Uh, what a bad boy i was. Really ??
Okay, but is not a miracle again it is just some minor PP to get the details and colors pop.
To make it easy: It is the Oly colors.... :ROTFL:
No, indeed not !
Adobe Photoshop is the base but you can do the tuning with any SW you like.
Please note: No longer PP than 2 Minutes ! Everything longer is boring.
Here we go:
I assume, WB is correct and exposure is OK. Check histogram CTRL L and make your correction.
In case of strong noise ( one never knows ) use a noise removal tool FIRST. This is important. Noiseremoval tools can change the appearance of the picture
Set Contrast to a higher level. Normaly in CS3 something around +30. If it gets too dark in the shadows choose less.
Set Saturation to a higher level. This a little tricky. Too much saturation and it looks like a cheap plastic bag from Walmart. In CS3 you can alter saturation combined over RGB channel or you can change colors seperatly. Depends on your taste. Normaly saturation may not exceed the additional contrast level.
Check whether the picture needs a little extra exposure. Be careful in adding additional values. Max 0.1 to 0.2 should be enough ( Picture Menue, exposure )
If you now compare this stadium with the starting picture you will see enormous differences. Okay, now the big points:
Sharpen your image with USM. My settings for E-3 are: 150 / 0.8 / 0. Play with the values. Different cams needs different settings. Use mine as starting point.
You will see: suddenly the complete image gets more pop.
Resize the picture to Websize. I always set the longest side to 1000 pixels.
At this point i do my frame and nametag.( The white border )
Due to resizing the picture loose clarity. Use the SHARPEN command in CS3 in the Filter Menue. It has no parameters to go. Just choose and hui... the details pop again. Sometimes it is better NOT to do the second Sharpen. You will easily see it. When ugly artefacts occurr step back. And leave it as it is.
(Hardcore solution: 2nd USM with differnt settings... )
That is my easy to follow wrap up. If you do not have CS3 or whatsoever Adobe SW:
Download IRFANVIEW. It is a great pictureviewer and a great tool to make easy adjustments. Contrast and saturations are chooseble and under Image/Effects/effectbrowers/ you will find an excellent USM sharpener. On large files choose 3 or 4 max.
My aim was: Let the details pop. I hopefully achieved this mainly with a little more contrast, saturation and a 2 stage sharpening.
Yes, there are a lot more possiblities: Color Lab adjustment, special filters and all that stuff. I dont use any addditional filter except for Noiseware.
Mostly....
Klaus
