Getting them to stay sharp!

When I process my pics in DPP I tend to normally put the sharpen slider to the max then convert and save from RAW to jpeg. I notice that despite this when the new file I just created is looked at in DPP the sharpen slider is back to the left and i need to sharpen again and 'save as'. I had thought perhaps this was just the system saving space because when I looked at the pic again in windows it looked nice and sharp still. Now when I look at them in Picassa the sharpening has gone so;
How can I sharpen them and make them stay sharp?
if i have to resharpen can you batch resharpen?
Cheers
Leigh

If when you save/convert the jpeg you are saving at a smaller size, the sharpening you do with the Raw, which is called "input sharpening" and which is most effective on the finest detail, will become less effective because the resizing will cause the finer detail to be "scrunched". This is why "output sharpening" is recommended on the reduced-size image.

If your jpeg is full-size you would need to view it at 100% to see the input sharpening.

However, some people when viewing a downsized image see "contrast" as "sharpness". This can throw you off when viewing in different viewers/browsers and Web hosts because different viewers will tend to render images somewhat differently.

cubsfan1032 wrote in post #16052582
When I process my pics in DPP I tend to normally put the sharpen slider to the max then convert and save from RAW to jpeg. I notice that despite this when the new file I just created is looked at in DPP the sharpen slider is back to the left and i need to sharpen again and 'save as'.

You now sharpened twice: once before converting to jpg, and a second time after sharpening the jpg.

Comparing sharpness in various applications should only be done at 100% (1:1) view.
Do not resize in DPP, it sucks for that, so use another app for that.

Thanks very much, most helpful, it wasnt something I had really noticed before but it does add to the time it all takes though.

Having just been looking at the effects of different levels of JPEG compression (using Lightroom, but the basic results will be the same accross different applications) using higher levels of JPEG compression leads to a softening of fine detail and you may start to see that before you notice any posterisation effects (the classic break up of fine gradations in smooth areas such as sky).

The reason that the slider has "moved" back to zero when you look at the JPEG image in DPP is that it is a "new" unprocessed image compared to the original RAW file. As a JPEG file is normally a "finished" format with sharpening already applied, the default when opening them in a RAW processor is to set the sharpening controls to 0. This is also the case when opening JPEG files in Adobe's ACR or Lightroom, so not just a Canon DPP "thing". Have you tried opening the JPEG files in another viewer? Even if it is only the OS provided one? How do they look there?

Alan

In my experience, DPP displays a preview image that appears "sharp"er at any zoom level below 100%. The apparent sharpness is not indicative of the image data, but the way it is being scaled for display in DPP. As René notes, judge image sharpness in DPP at 100%.

This assumes that the image is meant for the web. If it is meant for print, for example, you have to judge the sharpening in the print itself.

kirk