1d + PShop6 = Bad jpeg

[agent006]

I'm getting some really poor JPEG quality on my converted photos form my 1d. My process is thus:

Canon RAW converter > full quality JPEG
Photoshop 6 batch sharpen (save+close)
Photshop 6 batch auto-levels (save+close)

At the end of this i have really blocky skies trees and other crap quality problems. I can find nowhere in photshop to set the default jpeg compression level like i can in paint shop pro. I'm guessing it's photoshop that's borking the photos rather than the canon converter. I'm loathed to convert raw to tiff as my workflow is tedious enough as it is without adding an extra step.

Any ideas. (upgrading photoshop isn't an option)

[dcw@pr]

shoot in JPEG to begin with?

[like a real man ]

[agent006]

Photoshop will still badger up the compression no matter what jpeg it's given though.

[Famous Graham]

Save to Tiff from Raw. Make your batch changes.

Then "Save for Web" and specify the jpeg quality there (it's termed quality in PS rather than compression)

[dcw@pr]

only if you do it by batch incorrectly surely?

I am not familiar with batches in PS 6, I started to use them in 7. However, are these actions that you have made yourself? If so, why have you got two runs, when you could do both those functions in one go, and cut out one round of compression. In PS7 and later, this is how you set the save level in batches,

1) Record the actual functions (i.e. both the levels and the sharpening)
2) Do a "Save As" [NB NOT SAVE]. Here you set the quality. Press enter to save when you are happy.
3) Close the photo
4) Stop recording

Now when you go to the batch function, make sure the "Override Action 'Save As' Commands" box is checked. I always use another folder as a destination, but I *think* you can still use Save & Close and get the desired effect.

Good luck

[dcw@pr]

On a a different note, what on earth are you using your photos for - I can't think of any occasion that auto-levelling them all indiscriminatingly would be desirable? Just curious

[agent006]

I've got them done separately so i can do different things in differnet ways withoug hhaving to create masses of batch functions.
Will try the save as thing and see what happens. Still surprised there's no default jpeg quality setting though.

[agent006]

dcw@pr" Target="_blank">class="forumQuoter">dcw@pr said:

On a a different note, what on earth are you using your photos for - I can't think of any occasion that auto-levelling them all indiscriminatingly would be desirable? Just curious

Force of habit really. I had to use it for everything that got vomited out of my D30 to get anything that wasn't grey and bland. I use it a bit on the 1d for outdoor stuff taken under heavy cloud as it tends to bring out the colours slightly more. If the levels are correct in the first place it doesn't make much difference so all that's lost is 10 minutes of tea making time (if i can fix the compression thing). It's not what actually borked the files this time round, that was the sharpen (aka the first photoshop save).

I suppose it's best to do levels with the colour balance when converting from RAW but i can't find a decent raw converter that isn't either really difficult to use (canon) or chucks out really shit output (rawshooter) or is really expensive. Ideas on that front welcome too.

[dcw@pr]

agent006 said:

I've got them done separately so i can do different things in differnet ways withoug hhaving to create masses of batch functions.
Will try the save as thing and see what happens. Still surprised there's no default jpeg quality setting though.

there is no need for a default setting

If you "Save" and the photo has not been in PS before, it will ask you what level to save it at. If it has been edited in PS before it will save at the level that it was last saved at.

If you "Save As" it will always ask you what level to save at.

These principles apply with batches too

Re the multiple actions, why don't you have one that combines them both for when you need to, and have separate ones as well. If you ware worried about JPEG compression then you should be trying to minimise the number of saves. Although in practice you will never notice the difference if you are saving at a high level [9/10+], and you don't resave hundreds of times.

[dcw@pr]

agent006 said:

dcw@pr" Target="_blank">class="forumQuoter">dcw@pr said:

On a a different note, what on earth are you using your photos for - I can't think of any occasion that auto-levelling them all indiscriminatingly would be desirable? Just curious

Force of habit really. I had to use it for everything that got vomited out of my D30 to get anything that wasn't grey and bland. I use it a bit on the 1d for outdoor stuff taken under heavy cloud as it tends to bring out the colours slightly more. If the levels are correct in the first place it doesn't make much difference so all that's lost is 10 minutes of tea making time (if i can fix the compression thing). It's not what actually borked the files this time round, that was the sharpen (aka the first photoshop save).

I suppose it's best to do levels with the colour balance when converting from RAW but i can't find a decent raw converter that isn't either really difficult to use (canon) or chucks out really shit output (rawshooter) or is really expensive. Ideas on that front welcome too.

but are the photos for personal use? If so, why not look through them, see the ones you like, then spend time editing them specifically, rather than editing everything, even if it is no good to begin with? I do appreciate that it is only "tea making time" but even so...

[agent006]

dcw@pr" Target="_blank">class="forumQuoter">dcw@pr said:

These principles apply with batches too

Evidently not in v6 as it's never asked me for quality settings from a batch process.

I'll try redoing my batches and see if it makes a difference.

edited for blindness on the save as thing

Edited by agent006 on Tuesday 21st August 20:40

[dcw@pr]

you have to make the actions with Save As in the first place, it can't be set later in the Batch command window. Also don't forget that you can edit individual commands within an action by double clicking on them.

[VxDuncan]

To reitterate an earlier post - by doing it this way you are compressing the data 3 times, and losing quality each time. Also you should levels first and always sharpen last - that way you are not stretching the effect of the levels. (minor point though).

Basically keep it all full res uncompressed and made any edits to this, save as TIFF or PSD. Then resize, sharpen and jpeg at whatever resolution you need.