Author Topic: Why are my photos so 'soft'.  (Read 7907 times)

Offline Cisco

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Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« on: May 27, 2021, 08:11:56 AM »
When posted they invariably look 'soft' yet are nice and sharp when viewed as 'full screen' or 'original.

I have a Macbook Pro with a Retina screen that they look plenty sharp on and export as JPEG, quality 'High', size 'Large'.

This is the latest example.. http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=3298534

Cheers,
Frank

Offline davidships

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2021, 10:21:47 AM »
Someone may be able to offer a more technical answer, but my observation is that the image is sharpest in "original size", so presumably that is similar to what you see on your own screen; but because that is uploaded at less that "full screen" size the server has to increase the size for that, which introduces the softness you observe (I notice how the name BUCCANEER gains a little "glow".  It may be that the server then reduces that one to produce the medium size image for the photo page. 
Or maybe it's nothing like this at all!

Offline Pete Davies

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2021, 11:19:33 AM »
Are the original views taken on film or straight into a digital camera? I ask because my views which have been through a slide scanner are softer - sometimes considerably so - than the slide when it's projected on a 50 inch by 50 inch screen (1200mm by 1200mm). Never have managed to understand why!

Online pieter melissen

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2021, 12:01:08 PM »
Digitising any photograph (negative or positive) will always require after-treatment, which requires some software that does at least sharpening. (preferably also noise reduction) I have looked at the original photograph on a 27 inch screen, which is much larger than the original size as posted. The original size is very sharp, and I can enlarge it further to about 150% without much problems. I do not know what the site software does to pictures, but I have sometimes the impression that the process reduces the light a little, making my photos on the site sometimes look darker than the original. This may also affect the sharpness.   

Offline John Grace

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2021, 02:51:51 PM »
I have just saved the initial view of HNLMS Pierer Florisz F826 as seen on the vessels individual page. My computer states that the size of the download is 672KB. I then went to Full screen view and downloaded that image which my computer informs me is sized at 2.5MB. Hope this answers your query.

Offline MO Roy

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2021, 03:27:27 PM »
Hi Frank,

I had the same issue when I bought a new macbook pro last year (I also made a post about it).
On my previous macbook (non-retina) I didn't had that issue.
Also on my phone pictures, non full screen, look still ok.
I guess it has something to do with the retina display on MacBooks.

Cheers,
Roy
« Last Edit: May 27, 2021, 06:51:17 PM by MO Roy »

Offline Cisco

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2021, 11:59:50 PM »
Many thanks for all the replies.

It seems that 'it is what it is'.

My photos pre about 2005 are all scanned from either slides ( colour) or prints ( B & W).

What I have been doing prior to posting here is minor editing in the 'Photo' software on the Mac. Nothing dramatic.... a bit of a crop and horizon straightening plus - quite often - a little 'lightening' as many seem a bit dark and also a touch of 'edge sharpening' although they all seem sharp enough on the laptop.

Cheers,
Frank

Offline Richard Paton

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #7 on: September 01, 2021, 06:39:52 PM »
I thought i'd bring this thread back to the table as in my opinion recently this issue of softening of photos seem to be getting worse - or maybe it's just me and my advancing years and eyesight! Curious to know other thoughts on this, anyone?

Offline simonwp

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #8 on: September 01, 2021, 07:05:14 PM »
It may also explain why I've occasionally had a photograph deleted as "not sharp enough" when the original looks absolutely fine on my laptop.

Offline Richard Paton

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #9 on: September 01, 2021, 08:41:06 PM »
Simon exactly my experience, the other week I had a pin sharp photo straight off the camera, went to upload it here and it was fuzzy, BUT in original view it was pin sharp again.

Anyways i deleted it at the time as it just didn't look right. There's defo something changed though because I can never remember the site changing the clarity of my photos to such a degree as it does now.

Offline davidships

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #10 on: September 03, 2021, 02:29:16 PM »
Now that we have some active contact with IT again, I will raise this again. 

Offline Richard Paton

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2021, 07:47:30 PM »
Bring this thread back from the abyss, was there any answers from the IT department?

I ask as i posted a test photo tonight after a few months break from the site and it still appears "fuzzy", but sharp in "Original" and on my laptop.

Is this site having to save server space i wonder by "softening" the uploads? Thoughts?

Offline davidships

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2021, 11:24:51 PM »
Richard, I owe you an apology, as for some reason I forgot to drop the IT guys a line in September.  I have now done so.
It might be helpful if you could pick an example from amongst you more recent photos onsite, and email me the image just as you uploaded it, so that it can be directly compared with the site's various size outputs.

best wishes

David

Offline voidcollar

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #13 on: June 27, 2022, 09:05:00 AM »
Are the original shots captured on film or with a digital camera? I wonder because my views from a slide scanner are softer - sometimes noticeably so - than the slide when projected on a 50-inch-by-50-inch screen (1200mm by 1200mm). I've never been able to figure out why!

waffle game

Online pieter melissen

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Re: Why are my photos so 'soft'.
« Reply #14 on: June 27, 2022, 12:46:07 PM »
Are the original shots captured on film or with a digital camera? I wonder because my views from a slide scanner are softer - sometimes noticeably so - than the slide when projected on a 50-inch-by-50-inch screen (1200mm by 1200mm). I've never been able to figure out why!

waffle game

I think a scan from a razor sharp slide will always be less sharp than the original, just because of the digitising process. There once was a time until not so long ago, that any digital photo was less sharp than a proper slide, so let alone a scanner.   

 

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