Eagles, CC please

WhidbeyHiker wrote in post #17079013
I can certainly play with the amount. I chose those levels based on the adobe guide.

The one with the adobe guide is not that bad, I kind of like it too except that the head is over sharpen I think. But it looks good from below the head.

Thanks Peter, this was taken at Ala Spit, just north of the Skagit Delta, North Fork. A lot of Ospreys out here too though much harder to capture.

About as good as I have seen,great shots.

For me ANY eagle is a good shot. Like them all.

Personally, I prefer the original version over the sharpened one. Great shots, all of them. I think with wildlife and birds in particular, we are not that bothered about the sharpness. We all know how hard it is just to get a shot and yours are excellent.

Hey guys ... Don't get me wrong, these are great pics. Just wanted to mention the unsharp mask thinking it could help a little. I concur that the unsharp settings may be a touch heavy. Perhaps layer the sharpened version over the original and selectively erase the harsh bits and the background, no need to sharpen the beautiful bokeh/dof. My main distraction is still the tree which is a bit fuzzy. If sharpening can't fix it I'd suggest a slight lens blur to clean it up?

legoman_iac wrote in post #17082902
Hey guys ... Don't get me wrong, these are great pics. Just wanted to mention the unsharp mask thinking it could help a little. I concur that the unsharp settings may be a touch heavy. Perhaps layer the sharpened version over the original and selectively erase the harsh bits and the background, no need to sharpen the beautiful bokeh/dof. My main distraction is still the tree which is a bit fuzzy. If sharpening can't fix it I'd suggest a slight lens blur to clean it up?

I used an unsharp mask filter, is that not the same thing? Please explain the process a bit for me.

Hi WhidbeyHiker,

Yes, sorry I'm a little inconsistent with my terminology. Unsharp pass, filter ... I mean the same thing. However I find that applying a filter to an entire image is not always ideal. So I try to work in a non-destructive way.

Start with your original image, then duplicate the layer. Then apply the unsharp mask filter. If its too heavy drop the layer opacity down a bit. Try 75% ... then 50% and play around a bit. If it's too strong in some areas, erase (or if inclined mask) this bits out. You may find you do a 'pass' for the entire eagle, then another for the face/eyes and a third for the feet/claws. Then I'd try the same again but this time use a lens blur ... blur a new duplicated layer from the original then erase the Eagle so the double vision / camera shake in the tree is a little less distracting.

That's how I'd process this image. But I've not had much birding experience so happy if anyone else wants to share any tips and tricks for these incredible creatures.

I do not think #1 looks soft. I think you redo is over sharpened. My suggestion on #1 is to selectively reduce the highlights on the head and sharpen just a tad.

Great looking shots.