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Archive 2015 · Test Image Poll

  
 
Mnd1
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Test Image Poll


Take a look at this thread and then post in this poll your choice.

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1369058


I'll reveal the post processing method in a while.

Edited on Jun 05, 2015 at 09:18 AM · View previous versions



Jun 05, 2015 at 08:47 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Test Image Poll


All four look identical to me. And I have no idea what you are talking about...

But, statistically speaking, option #2 always is best. ;-)



Jun 05, 2015 at 08:55 AM
Mnd1
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Test Image Poll


They all look identical? Absolutely identical? You can't even see a difference in size?



Jun 05, 2015 at 08:57 AM
Mnd1
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Test Image Poll


The purpose of the test images and the subsequent poll is to determine the best method of post processing for display on this and other web forums. Not everybody is a Photoshop or Lightroom expert so my intention is to try and arrive at a method that displays the images that look great on my monitor on the web forum. Now I know it's never going to be as good but some images look great others including mine don't. I want to find out why, hence this poll.

Edit. The reason I don't say which method is used is to prevent any bias that seems to have crept in in a previous thread. I will provide the exact method for each images shortly.



Jun 05, 2015 at 09:05 AM
Mescalamba
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Test Image Poll


I have issue with this, I dont see any pictures.


Jun 05, 2015 at 09:10 AM
Mnd1
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Test Image Poll


They're in the Test Images thread.


Jun 05, 2015 at 09:13 AM
OntheRez
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Test Image Poll


Ah you've messed your test up a bit. With the images extrapolated to different sizes we aren't seeing them at the same magnification thus we only test our eyes in pairs: 1 and 4, 2 and 3.

It's essentially monochromatic which covers a multitude of sins plus the hair being organic does a good job of hiding artifacts. If you stuck a gun to my head I'd say 4 over 1 and 2 over 3. Bluntly there is to the vast majority of even the trained eyes here not enough difference to say. Hope you didn't spend a lot of time on your variations. Oh, 3 seems a little noisier than the others but noise in a cat's hair? It would have to be horrible to notice.



Jun 05, 2015 at 09:26 AM
dhphoto
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Test Image Poll


Apart from size I don't see any difference either.

I would make up a composite picture divided into quarters with a different process in each and post that, it will be much easier to see any differences.

I also agree it's not a good subject for the comparison



Jun 05, 2015 at 09:49 AM
Mnd1
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Test Image Poll


OntheRez wrote:
Ah you've messed your test up a bit. With the images extrapolated to different sizes we aren't seeing them at the same magnification thus we only test our eyes in pairs: 1 and 4, 2 and 3.

It's essentially monochromatic which covers a multitude of sins plus the hair being organic does a good job of hiding artifacts. If you stuck a gun to my head I'd say 4 over 1 and 2 over 3. Bluntly there is to the vast majority of even the trained eyes here not enough difference to say. Hope you didn't spend a lot of time
...Show more

I agree but a lot of images I post on here are of cats so it's good test. Total time for processing about 5 minutes. Thanks for your input.

The way I see it anybody that takes a picture and wants to post it on here probably wants to see it in the best possible manner. Why wouldn't they? I absolutely know I'm not alone in not arriving at anywhere near the quality of image I see on here to what I see on my monitor. I'm doing my best to try and find out what I'm doing wrong and what some people are doing right. Hopefully everybody will benefit from it.



Jun 05, 2015 at 09:54 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Test Image Poll


Mnd1 wrote:
They all look identical? Absolutely identical? You can't even see a difference in size?


There was no link to the images in your original post, as noted by at least one other poster. My tongue-in-cheek reply was my way of noting that.



Jun 05, 2015 at 11:55 AM
Mnd1
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Test Image Poll


Understood. So are you going to add your opinion to the poll?


Jun 05, 2015 at 12:04 PM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Test Image Poll


They all look the same. Can I have an 'Option 5' please.


Jun 05, 2015 at 01:02 PM
Mnd1
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Test Image Poll


Greg Campbell wrote:
They all look the same. Can I have an 'Option 5' please.


I haven't found away of editing a poll.



Jun 05, 2015 at 01:39 PM
Sunny Sra
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Test Image Poll


Did you take into consideration that different websites where you would post apply different compression ..so 1 size/processing/color may not work for all.


Jun 05, 2015 at 03:32 PM
Mnd1
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Test Image Poll


Sunny Sra wrote:
Did you take into consideration that different websites where you would post apply different compression ..so 1 size/processing/color may not work for all.



Right now I'm only interested in the FM Forum and yes I do realize that. Thank you for your input.



Jun 05, 2015 at 04:15 PM
D_Sh
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Test Image Poll


#4 has more saturation, sharpening and more noise compared to 1. Look at the color noise below right eye of the cat. Also it seems to me that people prefer larger sizes and saturation. I bet #4 will win.


Jun 05, 2015 at 04:20 PM
Mnd1
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Test Image Poll


D_Sh wrote:
#4 has more saturation, sharpening and more noise compared to 1. Look at the color noise below right eye of the cat. Also it seems to me that people prefer larger sizes and saturation. I bet #4 will win.


You'll just have to contain yourself a little longer, I know you just so eager to know.




Jun 05, 2015 at 05:24 PM
D_Sh
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Test Image Poll


I made my choice, but most of the time people go for over saturated and over sharpened images. In this situation images are very close. If you were showing them to me one by one, I would say there is no difference between them. However, looking at them side by side, I can see slight difference, not much, but it is there.


Jun 05, 2015 at 06:39 PM
Mnd1
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Test Image Poll


I've edited the Test Images post with the Post Processing method.

Thanks for participating.



Jun 06, 2015 at 12:01 PM
Alan321
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Test Image Poll


Mnd1, I think you're chasing a lost cause

Let me explain. Firstly, I'm using a computer with Windows 8.1 and Firefox as follows:

The default scaling factor of 150% set in Windows tells Windows that there are 144 pixels per inch on my screen. That is, 150% of a reference 96ppi.

The visible scaling factor of 100% set by me at the top of the window in Firefox tells it to enlarge images and text to full 100%. Another hidden setting of 1.5 tells Firefox that there 150 pixels per inch. That is, 100% of its reference of 100ppi. Note the different reference ppi.

To complicate things, the Windows setting alters the effect of the Firefox settings.

My screen actually has 216ppi and because neither Windows nor Firefox knows that, neither of them can show me the images correctly with their default settings. By making them look too big they inherently look soft. By making them too small, such as on a screen with fewer ppi, they may look just right or perhaps too sharp if the ppi was even less.

Now I could have used the correct setting of 2.16 in Firefox, but then the text is so small that I can't read it. I'd need to have some control over the fonts and sizes used here at FM. So even when I know what settings to adjust I can't actually use the correct values.

You cannot expect to get it right at your end if you don't know what screen I've got or what settings I've got.
Probably 99.9....9 % of users don't know what settings they've got either, nor where to find them. Many if not most can't even calculate the ppi of their screen from the screen dimensions in pixels, the screen ratio, and the screen diagonal in inches.

And we haven't even got to monitor calibration and colour profiles yet.

So what chance have you got ? Almost none.
Whatever you do to make an image look better for one group of users will very likely make it look worse for most of the rest.

Now you might think me negative about your prospects but you should think of it as realistic.

So what CAN you do ?
I suggest that you do the following:
1. Apply whatever capture sharpening is needed by each image, but no extra.
2. Use sRGB working colour space for each image you post, because most viewers expect that.
3. Whether or not you use sRGB, include the colour space info in your image files so that anyone who is knowledgeable about such things can definitely use the right colour space.
4. Less relevant but always helpful, always include metadata with your images.
5. When seeking critiques, ask the readers to look at the images in their Lr or Ps or whatever so they can get the best from the colour info in the file. Some of them probably already do that routinely.

- Alan



Jun 06, 2015 at 12:55 PM
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