Unsharp Mask ? Large Image ?

[Skippy]

Hi there folks........I was wondering, it's a habit ya know :D

Lets say you decided to make your image poster size......... you do your editing and then usually what you do is resize it back to a smaller size so you can show it on the Web right :huh and ya hit it with an unsharp mask that usually sharpens up the image right :huh but......lets say you want your image to be a POSTER and you keep it a large size so you can print it Poster Size......do you still use an unsharp mask on it :dunno .....now if the answer is NO you don't use an unsharp mask what do you do to make is Sharp :scratch

Skippy (Australia)

[mercphoto]

Lets say you decided to make your image poster size......... you do your editing and then usually what you do is resize it back to a smaller size so you can show it on the Web right :huh and ya hit it with an unsharp mask that usually sharpens up the image right :huh but......lets say you want your image to be a POSTER and you keep it a large size so you can print it Poster Size......do you still use an unsharp mask on it :dunno .....now if the answer is NO you don't use an unsharp mask what do you do to make is Sharp :scratch

I'm surprised nobody has answered you. I'm not qualified to answer, but I'll try anyway. I would make two copies of the image. The small, sharp one for the web or email. And the one for the large print.

There are some who will say you should size the image to the correct size and resolution, then zoom in (either 50% or 100%, depending on who you talk to), and sharpen at that point. I never up-rez. Then again, I never print large at home, I only print large at commercial printers who have sophistated software to up-rez for me. Therefore, I sharpen at an 8x12 image of 292 dpi. If I'm making a 20x30 poster I don't worry about doing anything special after that.

[Skippy]

I'm surprised nobody has answered you. I'm not qualified to answer, but I'll try anyway. I would make two copies of the image. The small, sharp one for the web or email. And the one for the large print.

There are some who will say you should size the image to the correct size and resolution, then zoom in (either 50% or 100%, depending on who you talk to), and sharpen at that point. I never up-rez. Then again, I never print large at home, I only print large at commercial printers who have sophistated software to up-rez for me. Therefore, I sharpen at an 8x12 image of 292 dpi. If I'm making a 20x30 poster I don't worry about doing anything special after that.
I have PhotoShop Elements 3 .........I'm not real good at editing my knowledge and skills are very limited in this area, a camera store offered to print my caterpillar image to poster size, and display it on their wall if I could give them a good sized file.........only I don't know how you make it sharp if blown up that big???? I know how to do it for display here on the web, but no clue if you want to make a large print.

Skippy (Australia)

[DavidTO]

I have PhotoShop Elements 3 .........I'm not real good at editing my knowledge and skills are very limited in this area, a camera store offered to print my caterpillar image to poster size, and display it on their wall if I could give them a good sized file.........only I don't know how you make it sharp if blown up that big???? I know how to do it for display here on the web, but no clue if you want to make a large print.

Skippy (Australia)

My understanding, from Marc Muench, the landscape expert on the Yosemite trip is that the larger the print, the less the sharpening. If it's a really large print, don't sharpen.

[Skippy]

My understanding, from Marc Muench, the landscape expert on the Yosemite trip is that the larger the print, the less the sharpening. If it's a really large print, don't sharpen.

I will take it in and see what he thinks :D
Skippy (Australia)

[Sam]

I have PhotoShop Elements 3 .........I'm not real good at editing my knowledge and skills are very limited in this area, a camera store offered to print my caterpillar image to poster size, and display it on their wall if I could give them a good sized file.........only I don't know how you make it sharp if blown up that big???? I know how to do it for display here on the web, but no clue if you want to make a large print.

Skippy (Australia)
Skippy, Your question is definitly valid. David passed on the wisdom we recieved from Marc at the Yosemite Shoot-out. That said, prior to to learning this I had two prints made at 20X30, and just sent a normally (for me) sharpened file, and they came out great.

I am jut learning, and trying to establish a consistant workflow, and am leaning towards making a seperate sharpening layer. That way I can quickly increase or decrease sharpening depending on the output.

Also I would think your lab would have some answers for you.

Good luck,

Sam

[Eric&Susan]

On a side note Skippy you may want to get Scott Kelby's " The Photoshop elements3 book for digital photographers". I too have PSE3 and got this book about a month ago. It is great for a beginner as it details everything step by step.


Eric