Not sure if the title is understandable, but i'm looking to highlight a section of a photo in Photoshop to show off the sharpness in it. I can't work out how to enlarge the selection so that is visible without losing the quality?
you would want to keep the zoom part the original size and shrink the rest....it'll lose quality if you try to blow part of it up.
I suggest opening it twice in photoshop, and resize one of them smaller, then copy and past the "zoom" section from the full size onto the one you have resized smaller. make sense?
i'm not an expert in these things, but i expect the original photo would have to start off being at a very high quality... that is, the highest quality of image possible, lowest ISO and tack sharp... you seem to use iso 400 a lot... maybe try with iso 100 and use a tripod if you need to use a slower shutter speed (longer exposure) as a result?
If you're asking how to do it, there are, as with most things in Photoshop, many ways, but I'd do it like this:
With your original photo open in Photoshop, select it all (Ctrl-A), then copy to the clipboard (if you have layers, you'll want to use Edit -> Copy Merged).
Create a new empty file (File -> New). As you have copied your original file to the clipboard, the dimensions should automatically be the same. Hit OK to create the blank file, then paste your image in. (At this point, you've basically created a second file with the same image).
Resize this new file to a web-appropriate size (for this website, something like 1024 pixels on the longest edge is usually a good value).
Switch back to the original file and, using the rectangular (or circular, if you prefer) selection tool, select a small area of the photo that shows the detail well. (Hold down shift while selecting if you want to select a perfect square or circle, rather than a rectangle/oval). Copy this to the clipboard (again using 'copy merged' if your original file is layered).
Switch back to the new file and paste into it. This will create a new layer containing your full-resolution small section. Using the move tool, move this layer so that it's in an appropriate place.
Optionally, you may want to add a border or other effect to your small layer -- this is most easily done by right-clicking on the layer and choosing 'Blending Options'. A drop-shadow or similar effect can help isolate the section you are magnifying.
Example following these instructions:
Of course, you can go a lot further with magnifying glass overlays and other effects, but that's the basic concept.
As @northy has said, you need a sharp, low-noise original photo for best -- otherwise you will highlight any noise issues, focus errors or motion blur. If you have a photo that is not perfectly sharp, you may want to scale down your magnified section to half full-resolution -- still giving a glimpse into the detail of the original, without showing it pixel-imperfect. (How to do this is left as an exercise for the reader, but if you get stuck, let me know!)
@guaranteed Thank you, I didn't think to do it almost back-to-front. @abirkill Wow, thanks for an incredibly detailed reply, and smashing example! Extremely helpful.
@northy Thanks for looking, I don't actually play around with my ISO but i'll take it into consideration now :)
I use lightroom, very simple to take a 100% crop and retain quality and still have a good sized picture. You can download a trial of lightroom from adobe.
My 100% of my ice princess shot .
Original
Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
I suggest opening it twice in photoshop, and resize one of them smaller, then copy and past the "zoom" section from the full size onto the one you have resized smaller. make sense?
With your original photo open in Photoshop, select it all (Ctrl-A), then copy to the clipboard (if you have layers, you'll want to use Edit -> Copy Merged).
Create a new empty file (File -> New). As you have copied your original file to the clipboard, the dimensions should automatically be the same. Hit OK to create the blank file, then paste your image in. (At this point, you've basically created a second file with the same image).
Resize this new file to a web-appropriate size (for this website, something like 1024 pixels on the longest edge is usually a good value).
Switch back to the original file and, using the rectangular (or circular, if you prefer) selection tool, select a small area of the photo that shows the detail well. (Hold down shift while selecting if you want to select a perfect square or circle, rather than a rectangle/oval). Copy this to the clipboard (again using 'copy merged' if your original file is layered).
Switch back to the new file and paste into it. This will create a new layer containing your full-resolution small section. Using the move tool, move this layer so that it's in an appropriate place.
Optionally, you may want to add a border or other effect to your small layer -- this is most easily done by right-clicking on the layer and choosing 'Blending Options'. A drop-shadow or similar effect can help isolate the section you are magnifying.
Example following these instructions:
Of course, you can go a lot further with magnifying glass overlays and other effects, but that's the basic concept.
As @northy has said, you need a sharp, low-noise original photo for best -- otherwise you will highlight any noise issues, focus errors or motion blur. If you have a photo that is not perfectly sharp, you may want to scale down your magnified section to half full-resolution -- still giving a glimpse into the detail of the original, without showing it pixel-imperfect. (How to do this is left as an exercise for the reader, but if you get stuck, let me know!)
@abirkill Wow, thanks for an incredibly detailed reply, and smashing example! Extremely helpful.
@northy Thanks for looking, I don't actually play around with my ISO but i'll take it into consideration now :)
My 100% of my ice princess shot
Original