photos getting sharpened when uploaded

[jainamishra]

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I need of some help....</p>

<p>I sell a few things on my own website and other online portals.<br>

<br />This is the first time I am using a particular provider and am facing this problem: the images are getting sharpened automatically and making the article look terrible.<br>

<br />The website tech support says that they are not making any changes at their end.<br>

<br />I am attaching an original file and a screenshot of the file once it is on their website.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any idea why this oversharpening is happening and how I could correct it?</p>

<p>(Couldn't find a relevant category to post this under ... so I've posted it here. </p>

<p>Thank you in advance. </p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[howard_m]

<p>Maybe you could share what the *exact* uploading process is (software used, etc etc) and who the provider is. As-is, this is really an unanswerable question.</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Hi Jaina, if you download the image from your provider (as opposed to a screen capture), is it identical in pixel dimensions and file size as your original upload? and does the downloaded image look different from the original? </p>

[jainamishra]

<p>Howard,<br>

I used ftp to upload to their site using Filezila and the website is an auction site artfact.com.</p>

<p>Michael,<br>

Yes, even when I 'save image as' onto my desktop the image looks sharpened. <br />There may be a size change in a few as some were above the pixel / kb limits set but this sharpening appears on all - regardless of the specs of the uploaded files.</p>

<p>Thanks....</p>

 

[MichaelChang]

<p>Jaina, if the downloaded file is identical to the uploaded file in pixel dimension and file size then they should also look identical. </p>

<p>If they are different in pixel dimension or file size, then the image has been modified and will account for the difference in appearance. </p>

<p>If you upload a file that exceeds the file size limit and it has been resized by your provider, then it will account for the difference. </p>

[jainamishra]

<p>Thanks Michael,<br>

<br />Why would resizing give it a sharpened look?<br>

jaina</p>

<p> </p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>I don't know the answer to that, Jaina; your provider might have an answer for you if you explain that the uploaded file has exceeded their limit (so they know it's been resized). </p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>In many cases, the server/service's sharpening doesn't kick in unless their upload routine also has to <em>resize</em> the image. A lot of content management systems define a multi-step process (which might include: size to X by Y pixels, then sharpen a bit to make up for the down-sampling damage, then compress a bit to keep the files from being too large, etc). But that (potentially destructive) chain of events is often completely skipped over if you provide them with a file that's already exactly the right size (in pixel dimensions) needed to match the way they display things. Having their software resize your images is just asking for trouble.</p>

[Hector Javkin]

<blockquote>

<p>Why would resizing give it a sharpened look?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Because the bicubic resizing algorithm can be tweaked (somewhat) to preserve more detail and preserved details in a smaller image make it look sharp. The web site <strong>may</strong> be using the tweaked algorithm by default either all the time or when the input file has to be reduced in size. If you have Photoshop, check out the effect of using normal "bicubic" vs. "bicubic sharper" when you resize a file. I don't know if that's your problem or something else is going on, but agree with Matt that giving the web site the exact image size they post you can avoid a lot of trouble.<br /><br /></p>

[jainamishra]

<p>Thanks Michael & Matt</p>

<p>Matt - from this answer then maybe I will resize all the images and re-upload them. I tried a one-by-one upload but obviously that did not work since the 'resizing++sharpening++' process was still in place I guess.<br>

Thanks. Will try this out and report what happens. </p>

[jainamishra]

<p>Hector,<br>

Will try out the 'bicubic sharper' resizing to understand this better. Life is full of mysteries and the many options that PS offers me at every step are some of the deepest ones! <br>

And yes the website may have some default settings that probably do not problems for others. <br>

Am hoping this will work. <br>

<br />Thanks<br>

<br />Jaina</p>

 

[jainamishra]

<p>Another thing : would sRGB (my original files) converted to RGB (their requirement) make a difference in this case?</p>

[grh]

<p>Looks like jpg artifacts to me, possibly a result of the browser resizing the image? Do you get the same results in different browsers?</p>

<p>Suggest you size your photographs for the intended end result before uploading. You may also want to cut down on the quality a tiny bit to reduce the filesize, and look into how you can allow a link to a larger, high-resolution image should the customer wish to see one.</p>

<p>sRGB <em>is</em> RGB. They should be the same. That's pretty much the standard color space.</p>

[jainamishra]

<p>Gary, I checked on the Safari and Firefox - the problem exists on both.<br>

<br />Further, I looked at all the original images and most were within the limits prescribed. Only a few were resized by their server yet the problem persists in all.<br>

So I guess at some point the sharpening process has been set up .. but unfortunately I am getting no answers from their tech side.<br>

<br />Quite a problem since online shoppers have only photos to base their decision on!<br>

Will find a way.</p>

<p> </p>

[q.g._de_bakker]

I suspect it's nothing to do with browsers, PS or other editing sofware or anything else you control.<br>Some CMSs (Content Management Systems) used to 'run' some websites insist on resizing images, even when they are the correct size. And i bet it's that - a CMS - what is doing this to your images.<br>It's indeed a terrible thing, and the only way around it is not use such a CMS. The website tech support guy will know what CMS they are running (even though he seems to be unaware of the quirks of that thing). Ask him about the CMS.<br>And tell him that, even though he himself doesn't do anything, the system he is using is. Automatically, if needed or not.<br>Ask, no, tell him to switch that off, if possible. If not possible, tell him to complain to his boss about the crummy CMS they are using. After all, what use is a system that makes things look worse than they should?

[steve_mareno1]

<p>You could trouble shoot this till your eyeballs fall out. If it were me, the simplest way to go is to reduce contrast and/or sharpness on one individual file, upload it, and see if that gives you what you want. Then, do the same w/ the others. On my computer, my scans look one way in PS, another way if I simply click on the file and let the windows picture deal open it, and yet another way if I use the file as a desktop image. Which is the "right" one? None. The right one is the one you prefer, and using just one file, and remembering or saving what you did, will fix the problem. SOMETHING is apparently going on at their end. Instead of getting them to admit there's an issue, then waiting for them to fix it (or not), all of which is obviously out of your control, just go for a workaround. Anyway, that's what I would do.</p>

[jainamishra]

<p>Q.G. - they have heard me complain but to change the system setting they will probably need more than 1 complainer. Will try that more aggressively today.<br>

Steve, that looks like a good idea too if I can use batch processing (there are over 1200 images). I checked out Lightroom which I have used only sparingly and under the Develop option I can change the 'sharpening' but the range is 0 upwards - so I couldn't find my way to reduce 'sharpening' but there is the 'clarity' option. Is that the same? </p>

<p>What I have done for now to to ad a note in the description saying that there is oversharpening in the images and if they would like to see the originals to please write to me. A halfway solution but it seems to be the only way right now. <br>

Thank you Q.G. & Steve</p>

[dave_redmann]

<p><em>In many cases, the server/service's sharpening doesn't kick in unless their upload routine also has to </em>resize<em> the image.... But that (potentially destructive) chain of events is often completely skipped over if you provide them with a file that's already exactly the right size (in pixel dimensions) needed to match the way they display things.</em></p>

<p>You may well be correct, but in more than a few cases, it's at least difficult if not impossible to know the exact pixel dimensions. With websites you can usually figure it out, at least through an iterative process. With printing labs it's nearly impossible. Years ago I looked around and only one of the semi-major labs (forget which, and it was one I found unacceptable for other reasons) told you on its website the exact pixel dimensions to submit. For example, their printers actually used 2456x3070 pixels for prints for prints that were <em>nominally</em> 8x10 inches at 300 ppi (i.e., theoretically 2400x3000 pixels).</p>

 

[Lou_Meluso]

<blockquote>

<p>the simplest way to go is to reduce contrast and/or sharpness on one individual file, upload it, and see if that gives you what you want.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I would not advise you change your files, especially 1200, to match some proprietary CMS that is set improperly or aggressively. Your IT guy may not know but often these system have some measure, coarse as they may be, of setting these global controls.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Which is the "right" one? None.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The windows viewer, operating system and many web browsers are not ICC aware applications. The correct answer is Photoshop.</p>

[jainamishra]

<p>Thanks Dave & Louis.</p>

<p> </p>