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marks60810224
Known Participant
October 25, 2017
Answered

images not sharp unless zoomed to default percentages

  • October 25, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 3016 views

Images are sharp only with the Zoom In and Zoom Out defaults or Fit Screen.

Most importantly, they're unsharp when at Print Size.

Anything I can do about this?

(Windows 7)

Thanks.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer davescm

    PS. When I say my b/w is still at 16 bit, I mean that after I do Image>Adjustments>Black & White, then Image>Mode still shows 16 Bits/Channel. So I guess I'm all good?


    Hi

    No you can't avoid that minor blurring

    Yes your 16 bit B&W is OK.

    Dave

    1 reply

    davescm
    Community Expert
    davescmCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 25, 2017

    The only zoom level at which you can judge sharpness is 100%. That maps one image pixel to one screen pixel.

    Any higher uses interpolation to map a single image pixel to more than one screen pixel - any lower does the same to map multiple image pixels to screen pixels. At zoom levels below 66.7% it gets worse as the image preview is blended using 8 bit previews which can start to alter the appearance of blending modes.

    Print size should only be used to give an idea of how big things will look - not how sharp

    Dave

    M
    marks60810224Author
    Known Participant
    October 25, 2017

    Thanks for that info.

    However, 100% is too large to view the image. And though other percentages may not be (as you mentioned) fully sharp, at least they are excellent to my eye. But only the preset zooms.

    In other words, if I'm at the preset zoom of 33.33%, then, to my eye, it looks fully sharp. But if I zoom to, say, 34% or 32% then the image appears soft.

    For Print Size, for me it happens to be 26.2%, But that's not as sharp as either 25% or 33.33% that are the below and above closest sharp neighbors. I wish I could get Photoshop to show 26.2% as just as sharp.

    M
    marks60810224Author
    Known Participant
    October 25, 2017

    P.S. I'm not using Print Size to evaluate sharpness, but rather to see what the colors and tones look like at that size and to see what small details I might need to work on for a print that size. Then, while I'm at that size (especially for evaluating details), I'd like to happen to look sharp (as sharp to my eye as the default percentages appear).

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