post-shootin methods?

[ian h]

hiya.........

jus got d60+sigma 17-35f2.8/4....so still testin....been usin a G2 with raw files...that needed about 70 or 80 USM + tweak in levels in phshp.. images with the sigma seem a bit soft and need about 150 USM, (which the file seems to hold thanks to canons lack of noise).....but is this normal? gonna check with me other lenses.....

what "post-shooting" methods do other people use? correcting for colour casts? profiles?(im usin adobe1998+epson890 ) how much sharpenin?

cheersssssss...ian

[phoby3]

150 to 200 values in unsharp mast are quite normal with a number of digital files, not just those processed through a D60. It is not unherad of to go even hire, and this is with tack sharp original images. I regularly go that high on high ress scans for 6x7 negatives scanned on an Imacon. I would be worried if you found yourself using a radius of 2.0 or more.

[Roger_Cavanagh]

Ian,

WRT sharpening, this article, http://www.rogercavanagh.com/library/t03_sharpening.htm, on my web site has a discussion of different methods and some additional links and references.

One recommended tool is EdgeSharpen Pro from www.fredmiranda.com.

You might be interested in this http://www.outbackphoto.com/booklets/booklets.html. It's been getting some good reviews. It's USD12.95. I have just bought it myself, but not read it, except to say there are a few special offers that would get you your money.

Regards,

[philgabe]

For correcting color casts I use a first pass of "levels" for overall adjustments (if needed) and a second pass of "curves" for subtle or local adjustments (like removing red from grass, etc...).

For sharpening, I never use USM anymore. I duplicate the layer, set the blending mode to "soft light" (for low sharpening) or "hard light" (for more intense sharpening, using the opacity slider to refine) and use Filters>Other>High Pass with radius usually around 8-10. I then place a layer mask with either "hide all" (if I only want to sharpen a few spots) or "reveal all" (if I want to sharpen most of the picture). I then paint with a large soft bruh and airbrush option on (with white paint if "hide all"-- paint the areas you want being sharpened; or with black paint if "reveal all" -- paint the areas you don't want being sharpened).
With this method you don't get halos, you can sharpen precisely what you want to be sharp (hence you don't sharpen noise in blurred backgrounds, etc.), and you can use different intensity of sharpening on different part of the picture.

Phil