Dan

[Brownbear]

Colin... thank you for sharing the 2nd version, very helpful to see

Dan... thank you for showing me an edit in LR... May I ask what settings you used for noise reduction and sharpening in LR? Every time I try noise reduction in LR I seem to loose all the detail.

Dan Koretz... Thank you for sharing. Are your recommendations for sharpening in LR (ie; 10 pixels 35%)... If the clarity slider has number settings I have yet to find them.

[NorthernFocus]

...Dan... May I ask what settings you used for noise reduction and sharpening in LR? Every time I try noise reduction in LR I seem to loose all the detail...

Sorry, Christina, should have posted the details along with the image but was too lazy at the time.

I don't know how to do a screen capture so will have to type them out...

In the details panel I ended up with sharpening at amount = 75, radius = 1.0, detail = 25. Noise reduction luminance = 50, detail = 50, color NR setting at defaults.

I then did a selection brush on the BG and set clarity = -50, sharpness = -85, noise = 100.

Also did separate selection brushes on upper/lower wings to tweak lighting. On the lower wing I only brushed in the really dark part and increased exposure rather than using the shadows slider. I may imagine it but it seems like the shadows slider brings out more noise than increasing exposure. On the upper wing I lowered highlights and kicked up contrast a bit.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Dan... Truly appreciated.

For screen captures press shift (to select the upper function) and the small little button titled Prt Scr on your computer. This machinery I know.

Sorry, Christina, should have posted the details along with the image but was too lazy at the time.

I don't know how to do a screen capture so will have to type them out...

In the details panel I ended up with sharpening at amount = 75, radius = 1.0, detail = 25. Noise reduction luminance = 50, detail = 50, color NR setting at defaults.

I then did a selection brush on the BG and set clarity = -50, sharpness = -85, noise = 100.

Also did separate selection brushes on upper/lower wings to tweak lighting. On the lower wing I only brushed in the really dark part and increased exposure rather than using the shadows slider. I may imagine it but it seems like the shadows slider brings out more noise than increasing exposure. On the upper wing I lowered highlights and kicked up contrast a bit.

[NorthernFocus]

...For screen captures press shift (to select the upper function) and the small little button titled Prt Scr on your computer. This machinery I know.

The key strokes aren't the problem. Either the keyboard I'm using isn't playing well with my computer or the captures are going someplace that I can't find them. I used to do it all the time but haven't been able to since I got my current computer

[Shadowman]

The key strokes aren't the problem. Either the keyboard I'm using isn't playing well with my computer or the captures are going someplace that I can't find them. I used to do it all the time but haven't been able to since I got my current computer

Some computers use the 'fn" and "prt sc" combo. I think someone at Microsoft was having a bit of a laugh with that key. "Where's the "fn" key?"

[Mike Buckley]

Windows 7 and I think other Microsoft operating systems include an app called Snipping Tool. Using it allows you to save the entire image of the screen or a portion of it after using its built-in cropping function to a JPEG.

[NorthernFocus]

Yeah the fn key doesn't do an fn thing either

Thanks, Mike. There it is right there in the Accessories, snipping tool

[Shadowman]

Yeah the fn key doesn't do an fn thing either

Thanks, Mike. There it is right there in the Accessories, snipping tool

Forgot to add, after you hit the combo key, what are your next steps?

I go into Photoshop Elements, choose File, New, Image From Clipboard.

[Mike Buckley]

I go into Photoshop Elements, choose File, New, Image From Clipboard.

You could do that after using the Snipping Tool to crop or not. Simply use Ctrl+C to copy the image into the Clipboard.

[Shadowman]

You could do that after using the Snipping Tool to crop or not. Simply use Ctrl+C to copy the image into the Clipboard.

Mike,

I just located the Snipping Tool, pretty handy.

[NorthernFocus]

Forgot to add, after you hit the combo key, what are your next steps?

I go into Photoshop Elements, choose File, New, Image From Clipboard.

Ah, the clipboard. Yes, there it is So other than the new file via PSE, how does one find it on the clipboard? I just tried doing a right click and paste but that doesn't work...

[Mike Buckley]

I rarely use PSE, which has the ability to open an image being stored in the clipboard. My other photo apps don't have that capability so I save the image to my hard drive. I then open it in whatever software I want to use.

[Shadowman]

Ah, the clipboard. Yes, there it is So other than the new file via PSE, how does one find it on the clipboard? I just tried doing a right click and paste but that doesn't work...

I think every program has there own short cut for pasting, for instance MS word will paste the image with CTRL V.

[Brownbear]

Following are my attempts at post processing. Far from perfect but I learned a lot about sharpening and noise reduction which will serve me well for the future.


Following Dan's guidelines using Lightroom

The original with an unsharp mask applied after downsizing



Increased exposure and reduced noise, sharpened and adjusted white balance (this was a harder image to work on)



One of my better eagle images processed following Colin's guidelines. This one was not as noisy but I was able to crop the image and make it sharper, much sharper I think.

The original



After noise reduction, cropping and sharpening



Thank you Colin and Dan for your help. Truly appreciated. While these are not perfect when I do manage the "eagle shot" in better light I will be well prepared for post processing. (Well hopefully increasing exposure and using noise reduction will not be needed)

[NorthernFocus]

Hey, Christina. The second eagle image looks a lot better in general. Both exposure and colors/WB look better. Highlights slightly bright. Notice how much detail you can see in the feather on the head in the first shot and those details are gone in the rework. Pull highlights back until the detail reveals itself again.

That's a pretty cool shot.

[Brownbear]

Hi Dan,

Thank you for your feedback. Yes, now that you have brought it to my attention I can see that I lost detail on the eagles head. Thank you for letting me know how to fix it.

Yes, I like this shot because of the beautiful snowy background and the detail on the eagles wing. I wish I had done a better job compensating for the eagles white tail. These were photographed in Brackendale, where there are a lot of eagles (spawning salmon). But the eagles mostly just sit on the bank on the other side of the river feeding on the dead salmon (no access permitted) and it is impossible to get low down and close or a nice background. The other eagles sit high up in the trees, and fly only when a seagull comes by with a fish. So although there are a lot of eagles it is hard to get a nice shot. I'm thinking that perhaps another time of the year might be better, ie; when they are actually diving for live fish but I don't known if they do this in this locale. And the low light makes it extra hard.

Hmmm... My WB is pretty off in the other image.