BC/C Chickadee, and Save-to-Web test

[Bill Dix]

We live in a very narrow zone where Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees hybridize. Experts tell me that the only way to distinguish the two in this zone is with DNA.

After reading Artie's blog on saving jpegs to web, I experimented a bit, using my favorite backyard species. I've always (that is, for the two years I've been doing this), taken my unsharpened TIFF master file, used the Save to Web command where I size to 1024 and optimize to 200kb, then sharpen the resulting jpeg. Here I used something more like what Artie outlined (if I understood it correctly): I resized the TIFF file to 1024px @ 96dpi, and saved it as a jpeg. I then used the Save to Web on the jpeg, optimized to 200kb (I know Artie said 195). Then I sharpened the jpeg as usual. Here I used USM at 125,0.3,0; 75, 0.1, 0) I probably could have used a little more selective sharpening on the head. The next pane shows the way I used to do it, using exactly the same amount of sharpening on both. To me, this one looks better. Live and learn. I'd be curious to hear what others think, and how they do it.

D7000 | 500f4 | ISO 1000 | 1/800s @ f/7.1 | -0.7 EV | fill @ -2.3 EV

[Bill Dix]

Here's the same image, the way I had always done it: using the Save to Web as the means of converting to jpeg and resizing to 1024.

[gail bisson]

I have to agree that pane 1 is sharper. Nice image and good Bg.
Gail

[Mike Milicia]

Hi Bill,

If I understand you correctly, you saved as a jpeg twice which is something you want to avoid.
Here is the order that I would recommend to get from a 16 bit TIFF master file to a jpeg for web :

1 - Resize the TIFF to the desired pixel dimensions (e.g. 1024 pixels wide for BPN horizontal).
(Note that the PPI setting is irrelevant for web images)

2 - Apply sharpening for web using your tool of choice.

3 - Convert to sRGB.

4 - Convert to 8-bit.

5 - Save as a jpeg with the desired file size using "Save As" or "Save for Web".
In either case, be sure to check "Embed Color Profile".

You can do steps 3 and 4 as part of "Save for Web" if you would prefer.
I tend to do them separately just so I can be certain of the order in which they are done.
One of the important aspects of this workflow is that you do as much as possible while the file is still 16-bit and in the larger color space.

[Bill Dix]

Thank you Mike. That's very helpful. It appears that you do all of your sharpening to the TIFF file before converting. I had always thought most folks did some or all of the sharpening on the final jpeg, which as you say, would involve double jpeg compression. At least that's the way I read Artie's workflow. I tried your method here, and it seems to work fine. (Several differences from the OP: here I did a little additional selective sharpening to the head in TIFF, which helped; and I neglected to reduce the amount of sharpening on the white edges of the primaries or on the perch as I did in the OP, so those areas may be oversharpened here). But comparing just the body feather detail in both, this one may be a tiny bit better. In any event it is actually a more streamlined workflow for me since it doesn't involve having to select the subject in jpeg for sharpening. Having just switched from Elements 9 to CS5, I'm having to modify my entire workflow, and this is a helpful part of it.

[Robert Holguin]

Excellent shot. Great background and real nice pose.

Thanks for the info you can really see the difference. I'm with you on that I always sharpened my images after they are converted to jpeg. Going to try Arthur's work flow.