Some tips for those uploading to the SSF2005 Gallery as we have noticed that members are :-
a) using the wrong color profile tag for the images (possibly resulting in less than ideal color display)
b) showing images that are "soft"
Compare the two below :-
Original taken from SSF2005 Gallery
Using correct color profile and with Unsharp Masking (USM) applied.
What did I do to the second image? Read on ...
The final two steps in your workflow before saving the file should be
a) Convert the color profile from whatever it is (typically Adobe RGB or your camera manufacturer's version of Adobe RGB) to sRGB
b) Apply Unsharp Masking with the following settings -
Amount:200% ,
Radius: 0.3 pixels , Threshold: 3 levels.
Converting the color profile helps in making sure the color gamut maps correctly to the colors that can be shown in a browser as AdobeRGB color profiles tends to show washed out colors due to its wider gamut. Of course, it also helps if your display is calibrated, but thats another thing altogether.
The USM settings above work best for images that are to be displayed on the web, you can try setting the amount between 150-200% and radius between 0.2-05 pixels to see which setting works best for your camera and files (and to your eyes).
Just helping you all to make sure the images are at their optimum display
Note: To the owner of the image I used, I am not singling you out, I just took whatever image was in the Gallery. My apologies if I cause you any grief.
2nd Note: The tips above (especially the USM tip) is meant to enhance images which have been resized for the web. No amount of postprocessing can save poorly-focused or hand-shaken images (although you can claim artistic licence for those kinds of images ;p)