Hey there! So, im a bit new with photography and even working with my canon 70D functions. I noticed the quality of the pictures aren’t as sharp when I post them online compared to my camera screen. I know the MP is 20ish.... Now I have used Automatic a lot ( on the body) manual on my canon 18- 135mm IS STM lens. My goal is ito start playing with manual but if I do take automatic shots; can I get a better quality photo?
I think the photo will generally look sharper on a small display, such as your camera's LCD. When you look at it in a larger size, the resolution is going to start to look more "pixelated". If you printed that same file at a substantially larger size, it would look even more pixelated.
If sharpness is important above other qualities, then be aware that there are several factors that will affect sharpness.
Camera movement and/or shutter speed. This is easy to verify by some testing. Mount your camera on a tripod and take a shot with the same settings. If that one is sharper, then it probably is mostly camera shake. Good technique, coupled with faster shutter speeds will help a lot.
The lens. Some lenses are just naturally sharper than others, and the resolution may be different at different apertures. Test this by borrowing a different lens to compare.
Some attachment on the front. I think you have a filter of some sort one the front of your lens. Test that by removing the filter and take the same shot, using the same settings as before. If the new version is sharper, then there's your culprit.
As has been mentioned; websites sometimes compress images when you upload them. Nothing you can do about that except choose another hosting site.
And, of course, it could be combination of all the above. You know; 50% one, 20% another, 30% the other thing. In that case, you will have to choose where to start first.
BTW: a 20MP file can print a fairly large print, so don't run out and order a camera based on only the sensor pixel count. 20 is good for nearly every kind of photograph. It's only when you want to print a wall-sized mural that the pixel count can be important.