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Web Photos that Pop: Don't
Be Scared by Print Instructions
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A high quality image has the power to turn an ordinary
page into an inviting and artistically pleasing experience.
Photo © Tom Thomson Photography.
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There is nothing that can bring a Web site to life like crisp, beautiful
photos that load in a flash. When you want to make an impact, add photos.
But wait ... a photo is not just a photo. Many of the images that I
see in a surfing session are muddy, fuzzy, pixelated and ... well, the
page would be better without them.
Unfortunately, when you find information about how to improve the look
of your photo, make it crisp and adjust the color, you are usually fighting
your way through instructions written for print designers. First, let
me assure you, writers for print software are not trying to make your
life miserable. They are not trying to make you look like a neophyte
because you cannot follow everything they talk about. The simple truth
is, correcting photos for print is a very precise and complicated matter.
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The calibration required for print projects includes
options such as those shown above. There is no need for these settings
to be used in Web design.
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Not only must you do everything that we will talk about here, but you
must also understand how to calibrate your monitor to the proofing device,
which itself must be calibrated to the press that will produce the final
product. Dot gain, line screen, trap and choke ... the list of strange
terminology goes on. I have great news for you. Unless you are going
to be sending an image to print, none of the above means a thing. Not
only can you "get away" without understanding what they mean,
but not one of the above terms has any place in an image that will be
viewed on a monitor.
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The image above represents a typical untouched result
from a scanner or digital camera.
A few adjustments lifts the color and detail from the
image, and presents a much more enticing shot.
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However, a lot of the techniques that do apply to Web photos are buried
in that print jargon. This article will take you through the basics
of photo enhancement, with the following qualifier. I cannot deliver
the formula to create a great image every time. Each photo is different,
and while we can apply some general rules, there is no magic formula.
The whole truth is that you will get really good at enhancing photos
in one way and one way only – by working with as many photos as
you can. Practice and experience truly are the most valuable teachers
for fabulous photos.
Having said that, I can at least point you in the right direction.
There are some adjustments I have applied to almost every scanned photo
I have ever worked with over 10 years. I am quite comfortable telling
you that a scanned photo will most likely need contrast, levels and
sharpening adjustment. I will not be so brave as to predict what the
perfect values for each adjustment may be, but it is pretty safe to
assume that some will be needed.
With the qualifiers out of the way, let's take a look at common photo
problems and the solutions.
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Many photos in this article are from the Hemera
Photo-Objects 50,000, Volume 2. The images in this collection are
excellent quality. However, for this article I have deliberately wrecked
images to represent a common problem in scanned or digital camera images,
so that I can show you how to fix them.
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 Wendy
Peck is a working Web designer and writer living in NW Ontario, Canada.
http://wpeck.com
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Next page
Web Photos that Pop: Tutorial Index
Don't Be Scared by Print Instructions
Boosting Contrast and Brightness
Enhancing Image Mid-tones
Adjusting Color and Saturation
Sharpening Images
 
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