Low quality images problem

[dsquared]

I have noticed that I shot really low-quality images with my Nikon D7000... not literally, for this camera I can shoot better images.. but, I see that the problem is in me. So I want to see where are my mistakes, if someone could suggest me something...

I shoot in the biggest size, jpeg, :thumbdown: not raw... :thumbdown: size of the image is something around +- 5MB

lens : nikon's 18-200mm

and I use tokina 100mm but not so often... (I think this lens makes a lot of noise, but I'm satisfied with it..)

And, maybe the most important thing for all those who want to help me, I edit photos in Photoshop, (and here I need some help too,first to resize & edit or first edit then resize) and save them like jpeg , normally as "Save as", not in "save for web & devices" option...

Any tips and/or help for high-quality images?

 

[tirediron]

You'll have to post some images along with specific comments about where you feel the quality is lacking.

Why not shoot RAW? The more information you have to work with, the better your final image can be. Remember, .jpg is a lossy format; each time you open it, edit and save, you lose information!

The 18-200 is not a great lens. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it's not even a good lens. It's a decent, walk-around lens at best.

So, again... post pictures!

 

[dsquared]

tokina 100mm: (the noise level is high )

Post-process killed them, too...

 

[KmH]

Subject matter, lighting, and composition are usually key to making professional looking, or high quality photographs.

I will also mention that Nikon's 18-200 mm lens is mediocre at best, in trade for the convenience of the 11x+ superzoom range it has.

However, with a compelling subject, interesting lighting, and good visual image composition, and a good understanding of the 18-200's limitations, the D7000/18-200 combo can be used to make high-quality photographs.

Many people discover that consistantly doing high-quality photography is a hell of a lot more involved than just buying a DSLR camera and a lens or 2.

You need to have a solid understanding of all the topics in the tutorials here: Digital Photography Tutorials

A solid understanding of visual image composition: 10 Top Photography Composition Rules | Photography Mad
Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition.
Advanced Composition -- Part I

And a solid understanding of photographic lighting; Photographic lighting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Light Science and Magic, Fourth Edition: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

Photographic Lighting: Essential Skills, Fourth Edition (Photography Essential Skills)

 

[Scuba]

why did you shoot #1 at ISO 6400 and a shutter of 1/2500. You could lower that ISO a lot and not have the noise. Also, why not shoot RAW? That would allow you to do so much more in post processing. I think the RAW is one issue with quality of image.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Shoot in raw mode always! Learn how ISO is used to compensate your exposure. In photoshop move the slider to highest setting possible for best quality. An optimal size to post on the web is 1280 x 860 which is the size of most wide screen monitors.

 

[KmH]

The first should have been shot as a vertical.

The second could stand to be cropped.

In both the composition and lighting are less than high quality.

 

[MLeeK]

The first one was shot at ISO 6400 with a shutter of 1/2500. Why such a high ISO?