Tony Swain Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Hi to all members from a complete Alamy Newbie, i will apologise to everyone for posting what i imagine is a much asked question but i am in the process of submitting my first four images for quality control i have been into photography for some years i currently use a Nikon D800 and D4 so am confident my kit isn't a problem, what i am hoping for is some guidance when editing and exporting from Lightroom 5 ideally settings for width height,pixels per inch etc, i understand when opened they have to be at least 24mb and whilst mine are i am being told my images are lacking definition or have camera shake as some of my images where taken at dusk on a tripod for approx 15 seconds at i.s.o 200 on a D800 with a 36.3 m.p sensor and all the others at a fast shutter speed and again i.s.o 200 i am surprised but suspect this is due to me over editing, apologies for the lengthy post but before i submit another four i would like some sort of yardstick so to speak. Many thanks in anticipation Tony Swain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie5 Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 With the D800 you should be able to use a higher ISO to get your shutter speed down to something more reasonable. I shoot a lot at ISO 3200 with a 5D MK2 and 7D. Lightrooms noise compensation can easily handle the noise at that ISO. Sometimes I have to sharpen a photo, but I like to use Photoshops unsharp mask. If you are using a VC lens on a tripod it may cause some blur unless you turn it off. If you can post a full size image on flickr or somewhere else that failed it would help. I would suggest as an experiment try some high ISO shots handheld and see what you get. Practice holding very still if you can. If you have a VC lens you can use a very slow shutter speed. With my 7D and the optically stabilized Sigma 17-50 I can go down to 1/30 1/40 of a second and still get images that pass QC. As far as exporting from LR you don't have to resize on export but you may want to reduce file size. Somewhere around 5000 pixels on the long side should be fine. If they don't look sharp to you at 100 percent then don't upload them to Alamy. You should be able to read small print or see fine detail with no blurring. I don't know if Nikon's allow you to zoom in while reviewing and image on the LCD but that can help you determine how sharp your image is and if not try something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjones Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 The guidance on here for submitting your first four images has always been a conservative view: take your images in excellent light using the optimum aperture for your lens (some call it the "sweet spot" often around f/9) using a tripod and obtain technically excellent images which you then check over with a fine toothcomb for errors such as CA, sensor dust etc. After many submissions you get a feel for what QC may or may not fail and then you can become more adventurous but still staying with QC criteria. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Holmes Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I understand the position of using safe images to get your initial submission through, then learn about QC limits but personally, I don't agree with it. Your initial submission is the only opportunity for you to know that all your images have been inspected, and the only time that you'll receive the result without delay. I used this valuable resource to submit images that I considered borderline in terms of sharpness and noise. Two failed for SOLD, and none failed for noise. This taught me far more that 4 safe images, then testing the boundary and nervously waiting for the 1 month sin bin. Each to their own, but I think you've done the right thing in submitting images that test the QC process. As to the SOLD failures, as has already been said, it's difficult to assist without seeing the images in question at 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Swain Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hi and a big thank you to Johnie,Peter and Andy it's really appreciated when people take time out to help others, all really useful guidance and has given me food for thought for next submission. Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 It's unlikely that export settings are the source of your problem. With a 36MP sensor you don't need to resize at all so leave the boxes blank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 It's unlikely that export settings are the source of your problem. With a 36MP sensor you don't need to resize at all so leave the boxes blank. He certainly won't need to upsize but downsizing might just be what is needed if the full size images are unsharp when viewed at 100%. What appears out of focus at full size may just snap into focus at smaller sizes. It is essential to use very good lenses and be very careful with focusing on the D800. I would recommend viewing individual images in Photoshop if available and downsizing according to requirements rather than using Lightroom export. This is simply for greater control and speed of checking images, particularly with PSCS6 or CC, as the graphics are much faster than Lightroom on these large D800 images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabbro Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I have switched from Nikon NX2 to Lr5 recently. It took me a while to figure out what to do in the Lr Export setting. My files had no problem passing QC. Key things to note: 1) In "File Setting", set the Quality to 100. That produces the best quality JPG files. Don't set any File Size Limit. 2) In "Image Sizing", you can leave it at native size since you are shooting D800 and D4. Just don't upsize it. Set the "Resolution" to 300 Pixel Per Inch. 3) Not in the Export setting but very important. Alamy asks us NOT sharpen our files. But in Lr, you can increase "Clarity" to somewhat creating an effect that makes your photo look sharper. Over done "Clarity" will create artifacts around sharp edges just like "Sharpening". So my advise, use it with caution. One final suggestion, for your first four submission, they don't need to be your top four BEST EVER shots. They just need to be technically sound so you can pass QC. So take a few pieces of colorful toys, under good light, set up tripod, and snap away. This is NOT your first kiss, no need to be special. And, don't OVER post-processing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Swain Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hi and thanks everyone apologies for not thanking each person individually (not sure how to !!!) but all suggestions really appreciated i am wondering if one of my problems has been too much clarity and or sharpening i do use both LR5 and Photoshop CC and also check at 100%, also i have picked images that i like as opposed to four images to get past quality control so fingers crossed for the next four either way a big thank you to everyone who offered advice. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davepmyoung Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I am struggling for my first 4, I am a Nikon pro, with 2 d300s and a d800. Using a 24-70 or a 300 f2.8 , using LR 5.2 I am still failing. I will try the 4 shoots on a tripod at f11 in perfect light and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I am struggling for my first 4, I am a Nikon pro, with 2 d300s and a d800. Using a 24-70 or a 300 f2.8 , using LR 5.2 I am still failing. I will try the 4 shoots on a tripod at f11 in perfect light and see what happens. What are the reasons Alamy gives for your failure? Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabbro Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I am struggling for my first 4, I am a Nikon pro, with 2 d300s and a d800. Using a 24-70 or a 300 f2.8 , using LR 5.2 I am still failing. I will try the 4 shoots on a tripod at f11 in perfect light and see what happens. Your cameras and lenses are fine. You are a Nikon Pro, so your technique shouldn't be a problem. I suspect your problem is in handling software. Lr is a little tricky on the Export menu. See my suggestions in earlier entry. I've been using Lr5 for a while, with no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davepmyoung Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 At last I got my first 4 and the next 2 approved. Thanks for all the tips on this chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davepmyoung Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I am struggling for my first 4, I am a Nikon pro, with 2 d300s and a d800. Using a 24-70 or a 300 f2.8 , using LR 5.2 I am still failing. I will try the 4 shoots on a tripod at f11 in perfect light and see what happens. What are the reasons Alamy gives for your failure? Jill Soft on 1 and dirt on another, the image was spotless! I guess a too bigger crop and at 100% it would have been soft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.