Crispness in photos

[kelleyrie]

I am assuming this is achieved in PP but when I try to use unsharp mask, I always get halos before I get to the level of crispness, is there a better way? this is an example(not mine)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/...1534fb4437.jpg

[Japaslavian]

If you are using that particular photo as a guide, you should take note that the only thing in that photo that is sharp are the eyes and lips. Everything else has been smoothed, which makes the sharper elements look more "crisp" than the rest of the image. The eyes have also seen a good amount of contrast boosting.

If you are using Photoshop CS2 or above, I've noticed that smart sharpen looks just as good, if not better than the unsharp mask, so you may want to mess around with that as well.

[teaking]

I agree with the above poster on this one

Theres usualy up to 3 sharpen methods done by professionals:

Capture sharpen thats done straight to the image to correct softening from the camera.

Process sharpening which is done after all PP work and is sometimes done selectively. Smart sharpen is usualy better than USM as it only sharpens lines. Antoher alternative is a high pass filter in soft light mode and use a layer mask to paint in the sharpening detail for example the eyes. Try to work at 100% so you can judge the sharpening.

Just in case your wondering... the third sharpen is usualy the output sharpening for printing

[FormElement]

ACK! Ouch. Sorry. The example photo is super over processed. That's fine if you really want that look, but it does not look natural at all.

Most of the time when you want that look, you are trying to get a very shallow DOF on the eyes only (like a 50 f1.4 or an 85 1.8) But the example photo was shot at something like 50 and f/4 and then mopped all over in photoshop. It's over-sharp in the main DOF and over-blurred at the falloff areas

Basically that's just a bunch of super sharpening, super saturating, and then running surface blur and masking the eyes and the lips. I notice that people who are not very self confident often like to see themselves over processed that way. It hides one's natural character.

One thing...Looking at your photostream, it looks like you're using the 28-135 IS in ambient lighting and you are almost definitely having focus problems. That lens on the XT might have focus issues in low light. Mine does on my XSi. Try using only the center focal point and F&R every shot.

If you don't own a nifty fifty, go get one today. It's the cheapest and fastest way to get that "look" that you are seeking.

[kelleyrie]

thanks everyone!
formelement...I think I probably didn't give a good enough example in what I am looking for I do know that my 28-135 can be a bit on the soft side...different focal points have different levels of sharpness?
I have a 60mm that I try to use whenever possible, that performs much better. I think I will see if I can find a better example and then compare with one of my own.

[kelleyrie]

ok here's a better example of what I am talking about, I really like how it looks 'crispy'
Flickr Photo Download: Overseas Wedding Photography
and here's one of mine that I would like to know how to make 'crisp'
or am I just really bad at focusing ( although I think flickr softened it or something because it is sharper on my comp than on flickr)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/...5cf63918a3.jpg

[FormElement]

Well, my first four reactions are..

1) L glass. Makes a big difference.
2) Major on axis fill with a strobe.
3) Small aperture to knock down the ambient and get the deep blue sky. Probably f/11 or f/16 at 1/250sec.
4) Full frame pro body. Can tell by the "compression" at the corners.

If yours is sharp in capture, then it can be corrected in post, but...

Check out Strobist. That might help a lot.

[kelleyrie]

lol, k so no L glass or full frame body...too much to spend on a hobby. Guess I just need to get to studying

[wulf]

Your starting point has to be to get the initial image as crisp as possible in the critical area (faces and eyes for the types of image you have used as examples). Beyond that, there is a lot you can do in post-processing, too. Aside from the very useful trick of "make everything else less sharp", there are a number of sharpening techniques that work better than "unsharp mask".

For example, I tend to use an approach called high pass sharpening which I've described elsewhere on this forum.

Wulf

[OsmosisStudios]

The eyes are oversharpened and the rest is softened. Overly done touchup work, IMO.