my experience with WHCC vs. SmugMug (EZPrints)

Having recently signed up to WHCC and SmugMug, I was much more pleased with the results of my WHCC sample 8x10s than those I got from EZPrints via SmugMug.

That being said, I subsequently placed a small order of 4x6 proofs with WHCC. I wasn't all that pleased with the results. The facial tones and colors seemed right, but the focus just seemed too soft...at least compared to the images on my screen.

I then placed the same order with EZPrints via SmugMug and was much more pleased with the level of detail, however those prints were a bit too washed out. The sharpness however matched what I saw on my screen.

Why did those from WHCC come out not as sharp? Does EZPrints auto-sharpen without telling you and my pics are not really as sharp as I think they are?

Below are two pics that I want to get some opinions on. Do they look sharp enough to you that you would expect a 4x6 print to be sharp?

When I export from LR3 for printing, my settings are 4x6 @300 dpi so my images were 1200x1800.

Debating what I should do now...go with EZPrints but adjust my monitor first so that my brightness level matches the prints? Or go with WHCC and sharpen my images more than I ought to.

http://njitgrad.zenfol​io.com/img/s3/v42/p164​114378.jpg

http://njitgrad.zenfol​io.com/img/s3/v44/p137​393117.jpg

Well, I find that people view "sharpness" pretty selectively. And, on a 4x6 print, well, very selectively! It's not a matter of the shot being "focused", but more in how contrast is being rendered in the details.

What kind of Output Sharpening were you applying in your Lightroom Export dialog? Try upping it up a notch and see if you are happier with the results!

tonylong wrote in post #14296167
What kind of Output Sharpening were you applying in your Lightroom Export dialog? Try upping it up a notch and see if you are happier with the results!

None, actually. I never realized that was an option. I just assumed sharpening was only done in the Develop module of LR3.

Guess my next WHCC test will be another subset of the same prints but with increasing output sharpening (original, low, standard, high) for each image.