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magvadesign
magvadesign
Participating Frequently
February 27, 2017
Question

Pixelated exports - lightroom

  • February 27, 2017
  • 4 replies
  • 4354 views

Hi All

First post for me here so you would be correct to assume I am very much a novice... I am really hoping that someone might be able to help me out with a problem I am having.

I have shot a number of photos on a Canon 70D with a Sigma ART 50mm 1.4 lens and have processed these in LR. These photos are 5472*3648 ISO 100 1/15 sec at f 6.3. Resolution in LR is perfect and detailed (shooting wedding stationery).

I need to export these for use on our website, however when I scale along the long edge to 1150px (at a quality of 70 - 95) all images appear very hazy or pixelated in areas particular around type (essential that is crisp) . I have also tried to resize these in PS and when exported I get the same result.

Not sure if it matters, but I am viewing these images on a 5K iMac display.

I am at a loss as to how I might resolve this issue and am hoping that someone in the community might have a solution.

Thanks in advance

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    4 replies

    Todd Shaner
    Todd Shaner
    Legend
    February 28, 2017

    magvadesign  wrote

    I need to export these for use on our website, however when I scale along the long edge to 1150px (at a quality of 70 - 95) all images appear very hazy or pixelated in areas particular around type (essential that is crisp) .

    You have two issues working against your objective:

    1) The invitation image size is too small to render the text.

    2) The invitation image is very low contrast, which makes it harder to read the small text

    Solution 1

    I suggest shooting the invitation as a separate image file and apply settings to increase the text legibility:

    Shoot the background image without the invitation with the the items located so that the invitation image can be placed as large as possible. Next select both images and use Edit In> Open as layers in Photoshop and adjust the composition as required.

    Solution 2 (Easier)

    You could also simply shoot one image file making sure the invitation is as large as possible in the layout. You can then apply the above Tone settings to just the invitation using the Adjustment Brush. If there is spill-over hold down the ALT key to erase the unwanted Adjustment Brush areas.

    This was done using the LR Adjustment Brush on a single image file.

      magvadesign
      magvadesignAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      February 28, 2017

      Thanks for the suggestions. I am a complete novice at LR, PS and photography. I'd imagine this approach might be above my skill level.

      Todd Shaner
      Todd Shaner
      Legend
      February 28, 2017

      magvadesign  wrote

      Thanks for the suggestions. I am a complete novice at LR, PS and photography. I'd imagine this approach might be above my skill level.

      Can you reshoot the picture? If so layout the envelope, leaves and pen so that the invitation appears full-height in the image. If you can't shoot it that close simply use the LR Crop tool so it looks like the below image and then Export to JPEG.

      EDIT: You'll also need to add the below Tone edits to the original camera file. This will make the text clearer. It's better to do this with the Adjustment Brush to the invitation, but it can also be done as below in the Basic panel to the whole image.

      LR JPEG Export with 50 Quality, Long Edge 1150 px, Screen Standard Sharpening. The file size is 171 KB.

      D Fosse
      Community Expert
      D FosseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 28, 2017

      magvadesign  wrote

      Not sure if it matters, but I am viewing these images on a 5K iMac display.

      In all cases I am viewing the results in a web browser (Chrome)

      If Chrome on Mac OS behaves like any other browser on the planet, it scales up on high density displays, so that you're viewing at 200%. In other words one image pixel maps to four screen pixels. Compared to the full 5K resolution, this will look pixelated.

      The rest is jpeg artifacts. I think this a case for saving at full quality (minimum compression), something normally not necessary. But the fine lines here are particularly vulnerable to jpeg artifacts.

      Other than that there's nothing wrong with the file.

        Bob Somrak
        Bob Somrak
        Legend
        February 27, 2017

        At that resolution the thinnest part of the text is only 1 or 2 pixels wide so at an angle is has to have the "jaggies".  I don't think there is anything you can do to correct this except post larger photos on the web.

        M4 Pro Mac Mini. 48GB
          dj_paige
          dj_paige
          Legend
          February 27, 2017

          Can you show us an example of what you see in Lightroom and another example of what you see in the exported photo? What zoom/magnification are you using in each when you view these images?

          Can you tell us exactly what software you are using to view the exports?

          If you are using Photoshop, can you try saving the file as .gif instead of .jpg and see if the problem goes away?

          magvadesign
          magvadesignAuthor
          Participating Frequently
          February 27, 2017

          Thanks for having a look dj_paige

          I am not sure if I can add URL's here but if so you can view the two files at these (both jpgs)

          The original full size RAW file converted to a jpeg 5472*3648 : https://www.magva.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Black-Tie-Wedding-Invitation-54723648.jpg

          The exported file as a jpeg 1150*767 : https://www.magva.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Black-Tie-Wedding-Invitation-full-1150767.jpg

          In all cases I am viewing the results in a web browser (Chrome)

          I really appreciate you having a look.

          dj_paige
          dj_paige
          Legend
          February 27, 2017

          I see what you mean, and I can imagine that downsizing to 1150x767 could cause this problem, but again I would recommend you try saving from photoshop as a gif instead of a jpg and see if the problem goes away.

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