I have a problem related to the whole unsharp photos issue. Here it is:

I am primarily a children and family photographer, working in a small, privately owned studio. My boss, while a very nice woman, thinks that she is a great photographer and is not. She's OK, but she does not have the technical skills that she needs to do the shooting that she attempts to do, namely things like kids sports pictures (running, kicking, jumping sorts of things).

She has a very nice camera set up (a Canon 30D and a reasonably fast lens) that if she would shoot the way I told her (in other words, NOT in Program mode) she would get much better images. Anyhoo, her images are probably not going to get much better. So, here is the issue: *I* need to take the fuzzy, blurred, crappy stuff that she shoots and make it look golden. I am also the studio's digital editing person. The only software that we have is Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, which is normally more than enough for things we do.

Any way to take a photo that looks like crap better? I have tried the various sharpening tools, etc., and I am not yet happy with the results. A little motion blur is fine (it IS sports, after all) but I would like the images to be cleaner than we are getting now. Any hints? I mean, other than sending my boss to photography school.

PS is great for processing photos, however it cant "fix" photos that are fundamentally flawed.
RAW images do however require sharpening and there are a number of ways to do it. Have a look at this link.
http://www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/...sharpening.html
Hope it helps.
Donald

ps not sure what limits Elements has but you can download a program called GIMPshop for free which is pretty good. Google for it.

Thanks for the input. I will give it a try. Would help if the BossLady would learn to shoot. *sigh* LOL. Hey, to be fair, I ain't God's gift to photography, either. Glad digital editing is out there, aren't you?

Lol.

No I don't. This is the EXACT thing I HATE digital for.

What kind of boss is this? Shooting in program mode??!!!

GOD FORBID LIGHT STALKERS HEAR ABOUT THIS!!???

*ehm*.

If the picture has a motion blur, then the only way to fix it is to throw it away.

If the picture has a focus blur, then the only way to fix it is to throw it away.

See a pattern here? You can't fix an image that is out of focus.

Sharpening exists mostly for lenses that are not SHARP enough to capture details that look good.

The only way to get sharper images, is to use a tripod, use properly, and use a fast shutter speed.

See, the issue is, digital cameras, especially recent ones, have filters placed on the sensor in the camera so as to reduce some of the issues of capturing light and turning it into an electrical signal (my hate for digital). One of these, is a filter that softens images.

Leica have a digital rangefinder, called an M8, which doesn't have a filter that softens images, because they are known for the sharpness of their photos.

Anything that is fuzzy due to bad focusing or motion, can't be fixed. You can try playing with the sharpness, and then making the image smaller (reducing the flaws), but thats as far as you can go.

Best of luck with Boss Lady.

Thanks for the input and the laughs. LOL. Wish my BossLady was a hateful old so-and-so, which she certainly is not. She needs to learn how to shoot this stuff, and I have indeed tried to help her, but she does not follow my advice.

Heck, I shoot pictures of rodeo bulls and get sharper stuff than she does of little kids. *groan*

Such is my burden... *sigh*

Fizz
I am not quite sure I understand your dislike of digital photography.
It surely cant be the program mode, because every analogue SLR I have has a program mode. An absolutely invaluable addition to a camera for learning.
It can't be because it "captures light and turns it into an electrical signal" can it? I have to point out that is exactly what your eyeball does, and then sends the signal off to your brain.
There must surely be some other deeper reason.
Hatred is usually caused by fear or misunderstanding.
Perhaps if you tell us exactly what it is, we can help you.

Dr Don

Andrea
Have a look at this site for some interesting information on sharpening.

http://www.microsoft.com/israel/windowsxp/...sharpening.mspx

Don

Yeah the quality is very cool I really like the pic.

Pic to follow!


EDIT: Please note the rock-on sign Rami is performing with his right hand
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