Gear Talk > Processing & Publication
The downsizing challenge - Part 1: The Problem
Erik Lund:
I learned long time ago, talking to Graphical designers and printer guys, to shoot/stitch at the desired size needed for the image reproduction, still holds true.
I use Photoshop - Image size 'Bicubic - Sharper' for my D810 images.
BTW do it in small steps - Several reductions instead of only one resize!
I think it does a great job,,,
John Geerts:
Yes, agree Bicubic - Sharper can do great things.
However if I want to control contrast-sharpness for the final print-size I use the Image Size 'Bicubic - Smooth Gradients' in Photoshop and apply sharpness (if necessary) later at the desired size. Especially for images with a lot of bokeh (fast lenses) and lots of contrast.
Andrea B.:
Yes, sharpening is a big factor in the resizing process.
I was one of the people at the Meetup talking to Simone S. about resizing. I've been unhappy with my D810 resizes. I know the pro shooters have lots of experience already with resizing. For some of us however, a good experiment is in order which tests all the various resizing advice we have received over the years, don't you all think so?? ;D In particular for me - who only occasionally manages to sell a stray photo or two - this will be a very valuable experiment because I really would like to make better use of my D810. (I loved 16 MP. Got used to 24 MP. Never have quite adjusted to 36 MP.)
*******
FIRST TRIAL
For an initial trial, I went out this morning and made 3 photos from a 16 (Df), 24 (D750) and 32 (D810) MP camera. (The camera brand is irrelevant here, btw.) All 3 photos were made with the same lens (same field-of-view mostly) and the same aperture, ISO and other camera settings. Some of those camera settings are irrelevant to the raw file (depending on your choice of converter), but I will list them anyway. The field-of-view is a bit choppy between the 3 photos, so I hope it is acceptable.
Lens: Nikon 28/1.8G
Tripod: Yes
Picture Control: Standard 0 with only Sharpening set to +3.
White Balance: Auto1
Metering: Matrix
Mode: Manual
ADL: Low
AF: AF-S, focused in Live View on same spot as best I could.
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
EV: 0
Speed: got one @ 1/25" & two @ 1/30". I accepted the cameras suggested matrix-metered speed. The Df really should be at 1/30" though as it is a tad too bright compared to the other two. Oh well.
Subject: I photographed a green shrub in morning light for LOTS of detail. Boring, but it will perhaps serve the purpose here. I am happy to supply later some other subjects for resizing tests if suggestions are offered. Fences? Flowers? People? Landscapes? Close-ups? Cats?? <lol>
Now let me get organized to work on this...... :P ::) ???
Simone S, a question about conversion: I'm thinking that in this first trial, I'll use the conversion software supplied by the manufacturer because it preserves in-camera settings. There will be no edits. The output will initially be a TIF so that different resizer tools can be tested. I'll add the converted TIFs to the Drobox cache with the NEFs. Does this sound OK?
Simone S, a question about resize size: What size shall we agree on for posting a resized photo? 800, 1000, 1200 pixels width??
TESTS to be performed:
(we can perhaps make this more precise?)
* Well resizing of course. That's why we're here in this thread. But some details would be useful.
* Tests like sharpening before resizing or sharpening after resizing. Or both. Or none.
* Different types of resizing. [bicubic, next door neighbor, bicoastal flyover, random dice roll, etc. Yes, I jest. Do see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_scaling]
* Blur before resizing? How much?
* Lo-pass filter before resizing? How much? Is this already in some sharpeners?
* Upsize then downsize? Up-res then down-res?
DROPBOX LINK: https://www.dropbox.com/s/emtjail7mbru4bg/Resize_Challenge.zip?dl=0
The field-of-view is a bit choppy between the 3 photos, so I hope it is acceptable.
Note that the camera was leveled, but the fence is not particularly straight in actuality.
If these photos are not suitable for the Resize Challenge, then I'm happy to reshoot.
Andrea Resize Test One: Resized NEFs to 800 pixels width in Capture NX-D and saved as JPGs. No edits before or after.
Ok, that simple resize test drive took a little Detour to Software H3ll.
Check out this attached screenshot.
What filetype do you suppose that Capture NX-D can open??
Inquiring minds wish to know.
I'm now out of time and will return later after I've run mountains of errands, cleaned the kitchen, spoken to the long-suffering SigOth and cooled down from dealing with the World's Stupidest Converter Software.
Andrea B.:
Andrea Resize Test One:
Conversion of NEF and 800-pixel resize of Df, D750, D810 raw photos in Capture NX-D with no edits.
There was a bit of preserved in-camera sharpening in this baseline view.
1. Df (16MP)
2. D750 (24MP)
3. D810 (36MP)
Tristin:
I have found the best results yielded by upsizing the image using the smoother method, then downsizing incrementally with the sharper method.
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