Transform Tool affecting image quality

[shelleys61521487]

                     Shelley Shroyer     Sep 30, 2017 5:12 PM    (in response to Djay404)    

When creating cards or books, anytime I move the image onto the template and use Ctrl + T to transform the image to fit in the space I need, the image goes from sharp to looking pixelated. I am using bicubic automatic. I have never had this issue before so not sure why it just started up unless I have somehow changed a setting in PSD. I use a ton of card templates and book templates and all of my images are being affected when I attempt to move them into a "photo box" on a card and size using Transform tool. I use Transform (to scale). When I move the image initially, it looks fine, sharp and not pixelated. Then, I use the transform tool...image goes pixelated and cannot be restored.

[davescm]

Hi

What is the pixel size of the image that you have placed and how much are you transforming it ( I am assuming you are scaling it up)?

Dave

[shelleys61521487]

Images are in 300 dpi and print ready. I am moving them into a 300 dpi card template for printing senior announcement cards (or Christmas and marketing cards). When I move the image onto the card template, all looks fine. Then, as soon as I select transform and adjust the size of the image to fit into the "photo box" it then looks pixelated.

[davescm]

Hi

dpi means nothing -that is just meta data for printing

What is the pixel dimension before and after the scaling.

One other thing - it is normal to see some pixilation on transform before hitting Enter - after which the resampling is done.

Two screenshots, with Photoshop at 100% zoom, showing the image  before using transform and immediately after accepting the transform after would help us see what is happening

Dave

[shelleys61521487]

Most of the images are cropped to a 5x7 or 8x10 in which the pixels are:

One image in particular I cropped to an 11x14. RES. 300 pixels/inch, Image Size 52.4 Megabytes. Let me attach the original image and then also the card once the image is transformed. This same situation has happened on multiple projects with similar situation. If you zoom in at all in photoshop on the card, images are fuzzy. I am trying to send the screen sot and it isn't inserting the image into this

message. Or it will let me insert the screen shot then sends me an error message.

[shelleys61521487]

[shelleys61521487]

[davescm]

Hi

Your last screenshot shows you are zoomed in to 223%.

At that zoom level each image pixel is being represented by 2.23 x 2.23 = 5 screen pixels - in reality 4 screen pixels plus some edge blending.  That zoom level will make the image pixels very visible.

Zoom out to 100% where 1 image pixel uses 1 screen pixel and check again.

Dave

[shelleys61521487]

[davescm]

Hi

I don't see any pixelation in that last (100% zoom) screenshot. The images could probably take some sharpening just prior to printing but that is all

Dave

[Trevor.Dennis]

Just to add to what Dave as said, as well as making sure that _all_ of your source images are of sufficient pixel size, it wouuld be safer to convert them to Smart Objects.  That way, if you need to Transform them more than once, you won't get a build up of pixelation.

If you are Placing Embedded, then consider setting General Preferences thus, so that Placed images are automatically made Smart Objects.

And just to underlkine it, remember than PIXELS ARE KING. ​A high DPI is not going to make a jot of difference if you don't have the pixels.

[shelleys61521487]

On my end it still looks a bit fuzzy tho compared to the original image. I am worried that when it goes to print it won't be sharp. I always sharpen images before final print stage. But, if I transform them, I would need to sharpen them yet again?

[D Fosse]

shelleys61521487  wrote

But, if I transform them, I would need to sharpen them yet again?

Final sharpening for output should always be done at actual print size - i.e. after any resizing or transform.

If you already did some sharpening prior to the transform, some of it will be wasted and some of it will remain. Usually the bad parts. You need to watch out very carefully for artifacts and halos. View at 100% and try some small-radius edge sharpening. The ACR filter is very good for this. Set detail to 0 or a very low value, and add some masking to protect solid areas.

[mark-heaps]

When you're beginning to see pixelation you are scaling pixels to a larger size than they originated.https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/atv/cs6-tutorials/understanding-resize-vs-resample.html

When you apply the transformation it has to calculate how to generate new pixels from those original pixels. This is called interpolation or "resampling". That generates pixels based on averages of the original pixels and the surrounding pixel values. This often causes an image to look pixelated or softer.

This might be helpful info to watch.

Understanding Resize vs. Resample

[shelleys61521487]

Thank you!

[shelleys61521487]

Thanks!