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©2003-2008 Keith Cooper
I want better pictures on our web site...
We often get emails from people asking for clarification or more details about the articles and reviews on the site.
One simple question that got Keith thinking was:
"I was wondering how to get the best image quality from a digital camera to put on the web."
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This article brings together some of Keith's thoughts on where to start. We have also linked to lots of related resources on this site. Northlight Images offer specialised training in the UK covering such areas as Product Photography and Photography for Estate Agents. The What's New Page gives a quick overview of the hundreds of pages of articles and picture on this site. This page is part of the Articles section of our Info and Resources feature |
Pictures on the web
It sounds a simple question, but the comprehensive answer easily fills a days training -- and yes, Keith does offer photography training ;-)
You should consider the whole process from start to finish. The ten steps below are not an exhaustive guide but will help if you take them into account (and you do not need to do them all). There are more links to further information on this site
If you are going for top quality then...
- Lighting and location - capture the best view to start with, this may mean moving, waiting for the weather to change or coming back at a different time.
- Shoot at as high quality as your camera can manage - resize the pictures for the web afterwards.
- Take lots of pictures and pick the best - If I get one picture good enough to put in the landscape gallery of this site from 40, I'm happy.
- Work in a colour managed environment on your computer (at -very- least make sure your monitor is set up correctly)
- Use a decent image editing program (PS elements is good enough) Most camera supplied software is not for serious use - same goes for most cheap photo editor packages. (We have a free introduction to digital photo adjustment course using PS Elements)
- For web use, work in the sRGB colour space (see the Photos for the Web and Web Browser Colour Management articles)
- Correct the image tonal balance and colour balance (the shadows and highlights tool in PhotoShop CS is excellent for tonal balance)
- Sharpen images with Unsharp masking (USM) after resizing to the final web size (see the Photos for the Web article)
- Save your files with embedded profiles (see the Photos for the Web article)
- Don't compress jpegs too much (see the Photos for the Web article)
There are lots of other details I could add, but they all really fit into the categories above.
What's the real key to giving pictures on the web a bit more 'oompf'? -- sharpening -- by just the right amount that it doesn't detract from the image. For example, I often use Focus Magic with a 'remove focus blur' setting of 1 to sharpen images before putting them on the web, rather than fiddle around with USM settings. You use it on the image at the size it is going to be on the web, i.e. for an image and thumbnail you sharpen each at their final sizes.
One adjustment you might like to try on your original size images (i.e. from the camera) is to run Unsharp Mask at around 5-15% intensity, with a radius of 70-200 (threshold = 0) This does not sharpen in the way you might ordinarily do with USM, it provides a subtle contrast enhancement and for some images it is very effective, particularly where you have a big dynamic range in the picture.
Oh, and don't forget to check out what the picture looks like on other peoples' computers...
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| Image not sharpened and just reduced in size for web | Lighter shadows and some sharpening give the image more punch. |
However, consider whether the picture might have looked better from a different angle, or later/earlier in the day when the lighting would be different. That shadow of a lamp post would not be in the same place...
Where next? -- Other info and stuff on this site
Contact details :
Northlight Images, 86 Harrow Road Leicester, Leicestershire, UK. LE3 0JW (Maps) Telephone +44 116 291 9092 You can e-mail us:
Other areas of our site that may be of interest...
NEW -- Create your own customised A3 size wall calendar from a choice of 90 of Keith's images. Choose your own images for your own custom printed calendar - 12 months starting any month of the year - many all new images not yet in our main gallery.
Digital Black and White. Keith was recently interviewed about digital black and white photography for a magazine article. We have an expanded version here covering some of his thoughts, techniques and tips for those thinking of trying black and white.
As well as our Commercial Photography services and Training there is a growing collection of photography Articles and Reviews on the site aimed at helping you get the best out of your own photography. We also have a growing collection of Photography related information and links that we hope you find useful.
New site features and some of Keith Cooper's latest work are always covered in the What's New page.
Visiting Leicester or wondering where it is? We have views from the Leicester traffic cameras.