What is the Best Way to Post Pictures

[HDNitehawk]

Here is the problem:


I use DPP to work over my picture, I convert it in DPP and save it to a JPG format choosing 360DPI and resizing it to 800 so it can post here. The converted picture looks fine viewing it with Adobe Bridge. I then upload it to this site. I open it up on the site and the picture degrades from my computer to the site.


Its no longer sharp and has gotten noisy. This is more likely to happen with a picture with high ISO.


So whats the best way to convert with DPP and upload to the site? Any suggestions?

[Sean Setters]

Personally, I use flickr then embed the image into my post (using rich formatting--HTML button). That seems to work best for me, and I don

[tkerr]

In all honesty, Converting an image to 360dpi for posting on the web is a waste of time. You only need resolutions that high if you are printing your pictures. Most computer monitors will only display an image at about 72.


Nevertheless your problem is more common than you might think. One thing that helps is monitor calibration, proper color space settings, how you actually process and save the image, as well as where you are uploading it.
Before you do anything make sure you have the Color Management is set appropriately so what you are seeing is more representative of what you will see on any monitor or once it is saved to Jpeg. The Internet Standard is sRGB, and since you're saving your pictures for display on the web, make sure the working color space is set to sRGB. as well as setting the color matching setting, for display set to sRGB.


Are you doing any kind of Noise Reduction?
In DPP click the tool icon and select the NR/Lens/ALO tab and tweek the Luminance and Chromatic Noise Reduction as needed on those high ISO pictures.


When you are converting your pictures with DPP what is the Quality Slider set on?
Typically to save space and keep the byte size of your pictures low you would turn it down, however, doing so also reduces the image quality. Often when you upload your images to some web sites as an attachment or a site with very limited space, they might also be using some kind of image compression which will degrade the quality of your image even more.





Is DPP the only Image editing / processing software that you are using?
I see you are also using Adobe Bridge, so I assume you also have Photoshop CS*. I would use that to do any noise reduction, resizing and conversion to jpeg instead of DPP. Color management suggestions above also apply to PS. (working with RAW files, the in camera Color Space setting doesn't matter what it is set to, only if you have the camera set to save you pictures as jpeg does that matter)


Have you tried any other Image hosts such as Photobucket.com or Flickr?


I use multiple image hosts to include Photoshop.com, Photobucket.com, Flickr, and Picasa(google). IMHO, Photobucket is the easiest of all those, and all you have to do is copy the link provided after you upload your image to post them in forums. When using an off site image host, you will be less likely to run into the problems you are describing.

[HDNitehawk]

tker


Thanks. 360dpi is just the default that shows up in DPP. I didn

[Bill W]

HDN......I've started inserting pix straight from my library by using the rich text option when replying on this site. Then on the tool bar, 10th icon from left, there is an insert photo option.


I use LR and CS3 and when I want to post at this site now....I size the pic for this site. IMO, eliminating the middle man, e.g. flickr, photobucket, etc, my pictures look better (sharpness & color) than transferring them from a 3rd party.....my eyes, my monitor, plus it's simpler and quicker.


Just another approach....


Bill

[tkerr]

Could also be the interpolation method used when resizing the images.

[HDNitehawk]

/resized-image.ashx/__size/630x0/__key/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles/00-00-00-47-09/ElkWithAttitude2.JPG


OK this is an experiment to see if fliker will be any different than from this site. First one is this site.


Next is from fliker





[View:http://community.the-digital-picture.com/themes/generic/utility/http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1371/5168059297_16497a215b_z.jpg ("http://www.flickr.com/photos/55888666@N08/5168059297/):550:0]

[HDNitehawk]

Ok...it took a bit but I finally got both posted. The Fliker picture to me is a little sharper.


This wasn't the sharpest picture to start, but I could tell the diference in the two.





I think it was the website here changing the picture

[neuroanatomist]

The color is different, certainly. But the TDP-hosted one looks like it was resized (or the Flickr image is larger). When you post an image to this site, in the Insert Image dialog box there's a max width field, which is pre-populated with 550 pixels. If you blank out that field, the original size image will be shown as long as it's no wider than ~800 pixels. Perhaps make the image 800 pixels wide, then upload to Flickr insert the original size from Flickr, and upload the same image to this site being sure to delete the 550 value in the dialog box.

[HDNitehawk]

The color is different, certainly. But the TDP-hosted one looks like it was resized (or the Flickr image is larger). When you post an image to this site, in the Insert Image dialog box there's a max width field, which is pre-populated with 550 pixels. If you blank out that field, the original size image will be shown as long as it's no wider than ~800 pixels. Perhaps make the image 800 pixels wide, then upload to Flickr insert the original size from Flickr, and upload the same image to this site being sure to delete the 550 value in the dialog box.
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Neuro


Last night I messed with the size for some time trying to get them close. Flikr gave me 3 options for size, 500, 600 and 800.


After reading your post I realized I was working at this wrong and should resize it on TDP to match flikr. The one posted from Flikr is at 600....I adjusted the one from TDP to match the screen size width and its width is 630.


I corrected them above, now they should be easier to compare. The picture is the same, but to me the one on TDP lost somthing in the upload

[tkerr]

The color is different, certainly. But the TDP-hosted one looks like it was resized (or the Flickr image is larger). When you post an image to this site, in the Insert Image dialog box there's a max width field, which is pre-populated with 550 pixels. If you blank out that field, the original size image will be shown as long as it's no wider than ~800 pixels. Perhaps make the image 800 pixels wide, then upload to Flickr insert the original size from Flickr, and upload the same image to this site being sure to delete the 550 value in the dialog box.
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Neuro


Last night I messed with the size for some time trying to get them close. Flikr gave me 3 options for size, 500, 600 and 800.


After reading your post I realized I was working at this wrong and should resize it on TDP to match flikr. The one posted from Flikr is at 600....I adjusted the one from TDP to match the screen size width and its width is 630.


I corrected them above, now they should be easier to compare. The picture is the same, but to me the one on TDP lost somthing in the upload
<div style="clear: both;"]</div>





Upload your picture to flickr, or whatever host of your choice, the maximum allowable size, unless you are trying to save space. When you use the Insert Image tool here you can adjust the maximum height or width if you like so you don't have to worry about selecting a certain size from flickr. Choose the largest from flickr to post here, it won't matter once you insert it into your message here. When you click Insert it will insert the image into your message at the dimension you selected regardless of what the actual size is from the image host.
If for any reason you need to resize the image after you have already inserted it, just click your mouse on the picture and the resize box will select the picture. And then all you have to do is drag and slide the pin points to whatever size you like, As you move the points to contract or expend the image size you will see a little popup showing you the new dimensions as you are adjusting the size. What you don't want to do is post it larger than the original size.

[neuroanatomist]

I guess my point was to post the same images at the same size from both hosting locations.


Here's a side-by-side; I linked the Medium 500 image from Flickr (left), and I also downloaded the Medium 500 image to my computer and uploaded it to TDP (right):



Flickr-hosted: <span style="white-space: pre;"] TDP-hosted:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1362/5117397391_225fa17a8e.jpg /cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/13/7801.Resize-test.jpg


I don't see any difference. So just hosting images here isn't a problem.


Now I'll try letting the TDP site do the downsampling - same Medium 500 image for a side-by-side, the one on the right is a download of the 1066x1600 image from Flickr, which I uploaded to TDP (Insert Image, From Computer tab, with 333 in the Max Width field):



Flickr-hosted (same as above): <span style="white-space: pre;"] TDP-hosted (download of larger Flickr image, 333 in the max width):
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1362/5117397391_225fa17a8e.jpg /resized-image.ashx/__size/333x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/13/3583.Resize-Test-2.jpg


The image that was down-sampled by the TDP site lost quite a bit of sharpness and contrast.


So, the moral of the story is pick the size you want for your TDP-hosted images before you upload them, and delete the default value in the Max Width field (leave it blank) so the site doesn't downsize your image. It's not uploading to TDP per se that is the problem, it's letting the TDP site downsize your image that degrades the quality.

[HDNitehawk]

So, the moral of the story is pick the size you want for your TDP-hosted images before you upload them, and delete the default value in the Max Width field (leave it blank) so the site doesn't downsize your image. It's not uploading to TDP per se that is the problem, it's letting the TDP site downsize your image that degrades the quality.



After reading this I decided to test this to see what effect the resizing default would have on the same picture. The picture below (it is a pencil drawing conversion I did with photoshop) did not look right once I posted on TDP. The first one I will post with the setting set at 800. The second I will delete the parameter. The picture width was converted to a width of 800 with DPP


/resized-image.ashx/__size/800x0/__key/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles/00-00-00-47-09/Colored-Pencil.jpg


Now no Setting


/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles/00-00-00-47-09/Colored-Pencil.jpg





(note) this is the same picture off TDP posted twice

[HDNitehawk]

I can see a slight diffrence with my 30" monitor.

[tkerr]

I can see a slight diffrence with my 30" monitor.
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I can on my 27" also. The color in the picture uploaded here on TDP is a bit flatter looking.

[doggiedoc]

Excellent analysis neuro. That

[Bill W]

John....thanks for the comps and explanation, well beyond my brain power. LOL


But I do have a question; as stated in my post above; I re-size for this site (ignoring default) and I re-size to make sure a pic fits for flickr. My question is about (WAG) 10% of the time when I post on flickr the IQ and colors aren

[tkerr]

Bill, 99% of the time if your pictures look different after you upload them to an online image host, it is the image host. However it never hurts to check your monitor and calibrate it as often as might be necessary because they do drift.


If you don't have something like a spider or the calibration charts here is a nice site for calibrating your display. &gt;&gt; Monitor Test Images ("http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/)





On Edit: Correction
Some of the differences are the image host, In addition to that it is also your web browser! When you're working with a Image editor it is either to software and/or your monitor that is rendering your image data to the screen. When you use a web browser it is the browser that is rendering the page.

[GarzaCapitalist]

Hello, and thank you for your post, of topic but, what on earth did you do to this poor guy in order for him to stick his tongue out at you?


On topic, I post my photo

[tkerr]

Hello, and thank you for your post, of topic but, what on earth did you do to this poor guy in order for him to stick his tongue out at you?


On topic, I post my photo's from a place called photobucket, now I'm wondering if they come out as they are supposed to when I post them? I will need to try this Fliker method or whatever method works best in order to achieve best results!
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I use Photobucket and Flickr and get equal results from both. Of those two and also Picasa too, I prefer Photobucket. I also use Photoshop.com where they seem to look better, but they don't make it as easy for you to post your photos into a forum.
What web browser are you using?

[pixi.me]

I