[Newt]

Help, please. I have some images that are 2272 x 1704 and in RAW (CRW) format that are over 4 mb in size. I resize them to 640x480 and apply the USM. When I save for web or export as JPG, I try to get the size down below 50kb. When viewing them after doing this they are totally crappy do to artifacts?. I've tried all different settings in PS, PSP & Elements. When doing the same procedures on smaller size RAW, the problem doesn't seem to be exist or at least is not noticable. Any guidence on this matter? TIA NN

[Sore Feet]

You're gonna have a hard time keeping a digital shot at 640x480 under 50kb without having serious artifacting. I always, and I mean always, save my pictures with the Save for Web feature in PS 6 (dunno if Elements has that), at the "high" quality setting. Typically, my pics at 640x480 are about 100kb. If you drop down to the medium setting, there will be noticable artifacting.

[Newt]

Yup, Elements has it. Too bad on the resizing. Thanks, NN

[Tom]

Newbie Newt, if you save at "high" (quality 60 in "save for web" terms) you shouldn't see much artifacting. At 640x480, this jpeg quality setting should result in filesizes between 50 and 175 KB. It there is lots of detail in the picture (trees, shrubs, etc.) you should expect filesizes closer to 175 KB (occasionally larger), and vice-versa.

[Newt]

Yup there be lots of trees. That size is almost unacceptable for posting on the web. I did notice the close ups of the flowers could be smaller and better quality. Thanks guys. NN

[Sore Feet]

Actually, most of the pictures I see on the web, that aren't artifacted, are getting into that size range. It may take a little time to dl on dialup, but I'm willing to wait for it (though I am more patient than most web users). Most of the pictures on my website range from about 40kb up to 100kb, and I save them at 450x320 (or more recently 450x338). It's of course up to you. Maybe you should try resizing it down to 512x384 ?

[Dayhike Mike]

One note for bulk resizing...if you're using WinXP, you can download a PowerToy from Microsoft that automates resizing images. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp Doesn't USM, and most likely won't handle RAW files, but the results are decent considering the amount of effort expended. There's also a CD Slide Show Generator and HTML Slide Show Wizard there which may or may not interest you, depending... Enjoy!

[Newt]

I've kind resigned myself to the fact that they will need to be a little larger in kb size and/or smaller in pixel size. Thanks, NN

[kleet]

I'm bringing this topic back up in the hope that someone can lay out their typical Photoshop 6 workflow. My digicam doesn't allow capturing images in RAW format, so that's out the window. What are the steps some of you with more experience use to get images adjusted, sharpened, and resized .JPGs for the web? Should I adjust color, contrast, sharpen, then resize? Are there any of those adjustments done in the "save for web" tool, or is that just a resizer? Can any or all of the aforementioned adjustments be done batch mode? (I realize that the amount of color, contrast and sharpening adjustments will vary depending upon each exposure.) I've checked out what some of the online PS tutorials have to say, but am curious as to how the steps in YOUR workflow go. Thanks in advance!

[Sore Feet]

As I'm sure Tom will point out, I take the long road in processing my images, but I will humor you anyway... I usually use two different techniques. FAST VERSION: I've found this to produce pretty good results for quick output for pictures I want to post for a TR or such. -outside Pshop- Download the images from the camera (Zoom Browser) Convert the RAW files to 8 bit .tiff (Powershovel) -inside Pshop- Open Rotate (depending on orientation) Levels (auto seems to work in most cases) Sharpen Filter x3 - not USM, just the regular Sharpen filter Resize to 640x480 *Sharpen Filter again *Fade Sharpen to 20% *Optional - Depends on how sharp I want the picture. This yields good results, because when resizing the picture from 2272 x 1704, any oversharpening is simplified. SLOW VERSION: This is what I do when I process images I put on my website, or stuff I plan on printing (and at a later date, selling). -outside Pshop- Download the images from the camera (Zoom Browser) Convert the RAW files to 8 bit .tiff (I know, I should do 16 bit, but I'm not worrying about that because the images don't need that much work) (Powershovel) -inside Pshop- -Open -Rotate (depending on orientation) -Contrast Mask to bring out details in dark areas of the picture (process described here) -Shadow Mask, essentially the same as a Contrast Mask, but using a Multiply Layer, rather than a Screen Layer. Only necessary when blown highlights can't be recovered in RAW conversion - I've only done this once so far. -Levels Adjustment Layer, I do this by hand. -Selective Color Adjustment Layer, usually adjusting the blues and reds, and taking as much color out of the whites as possible (when dealing with waterfalls and such). -Brightness / Contrast Adjustment Layer, if necessary. Next I usually run a Custom Action I found called the 10D finisher. It was designed for, obviously, the 10D, but it works great for G3 pics too (300D as well). This Action sharpens the picture, and adjusts the color a little (most of which I've already done at this point, and will then flatten the image at the end of the process. Can be found here - place the file in your Photoshop/Presets/Photoshop Actions/ folder. After this, I will sometimes add another pass of the regular Sharpen filter, but not always. Final, optional, step is a Saturation pass, using the Subtle Color Custom Action that comes with the 10D finisher. Depending on what size I save the pictures at, this is how I then resize: For pictures that go on my waterfallsnorthwest.com website, I usually resize to 1200x900, apply another Sharpen Filter, resize to 800x600, apply another sharpen filter, resize to 450x338, add a copyright notice, and Save for Web at 60% quality. Images are typically between 50k and 100k. For pictures that will be on my world-waterfalls.com website, I usually resize to 1200x900, apply another Sharpen Filter, resize to 800x600, apply another sharpen filter, Fade Sharpen to 33%, then resize to 640x480, and Save for Web at 60% quality. Images are typically between 100k and 150k.

[Tom]

Kleet, basically you should do all / any post processing before you resize or sharpen. Then resize and unsharp mask (sharpen) in photoshop. I find an unsharp mask setting of 150, .3, 2 works well for me after resizing my G3 pics. However, this is highly dependent on the level of internal sharpening your camera does and sometimes the picture. Experiment with it. There is a good tutorial on unsharp mask here. Then "save for web" with jpeg quality setting 50 or 60 in photoshop.

[Sore Feet]

[Newt]

I've not been good at preparing my photos from the camera. Usually just convert, resize and USM. Things are slow here so I have a tendency to not do much. Thanks for sharing your process's. I'll have to start incorporating a few as I go. Do you print your *For Sale* from the tiff? Newt

[Sore Feet]

[Sore Feet]