Challenge entries - saving tips & trick

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

06/18/2022 09:51:49 AM · #1

New, not Gina's ... Admin: Thread direction has changed ... OP is archived.

Message edited by glad2badad - added info that the new text is not Gina's.

Pentax DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6ED AL [IF] WR DC

07/03/2022 06:50:38 PM · #2

havent read this entire thread ..
but i spose dpchallenge is like a microcosm of the real world ..
you'll get the lovers and the haters ..

one thing that bothers me ...
ppl keep saying they want to learn ..
but votes without any comment doesnt really teach me anything .. the high votes or the low votes ..
all it 'teaches' me is what ppl like and dont like .. not the 'why' ..
and yes i know .. this is the broken record on the turntable once again .. ;)

the other thing ..
i often look at a photo and really want to know what the camera settings were .. as thats a real teaching and learning opportunity ..
but so many people dont include that crucial information ..
is there some way we can get ppl to include the camera settings particularly in challenge entries ..
and yes i know some people remove the exif data when uploading for some reason and would have to put that info in manually ..

tnun

Ricoh GR III

07/03/2022 07:14:22 PM · #3

Certainly agree about the exif data and lens used. dpc used automatically to print that...

And, sigh, it would be nice to hear what people actually feel about the photo.

Not likely to change; very possibly we are circling the drain, but

Don't worry, be happy

vawendy

Sony Alpha 1

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

07/03/2022 08:35:08 PM · #4

I never think about exif data, since I'm usually rushing last minute to shoot and enter. If we could increase the size limit, it would be easy - I could resize and save as. That retains the exif info. But having to do the export to get it under 700k loses that data. I'm always happy to go look it up, if anyone wants it. Just let me know.

07/03/2022 11:40:54 PM · #5

Originally posted by vawendy:

thanks Wendy .. your photos especially are some I've really wanted to know the camera settings .. :)

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

07/03/2022 11:53:52 PM · #6

Originally posted by vawendy:

It takes literally 30 seconds to check the EXIF on the LR file and jot it down before you process. That's what I do, anyway.

crik

Nikon D750

07/04/2022 10:08:53 AM · #7

Originally posted by roz:

the other thing ..
i often look at a photo and really want to know what the camera settings were .. as thats a real teaching and learning opportunity ..
but so many people dont include that crucial information ..
is there some way we can get ppl to include the camera settings particularly in challenge entries ..
and yes i know some people remove the exif data when uploading for some reason and would have to put that info in manually ..

I agree. The EXIF data is something I look for when I see a photo that intrigues me. I learn by seeing the technical data of the settings and type of lens used. Seems like it should be required info.

oldbimmercoupe

Fujifilm X-Pro3

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR

07/04/2022 11:02:23 AM · #8

Originally posted by vawendy:

Is that. SONY thing?

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

07/04/2022 11:25:28 AM · #9

Originally posted by oldbimmercoupe:

Is that. SONY thing?

No. Many, if not most, of us use the "Save For Web" function in PS to save our images for submission. SFW allows you to specify a file size and adjusts the JPG compression to match it. Doing so, it also strips the EXIF data from the saved version, partly to save space and partly because in the real world a lot of people don't want to publish EXIF data to the web. Why? Because it contains geo-location and other potentially disruptive information. If I were shooting my grandkids and posting them to the web I'd want the EXIF stripped to deter... you get the idea.

Or did I misunderstand your question? If so, pardon the mansplaining :-)

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

07/04/2022 11:53:22 AM · #10

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

SFW allows you to specify a file size and adjusts the JPG compression to match it.

Does that save a better copy than "Save As"?

I've never used SFW.

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

07/04/2022 02:54:23 PM · #11

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by oldbimmercoupe:
Is that. SONY thing?

No. Many, if not most, of us use the "Save For Web" function in PS to save our images for submission. SFW allows you to specify a file size and adjusts the JPG compression to match it. Doing so, it also strips the EXIF data from the saved version, partly to save space and partly because in the real world a lot of people don't want to publish EXIF data to the web. Why? Because it contains geo-location and other potentially disruptive information. If I were shooting my grandkids and posting them to the web I'd want the EXIF stripped to deter... you get the idea.

Or did I misunderstand your question? If so, pardon the mansplaining :-)

I used to think that, but stripping the EXIF is only an option, though it's the default setting.

07/04/2022 03:11:49 PM · #12

Originally posted by NikonJeb:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:
SFW allows you to specify a file size and adjusts the JPG compression to match it.

Does that save a better copy than "Save As"?

I've never used SFW.

It's just easier on two levels:

1. it allows you to specify the maximum filesize and shows you how much compression it took to get there, rather than experimenting, and
2. It saves by default to the last location you saved to, which in my case is a challenge entries folder, so I can just go up one level and make a new subfolder. When I save as it defaults to the much larger folder I am working out of PS in, and that's in a whole different branch of my file system, so it takes several navigational steps to reach the proper folder for challenges.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

07/04/2022 03:15:23 PM · #13

Originally posted by GinaRothfels:

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by oldbimmercoupe:
Is that. SONY thing?

No. Many, if not most, of us use the "Save For Web" function in PS to save our images for submission. SFW allows you to specify file size and adjusts the JPG compression to match it. Doing so, it also strips the EXIF data from the saved version...

I used to think that, but stripping the EXIF is only an option, though it's the default setting.

This is true, it IS an option, but SFW does open at the most recently-used setting, so you can set it once and forget it.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

07/04/2022 07:59:06 PM · #14

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

... it allows you to specify the maximum filesize and shows you how much compression it took to get there, rather than experimenting ...

I typically use a (very) old version of Photoshop which doesn't have the SFW option, so part of the "fun" is guessing what level of compression will yield a file ≤700kb -- I get it on the first guess most of the time, and it rarely takes more than two ...

jomari

Nikon D7000

Nikon AF-S DX 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR

07/04/2022 10:40:32 PM · #15

Often when I save a picture for the web and then submit it to a DPC challenge it is rejected for being over size. Say I saved it at 698 I am told it is over 700.

07/05/2022 01:20:04 AM · #16

Originally posted by jomari:

Often when I save a picture for the web and then submit it to a DPC challenge it is rejected for being over size. Say I saved it at 698 I am told it is over 700.

i only use the SFW feature after I've resized a pic in Photoshop down to 1200pxls longest side .. or whatever size/pxls I've chosen .. and then when I go to save the jpeg in Photoshop and it's over 700kb .. that's when I use SFW ..

if it's over 680kb ish in SFW I'll take it down to under that amount to be safe..
then I always check in the folder I've saved it in .. because the size in SFW is always smaller than what it ends up in the folder as .. (sorry for bad english)
if that makes sense ..

also in SFW I've set it so all the exif data is kept on saving ..

Message edited by author 2022-07-05 01:22:05.

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

07/05/2022 03:35:34 AM · #17

Lately I've been resizing all my images to 1300px on the long side and SFW at 100%. That way DPC resizes them to fit.

I only do that with landscape orientation though, because 1200px vertical doesn't fit on my screen, so I save those images to 900px vertical so that they fit. I really need to get a new desktop computer and monitor so that I can stop doing that.

Tiberius

Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

07/05/2022 04:18:54 AM · #18

PS SFW is better than the DPC compression. I usually use LR but if I have to I prefer the SFW. In my experience gives the best results.

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

07/05/2022 05:14:40 AM · #19

I guess I'm just lazy. Maybe I should change my method.

glad2badad

DJI Mavic Air 2

Sears 55mm f/1.4 M42

07/05/2022 10:06:12 AM · #20

The theme of this thread has changed dramatically since first being generated. It was agreed (SC) to rename it to a more appropriate subject corresponding to the new direction.

07/05/2022 11:28:36 AM · #21

Originally posted by jomari:

Often when I save a picture for the web and then submit it to a DPC challenge it is rejected for being over size. Say I saved it at 698 I am told it is over 700.

That's because the image size as registered by save-as does not include a little bit extra for EXIF.