Should I sharpen TIFFs for a client?

[ajweiss]

I did a shoot that will be used in promotional materials. I am supplying CDs with TIFF files

to the client.

 

With my own photos, I always leave the sharpening at zero from my RAW converter so I

don't resharpen images that were already sharpened.

 

In this case, should I sharpen these files a little so the client doesn't think they are soft, or

should I try to preserve the best quality by leaving them as they are? They were shot at

high-ISO, a little luminance smoothing will be applied in the conversion. My first thought

is to leave them as-is, but I don't want the quality of my photos to be questioned upon

review by a digicam-weilding manager:

 

"How much did I pay for these? My point-and-shoot pictures look sharper than this!"

 

Thank you for any ideas!

 

Adam

[johnmarkpainter]

Are they going to be post-processed? If you are confident that they WILL be worked on by

someone who knows what they are doing then you might leave them unsharpened.

 

Machine prints get sharpened by the lab. I always do some sharpening but keep it subtle.

If I am printing myself I apply sharpening again specifically for the Print (using PhotoKit

Sharpening from Pixel Genius).

 

jmp

[chris m., central florida]

Ask them who will be doing the ad prep work. That vendor will usually specify exactly what they want.

[dain_binder1]

Leave them as is. As others said the lab may sharpen a bit or your clients may before they send to print. Also, depending on how you?re viewing them on your PC (what kind of monitor) you?re not seeing what the final image will look like.

[mark_jacoby___raleigh__nc]

The advice to not sharpen is probably good advice. Having said that I sharpen everything in Photoshop regardless. But that's just me.

[ajweiss]

Thank you for the replies!

 

I delivered the first shots today -- unsharpened. The client is a division of a multinational

publishing company, so I think it is safe to assume their brochures or posters will be made

by someone who knows what they are doing.

 

I would rather make a good impression with the quality of the finished product than make

a manager feel good -- especially if it could compromise image quality.

 

I just finished a third shoot for them, and I'll see what they think of the first shots before

delivering this batch.

 

Adam