How to Maximize Image/Printing Quality?

MysticPhotography · Nov 7, 2013

Hi, I'm new. I've got a Canon 50D and I take action horse shots.
I'm looking to try to maximize my image quality so I am happier with the printed results. I also sell the pictures and want others to be very happy with the quality.
The slightest crop or adjustment (In Adobe photoshop) seems to completely alter the quality to the point I'm not happy.

This picture started as an 8.8MB picture. I SLIGHTLY cropped it (resolution 350 pixels/inch). SLIGHTLY altered it in Curves (didn't really need it but just showing the quality drop), and used the Unsharp mask and it is now an 3.4MB.
Before (I did reduce image size so I could upload it onto picturetrail but this is the whole image, to show how little I cropped off it)

After

I have my camera set to the largest image setting besides Raw. I know raw would be best but I'm working with hundreds of pics that all need editing (rather than taking a lot of pics to get that one or 2 REALLY good ones when doing more artistic shots and only those really need editing) It takes me forever to edit all these pics as it is, not to mention having to edit them all from raw.
So what is the best way to edit and keep the quality high? Also what's the best way to email them and hold quality (I have a shaw webmail account)?

jaomul · Nov 7, 2013

Before you get to bogged down in file sizes etc I suggest you try and edit these in your very simple but effective DPP software that comes with your camera.

If it has to be Photoshop make sure you are saving jpeg at highest quality and do your sharpening etc on a background copy layer. Adobe likely has different alogrithim values so bins some jpeg info, but can you actually see a quality difference or did you just notice a file size difference?

As a side note Lightroom sounds like a better editing option for what you are doing

bratkinson · Nov 7, 2013

Rather than dealing with hundreds of pictures in post, I usually use Windows Picture Viewer and decide which ones are keepers and which ones get deleted as the first step of my processing. I delete both the JPG and RAW versions of the pictures. Typically, my 'first cut' will eliminate about 1/3 of the pictures. Then I edit the RAWs with Lightroom, and output the results as JPGs. Starting with the RAWs, I have the maximum image quality to work with, which results in the maximum JPG image quality after I'm all done in LR.

In terms of printing quality, ideally, you'll be using a calibrated screen and calibrated, high quality printer. Otherwise, you'll likely encounter some level of color shifts from screen to printer.

KmH · Nov 7, 2013

The best way to edit and keep image quality high is to shoot Raw files and devote the time to editing that is needed.
A key to editing is the bit depth of the photo. Your 50D makes 14-bit Raw files, but JPEG is a compressed and lossy file rtype limited to an 8-bit color depth.

When having hundreds is action sports shots to evaluate, I also used Windows Picture Viewer to make my first cull.

You don't say which version of Photoshop you are using, but Camera Raw has a batch processing capability it seems few that have Photoshop CS/CC know about.

Camera Raw and the Develop module in Lightroom are the same software - Adobe Camera Raw.
There are some minor differences but otherwise they are the same.

File size, or Mb, and mega pixels, MP, are not the same thing.
Image content drives file size. You may have noticed that the file size of your unedited images is not constant.
The smallest file size results from photographing a scene that is all one color, and that has no detail, like a photo of a blank wall.
The amount you crop reduces the pixel count (MP). how much the crop affects the file size (Mb) is dependent on the image content that was cropped away.

You indicate that you set a resolution on the Crop tool option bar.
By doing so you set the document size of a print.
If you leave the Resolution box blank, the crop sets just the aspect ratio of the photo and the resolution can be set later using the Image Size dialog so different sizes of the same photo can be printed.
In Photoshop CC, Adobe has eliminated the Resolution box from the Crop tool options.

Your 50D set to Large/Fine makes photos that have pixel dimensions of 4752 x 3168 pixels - 15 MP in round numbers.
Looking at the crop you did above, taking a bit off the top and both sides, lets say the resulting photo had pixel dimensions of 4352 x 3068 pixels
4352 px / 350 ppi = 12.4 inches
3068 px / 350 ppi = 8.77 inches.

The math:
pixels / ppi = inches
pixels / inches = ppi
inches x ppi = pixels

For a print that size, a file that is 3.4 Mb is more than enough.

Next, you need to consider that JPEGs are limited to an 8-bit color depth, and are not intended to be edited beyond the editing done in the camera when the image file was made.

Email cannot handle large files like image files. You should instead use a file download service.

wyogirl · Nov 7, 2013

Not an answer to your question, but in my opinion, you shouldn't have cropped that pic anyway. It seems crowded when its cropped.

The_Traveler · Nov 7, 2013

MysticPhotography said:
The slightest crop or adjustment (In Adobe photoshop) seems to completely alter the quality to the point I'm not happy.

What is the alteration in quality?

KmH · Nov 7, 2013

It looks like the Curves adjustment increased the contrast to much to me.

In Camera Raw, which by the way edits non-destructively all of the file types it can edit.
I would have used the Presence section of the Basic panel to adjust the mid-tone contrast (Clarity slider) of the photo.

I would locally sharpen the rider, horse, and obstacle and avoid sharpening the entire image (global edit).

The OP doesn't allow edits, so alternative editing approaches cannot be shown.

MysticPhotography · Nov 7, 2013

Thanks everyone. I mostly take pics for fun and selling a few is a bonus but I really want everyone who buys pics to be very happy with them. I have only taken on short photoshop course so am still rather clueless when it comes to photoshop.

I have Adobe Photoshop CS4 (student version if that makes a difference) and I have a Mac computer so have to deal with stupid iPhoto program. Any tips on dealing with iPhoto?
What are Camera Raw and Lightroom? It sounds like they may come with my photoshop program? This is all very interesting. I'd also possibly like to do some dog portrait type photography to make a few extra bucks so I want to really get good at photoshop.
So it sounds like Raw is my best bet.
The pictures I have printed still look a touch pixel-y which I don't like and want to hopefully eliminate that.
That's interesting about not setting the resolution as that's not what I learned in my photoshop course. They said to set it at 300-350.

The_Traveler · Nov 7, 2013

My guess is that when you are saving your files, you aren't handling the output settings correctly.

Why not put a full size original and your edited version somewhere and put links to them here?
There are so many possible things that are happening between the original and the output, that would be the easiest way to see what you are doing.

KmH · Nov 7, 2013

Lightroom is an application Adobe designed just for photographers.
LR has 7 modules only 1 of them (develop module) used for image editing.
Camera Raw and the Develop modiule in LR both use the same software

CS 4 Extended (which is what the Student Edition is) has Camera Raw.

In Bridge, right click on any JPEG, TIFF, or Raw file and Open in Camera Raw will be one of the options offered.

I guess the instructor didn't explain why you might, or might not, want to to set the resolution to 300 - 350 ppi, and left out some info about how to use the Resolution box in the Crop tool options bar.

Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS4

Sharpening is a subject worthy of an entire book:
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

MysticPhotography · Nov 9, 2013

Thanks for the replies. I will look at the links you posted.

Bridge no longer works (iphoto phased it out I guess) and I don't get the "Open in Camera Raw" when I right click in iphoto. I just get 'rotate' 'hide' 'trash' 'copy' 'show event'. How else can I get to camera raw?

KmH · Nov 9, 2013

CS 4 Extended (which is what the Student Edition is) has Camera Raw.

Bridge and Camera Raw are plug-ins that are included with CS 4 Extended Student Edition, not iPhoto.

MysticPhotography · Nov 9, 2013

Haha, sorry had a brain fart. I swear I remember reading that they were phasing Bridge out and that I wasn't able to get it working but I could have gone insane, haha.
So how do I upload stuff from my camera NOT onto iphoto? I have it plugged in and closed iphoto but it doesn't show up like a CD in the cd drive does, and I can't find it anywhere. If I have to upload it to iphoto how do I get it on bridge (if I click on 'iphoto' in bridge it just opens iphoto, it doesn't open in bridge)

KmH · Nov 9, 2013

When you are ready to upload photos to your computer.

Step 1. Disable iPhoto. Go into your Computers Start menu and disable iPhoto so it does not automatically start when you start your computer.

Open CS 4's Bridge.
In the upper left corner click on File > Get Photos From Camera.

In the dialog box that pops up, In the top box - Source - find the appropriate choice for your upload.

MysticPhotography · Nov 9, 2013

Thanks so much. Ok so I was able to upload them, had to do an update to get the raw files to show up but now they work, and was able to open them in camera raw. However, the raw photos are a million times more grainy looking than the JPEG's? The lighting was very poor where I was shooting and I didn't have the best settings (I took a quick test shot and the lighting looked ok, then handed my camera to my mom as I wanted pictures of me riding. However the setting was a bit too dark and the sun setting made the it darker and darker out) but the jpeg is so much better looking in quality than the raw picture is. How can I fix that?