Page 3 - Clarify, using the unsharp mask tool and the JPEG optimizer.
The clarify tool is the reason why I fell in love with Paint shop Pro several versions ago. I had never really enjoyed working with curves and even though there are only 5 settings you'll be quite surprised with what can be accomplished. Using too high a setting can cause halos, so be careful. Look closely at your highlights, middle values and shadow areas.
Using the unsharp mask is one of the most important steps if you strive for good clear, sharp photos. A little is all you need most of the time. Set the radius between .5 and 2, the strength set at 30, 50, 80 or 100 (experiment) and I'd recommend that you leave clipping alone at 5. Remember this article covers the basics! See the bottom of p.108 in the manual for a bit more information.
The JPEG optimizer is really the last step
because you open it by going to Save as in
the File menu. On the bottom right you'll see Options. Click on it! In
the next screen choose Run Optimizer. Or better yet and easier, click
on the JPEG optimizer button in your custom photo toolbar.
Here's
one more reminder about watching the photo and not the dialog's small
image on the right! And ... be sure your photo is at its full 100% size.
Depending on the size of the photo, I recommend that you don't exceed
30 in the compression setting and no more than 55kb for the final file
size*. Try various settings and watch the results. If you've done a good
job with the unsharp mask you can probably get away with a setting of
30.
* I'm assuming that your final size will be no more than 500 pixels wide for a horizontal or a height of 500 for a vertical.
You'll find some other good lessons in the Learning Center under the Help menu.
So, there you have it: Select your photo, crop and resize
it for use on your web page, view it at 100%, and try the Auto fix possibility.
If that doesn't work well enough do for a histogram adjustment or maybe
Brightness/contrast will do the trick. You may need to balance the color
and add a bit of saturation. Often Clarify will do wonders before you
use the unsharp mask and finally the JPEG optimizer. I realize that sounds
like a long process but with practice, you can work through it quite
quickly. Any problems with this tutorial??? Please contact me.
Eleanor T. Culling
Thoughts about the manual: It's just plain boring and not organized well. It's all words and few examples. I found no examples in color. Imagine that ... no color! Even the front cover and the splash screen for the program are boring! Oh well - it's still a great image editing program.
My own
web site
Eleanor's Travels