Do you think these pics are to dark on the net?

[z_z1]

Please check out my B&W folder at http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?

folder_id=291787 and let me know if you think the pictures as

uploaded are to dark. The originals are very rich in tonality and

sharp but I am new to this scanning, uploading thing.

 

Thanks,

 

Eric

[z_z1]

seems you have to take a space out between the ? and the word folder. I don't know why we can't go in and edit our own posts.

[ken_lee11]

When it comes to posting images on the web, the only thing you can control is your own monitor. If it has been calibrated with one of the readily available tools, then you can be sure that anyone else with a calibrated monitor, will see it as you do on your screen. Otherwise, who knows how they look.

 

Some people place a step-wedge on their web pages, with the instructions that the viewer should adjust their monitor until all the steps are visible. This is a secondary approach, since it doesn't do anything for colors.

[z_z1]

Thanks Ken, but how do they look to you??

[steve_feldman2]

Eric,

 

IMHO your images do not look too dark. Perhaps the highlights on the building interior image are a bit high. Question: In your original print, can you see an image outside the window? On my screen the highlights on this image are nearly blown out. My appoligies if this was intended. My screen is not calibrated. Factory set and unchanged from default settings. (So far).

 

The photographs are very good.

[ken_lee11]

Perhaps you like a bold look in your images, but they look rather contrasty to me. Even allowing for a strong look, there does not appear to be alot of separation in the low and high values. At least, for a large format image.

[tundra_slosek]

You did ask for an opinion: comparing the B&W version of the interior of the abandoned church to the color version - on my screen the B&W looks quite dark, but the color looks a bit more washed out than I would like. If you handed me the B&W file and asked me to tone it to my personal taste, I would use curves to bring the shadow in the far corner up a bit, but not quite into mid-tone.

[butch_welch]

Eric - I have a calibrated monitor and work with images on a daily basis for publication and desktop printing. Your images are too contrasty and a bit dark. If you have Photoshop, look at the levels in your file. The attached image shows your church image opened in Photoshop and the levels pallette open. The levels on your church image (levels below) shows information missing on the left (black) end on the right (white) end. Good tone distribution should look somewhat like the image levels shown in the upper right corner, with the curve narrowing to nothing at the left and right ends.

[jim_galli4]

Eric, Yes, too dark and probably too much contrast. Another area to work on is over-sharpening. I've exaggerated the area at the corner of the roof at 300% to show the tell-tale halo that shows too much sharpening. For a small 72 dpi web image try the figures shown as a starting place for an unsharp mask. I like your images and hope I'm not giving more advice than asked.

[butch_welch]

The area Jim has indicated with a red arrow shows jpg artifacting. This is usually caused by a too high compression ratio or re-opening and saving multiple times. Save your images as tiff files and only make one jpg file when you are finished adjusting the image.

[ken_lee11]

As Butch has pointed out, .TIFF files are good, because they use <i>lossless compression</i>. They do not toss out information. JPG, on the other hand, is a <i>lossful</i> compression: it tosses details in order to compress.

 

<p>If you often use Photoshop, you can also consider saving your files in the .PSD format, which is native to Photoshop. Like TIFF, it uses a lossless compression algorithm. In addition, it allows you to save your adjustment layers along with the raw data. That way, you can maintain the original photo, and revisit it at another time to make a variation. You can even save multiple variations in the same file.

 

<p>Another factor to consider is that every time you make a non-"layers" adjustment, and save the file, you toss out original data. If you are not familiar with the layers option, you should save the original somewhere, so that you can start afresh if you need to.

 

<p>In any event, the key idea is to save a large, detailed file, and when it is time to make a web version, or print it, you can downsize it accordingly.

 

<p>You might find that <a href="http://www.scantips.com">Scan Tips</a> does a nice job of explaining some of these important fundamentals.

[z_z1]

Gee thanks everyone. I've learned a lot. As you know I'm new to all of this techno stuff so your comments are very welcome. I'll try again.

[james_phillips4]

Eric,

 

I believe that is a personal evaluation that we talked about before. If the images please you then I would not consider them too dark. When we were printing we both held a different view but that is what makes it interesting. I printed that neg a bit lighter than you and will give you the prints so that you can compare them.

 

Of course in my mind...my print is the correct way to do it..... :>))

 

Regards,