testing resize/sharpening plus question

[AimeeGeis]

I've been having a hard time figuring out how to resize and sharpen for the web. So, this is my first attempt to get it right.

sooc
D40 (manual)
35mm f/2
1/250 sec.
ISO 200
no flash
white balance on auto

[/IMG]

My question is this: when I took this picture, the histogram showed a great exposure (no spikes on either side and the hill right in the middle) but when I got it home and put it in the computer (just a laptop) it looks all faded, overexposed, colors just off. can someone tell me why that is?

also, I used the unsharp mask on this to sharpen for the web but I don't really understand the numbers. I have CS2. can anyone tell me what my numbers should be?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Big Mike]

but when I got it home and put it in the computer (just a laptop) it looks all faded, overexposed, colors just off. can someone tell me why that is?

Firstly, a laptop is typically not a great screen for editing photos.
Secondly, if your screen is not properly calibrated (laptop or not) then you really don't know if what you're seeing is accurate at all.
To properly calibrate a screen, you need a calibration device (like the Spyder) and the accompanying software.

also, I used the unsharp mask on this to sharpen for the web but I don't really understand the numbers. I have CS2. can anyone tell me what my numbers should be?

There are no 'correct' numbers....just what works for your particular image. And even then, it's mostly personal taste.

Search for tutorials on UnSharp Mask & Sharpening...there are many thousands of them across the web.

 

[AimeeGeis]

but when I got it home and put it in the computer (just a laptop) it looks all faded, overexposed, colors just off. can someone tell me why that is?

Firstly, a laptop is typically not a great screen for editing photos.
Secondly, if your screen is not properly calibrated (laptop or not) then you really don't know if what you're seeing is accurate at all.
To properly calibrate a screen, you need a calibration device (like the Spyder) and the accompanying software.

also, I used the unsharp mask on this to sharpen for the web but I don't really understand the numbers. I have CS2. can anyone tell me what my numbers should be?

There are no 'correct' numbers....just what works for your particular image. And even then, it's mostly personal taste.

Search for tutorials on UnSharp Mask & Sharpening...there are many thousands of them across the web.

Thank you Mike!!! I'd oh so love a new iMac with 27" screen. that will have to wait for awhile. As will the Photoshop upgrade, since I want to get the mac version someday. So, I haven't looking into calibration kits for this poor laptop. Maybe I should.....

 

[Derrel]

Aimee,
Browsers for the Mac platform are color-profile aware; most browsers for Windows are not aware of the color profile assigned to an image, so its pretty common for people to view images edited and worked on on the Mac platform to look horribly dull on a Windows web browser.

When preparing images for web display, one wants to assign the sRGB color profile to the image--that way Windows users will be able to see what the image is supposed to look like.

The combination of non-profiled images,seen on the web, on a Windows laptop is probably one of the most shocking and disappointing ways to view photos that were edited and worked on and which looked "fine" under a calibrated Mac OS system's monitor. So, always assign the sRGB profile to your web shots! Your sharpening and sizing routine looks pretty good in your sample photo--not obviously oversharpened, for example.

 

[Provo]

but when I got it home and put it in the computer (just a laptop) it looks all faded, overexposed, colors just off. can someone tell me why that is?

Firstly, a laptop is typically not a great screen for editing photos.
Secondly, if your screen is not properly calibrated (laptop or not) then you really don't know if what you're seeing is accurate at all.
To properly calibrate a screen, you need a calibration device (like the Spyder) and the accompanying software.

also, I used the unsharp mask on this to sharpen for the web but I don't really understand the numbers. I have CS2. can anyone tell me what my numbers should be?

There are no 'correct' numbers....just what works for your particular image. And even then, it's mostly personal taste.

Search for tutorials on UnSharp Mask & Sharpening...there are many thousands of them across the web.

Thank you Mike!!! I'd oh so love a new iMac with 27" screen. that will have to wait for awhile. As will the Photoshop upgrade, since I want to get the mac version someday. So, I haven't looking into calibration kits for this poor laptop. Maybe I should.....

Usually you will find a profile for monitors from the OEM site but being that is a laptop I am not sure how that works out.