Etsy :: The Storque :: How-To :: Staying Sharp: Achieving Clarity and Crispness in Your Photos

Staying Sharp: Achieving Clarity and Crispness in Your Photos


Story by terrain Published on February 7, 2008 in How-To	Photo by loadedhipspress

When you sell your craft online, photos are vitally important to your success. Without a physical item to touch and look at, your customers rely on your pictures as their tactile experience. Nothing will turn away a customer faster than a blurry photo with inscrutable details. Luckily, there are many solutions to this common frustration that can help you achieve a sharp, crisp, and alluring photo.

Set-up Solutions

Lighting: Good lighting is essential, because without it, your camera can’t capture the fine details and different tones and values of your item. A good source of light can be as simple as a bright windowsill. Direct sunlight, however, can wash out and overexpose your photo, so take care to either shoot on overcast days or diffuse the light with a sheer curtain or a piece of tracing paper taped to the window. Achieving good light levels indoors is trickier, but can be done inexpensively with a DIY lightbox and a pair of high-wattage full-spectrum industrial or shop lamps. When shooting indoors, be sure to have at least two sources of light, one on each side of the item, to avoid harsh shadows. Take advantage of your camera’s exposure values scale and white balance as well (see Bright Light, Big Color: Using EV and White Balance to Make Your Photos True to Life).

Tripod: Snapping a sharp photo requires a steady hand. The slightest movement of your hands or body, even the simple act of depressing the shutter, can result in “camera shake” – the blurring of an image that occurs when the lens is moved while the shutter is open. A tripod solves this problem by providing a stable base for your camera. The camera is affixed to the head of the tripod, so your hands are off the camera until the shutter is depressed. Tripods come in all sizes, from floor models ideal for taking shots of large items such as clothing or art, to tiny table-top models that are great for jewelry and other small items. In a pinch, if you don’t have a tripod, a bag of rice or other bean-bag type surface placed on the table top or on a stack of books can provide a stable enough base for you to angle your camera and snap a sharper photo.

In-Camera Solutions

Macro Mode: Taking clear photos of very small objects, such as jewelry, can be difficult unless you utilize your camera’s macro function. Read through your camera’s manual to determine how to switch your camera into macro mode. The icon for macro mode usually looks like a small flower. By switching your camera into macro mode your camera will be able to focus on objects as close as 2cm away, depending on your camera model.

Left: Photo taken with default camera settings. Right: Photo taken in macro mode.

Focusing: Most contemporary digital cameras have a two-step focus function that enables the user to select precisely what part of the item they want in focus. Try depressing the shutter button of your camera only halfway down, and watch for one or more rectangles to appear on the camera’s screen. The part of the image within the rectangle will be in focus. Once you see this rectangle, fully depress the shutter button. Generally this rectangle will appear in the centre of the screen, but if you want the focus of your image off-center, simply move your camera to the left or right while keeping the shutter button half-depressed, then press down all the way when the image is arranged as you wish. You may need to practice this technique several times before achieving a consistent result.

Remote Shutter Release/Timer: If camera shake is your main enemy, you might consider purchasing a remote shutter release for your camera. This is simply a button on a cord that when plugged into your camera, allows you to depress the shutter without touching the camera at all, completely eliminating camera shake. You can also achieve a similar result by utilizing the timer on your camera.

Depth of Field: Ever see those artsy photos that are sharp in one part of the image, and blurry everywhere else? You can create that effect by utilizing depth-of-field. Depth-of-field refers to how much of the area in front of or behind the subject of the image is in focus. A “shallow” DOF means that very little of the image is in focus – perhaps only the item itself, or even just a small part of the item. A “deep” DOF means that most of, if not all the image is in focus, including the foreground, subject, and background. DOF can be complicated to understand, but essentially it is composed of a geometric sequence called “f-stops," which describe focal length divided by the aperture diameter.

Left: Photo taken using f-stop f/8, resulting in a deep depth-of-field (in focus from back to front). Right: Photo taken using f-stop f/2.8, resulting in a shallow depth-of-field (in focus up close, blurry far away).

The smaller the f-stop (i.e. f/2.8), the shallower the DOF. The higher the f-stop (i.e. f/16), the deeper the DOF. If you have a manually operated digital camera or a camera with an “Aperture Priority” mode, you can take advantage of DOF to create some great photographs. To get that sharp-in-front-blurry-in-the-back effect, switch to Aperture Priority and set your f-stop as low as it can go. In most cameras without an add-on macro lens, f/2.8 is the lowest possible setting. Focus the camera carefully on one part of the item by depressing the shutter halfway as described previously, then snap your photo. Again, this can take some practice but the effects are worthwhile.

Post-Processing Solutions

Photoshop: Levels: Using the Levels function in Photoshop can help to bring out the details in too-dark or too-light photographs (for tips on how to use Levels, see this article).

Photoshop - Unsharp Mask: Although the name seems counter-intuitive, the unsharp mask function in Photoshop is the quickest and easiest way to sharpen your photos during post-processing. Unsharp mask uses a combination of sharpening and blurring edges to increase contrast, whereas the sharpen function only sharpens, which can lead to unwanted edge pixelation. There are three controls that make up unsharp mask: amount, radius, and threshold. The amount slider controls how much contrast is enhanced. It can generally be left between 100-150%. The radius is the most important slider, as it designates how far to look for anything that might be considered an edge.

Left: Photo before using Unsharp Mask. Right: Photo after using Unsharp Mask.

This means that a low resolution image should have a lower radius setting than a higher resolution image. A good rule of thumb is to take the photo resolution and divide by 200. Set the radius at the resulting number. For example, if resolution is 180dpi, set the radius to 0.9. Threshold basically withholds the results of the other two sliders, so it can usually be left at 0, unless you have unwanted grain in the photo that needs smoothing. Be cautious to not over-sharpen your image, or it will look pixelated – good sharpening is subtle and enhances the photo without overpowering it.

Final Tip: Practice, practice, practice! One of the great advantages of digital photography is that you can take endless numbers of photographs with no waste, so don’t hesitate to take the time to figure out which of these techniques can work for you.

Happy snapping!

For more photography how-tos, go here! Also, terrain is an experienced photographer and has shared her expertise with the Storque before, so for more of her how-tos, go here!

Tags	How-To, HOW-TO, photographing, Photography, Photoshop, photoshopping, Seller Handbook, selling, terrain

All articles in How-To

Related Items

This article was reported by:

terrain

shop . profile . contact

132 comments Login to add your own!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 7:26 p.m.

bornlippy

Wow! GREAT article. Thanks Terrain!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 7:34 p.m.

organicbeginings

Fantastic easy to understand article ,, thank you terrain

Feb. 7, 2008 at 7:46 p.m.

abitabite

A lot of peoples number 1 problem on etsy is not using enough light, so i am glad you addressed this first.

Often i see people throwing all kinds of tips and ideas out there, when the photo would be 100x better if they just used more light.

Lets not forget after all, "photo" means light.

Feb. 7, 2008 at 7:51 p.m.

eclipse

These articles are great, I need a new camera and then I'll reread them again. You really explain the jargon in simple English, thank you!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 7:53 p.m.

UnePetiteEtoile

Wonderfully written.

Thank you.

Feb. 7, 2008 at 8:01 p.m.

opalpoems

Easy and helpful tips, well written and great photo examples...
Thanks Terrain :)

Feb. 7, 2008 at 8:06 p.m.

dangerousmezzo

Great article, terrain, thank you so much!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 8:30 p.m.

Blondezillabeads4fun

Oh THAT'S what that button is for !!!!

Thanks so much for making it understandable once again Terrain ;>)

I find your articles MUCH more understandable than my camera's manual :D

Feb. 7, 2008 at 8:34 p.m.

terrain

Thanks everyone and thanks to the Storque folks for publishing it! I am really just an amateur though compared to the many amazing and talented photographers here on Etsy.

I agree with Abitabite about light - a good source really does solve most problems. Sunny days can be few and far between where I live so I use a combined total of 500 watts to shoot indoors.

Eclipse, you can do lots with even just a basic camera - mine is only 3.2 mgp. I'll be upgrading soon though!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 8:34 p.m.

Schmutzerland

This article was so helpful! I was struggling with my photos for a while. Great helpful tips and I love the examples!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 9:30 p.m.

cynthiamillar

Thanks Terrain...I'm about to launch my site and your tips came just in time...

Feb. 7, 2008 at 10:54 p.m.

BrickMillStudio

*happy sigh*
another excellent article with a bunch of useful tips from terrain....
thank you!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 11:16 p.m.

whitepaw

Excellent article terrain!

Feb. 7, 2008 at 11:48 p.m.

eliwill

thank you. this is something i continually work on. gemmafactrix had a great suggestion in an article and i use it all the time: take a lot of photos and then choose from them during the editing process.

Feb. 8, 2008 at 12:34 a.m.

daniellexo

fabulous article! i'm going to keep this one bookmarked FOR SURE. thanks, terrain.

Feb. 8, 2008 at 1:24 a.m.

LiSoCards

Wonderful tips- thank you!

Feb. 8, 2008 at 2:10 a.m.

ColibriDreams

Thank you again! I just wish my camera would work - the zoom got broken, grrh! Oh well, have to try these tips with boyfriend's camera!

Feb. 8, 2008 at 5:33 a.m.

sixsisters

Great help for everyone no matter what stage you are in .

Feb. 8, 2008 at 6:33 a.m.

shannon75

Very good article. These techniques really work.

Feb. 8, 2008 at 7:17 a.m.

EttiandOttisOddments

THANK YOU!
As someone to whom a lot of this sounds like alien speak, this was put in a way that I think I can figure it out!

Feb. 8, 2008 at 8:28 a.m.

hellome

LOL. Thanks for mentioning the flower icon. All this time, I didn't even know if my camera could do macro or not. Going through the manual = hard. Pushing a few buttons and finding the flower icon = easy!! Thanks for the no brainer. :D

Feb. 8, 2008 at 9:38 a.m.

emilyaugust

This is a really great article to reference. I am printing it out and saving it somewhere!

Feb. 8, 2008 at 9:53 a.m.

jen0910

Good article. I agree that Depth of Field can make pictures look a lot better but, you have to make sure you don't go overboard. I have seen some pictures on here where the DOF is so shallow that it is no better than having a blurry picture. Also, having a picture of the item (if its jewelry) on a person really helps the viewer get a better idea of the piece.

Feb. 8, 2008 at 10:44 a.m.

jenlo262

Great article! I'm going to save the link to post in the "how are my photos" forum threads!

Feb. 8, 2008 at 11:12 a.m.

unleashedpen

Thanks for that well written article. I finally understand how to use the Aperture Priority mode.

Feb. 8, 2008 at 11:58 a.m.

shopbonnin

I always use Levels, but never knew about Unsharp Mask. Thanks for that detailed and easy to understand explanation. I'm going to give it a try.

Feb. 8, 2008 at 5:05 p.m.

anandi

Awesome article, and your photos are beautiful!!

Feb. 9, 2008 at 11:37 a.m.

mesalinens

Thank you Terrain. Shooting for this format is very different. I am looking forward to using your advice to improve the quality of my shots. My biggest problem is color shift. I think your suggestions will help me achieve a truer color.

Feb. 12, 2008 at 5:30 p.m.

katelynjane

Terrain, I saw you in the Flickr TransCanada group (: Good article!! Thanks for posting (:

Feb. 24, 2008 at 1:38 p.m.

mamaziel

Thank you! I've been pestering the forums trying to figure out exactly what I'm doing wrong and gathering tips. I don't know how I missed this article because it answers most of the questions I've been agonizing over.

Thank you!

April 23, 2008 at 6:34 p.m.

cherdak

Thank you for this wonderful article ! I'm really not good at taking great pictures, but after reading this I'll certainly improve.

July 8, 2008 at 12:15 a.m.

rikkicondon

so helpful! thanks

July 31, 2008 at 2:19 a.m.

Ginevra1

Thanks for the great article. I learned alot.

Aug. 3, 2008 at 3 a.m.

anandi

the example photos are great. awesome article.

Aug. 19, 2008 at 4:19 p.m.

AmandaYuDesign

Thanks a lot!

such a useful article.

Aug. 23, 2008 at 3:43 a.m.

Merylmayd

Thanks for that - ever so useful. Can't wait to start fiddling.

Sept. 27, 2008 at 10:02 a.m.

Rachelsaprons

Thank you, great!

Oct. 10, 2008 at 4:57 a.m.

queenartist

Thank you for the tips, what wonderful insight! I shall go ahead and utilize it to better my photography! Thanks!

Oct. 16, 2008 at 12:18 a.m.

GoodWitchCreations

Wow. Thank you so much for this article! I recently joined the Etsy community and I've been practicing and experimenting constantly. The article basically lets me know I'm in the right direction. I really enjoy the amount of help and support that is provided here. Thanks again. Tara

Nov. 1, 2008 at 1:21 p.m.

LystraK

thanks for the article.

Nov. 1, 2008 at 10 p.m.

TheHayPatch

Thanks for the tips.

Nov. 9, 2008 at 12:08 a.m.

BeadinBabe

wow awesome article, thanks so much! I have some work to do!

Nov. 21, 2008 at 3:14 p.m.

TiLTcreations

Always love the tips from the Storque!
Thanks

Nov. 24, 2008 at 11:27 a.m.

krystalsbykrystallee

Learned alot in here also. Thanks

Nov. 29, 2008 at 8:35 p.m.

bluestarbutterflies

Time to hunt down my camera manual!

Dec. 3, 2008 at 2:37 a.m.

gaboodles

great help!

Dec. 11, 2008 at 11:38 a.m.

tootsmagee

I wanted to add that you can download a program called Photofiltre that will help you make your pictures look better. It's not as fancy as photo shop but it's easy to use --- and free!!

Dec. 14, 2008 at 5:43 p.m.

AzizaTrendz

This really did help me alot and I am going to make some changes today.

Dec. 15, 2008 at 2:49 p.m.

ILoveYoYo

Thanks a lot. It is very helpfull...

Dec. 16, 2008 at 5:07 a.m.

TeddybearsTrinkets

Very helpful!! Thank you!

Dec. 19, 2008 at 9:12 a.m.

BeastlyBeasties

Thank you for a really helpful article. My photos are not as good as I would like them to be, your article will really help me decide which camera I need to buy, and how toimprove my images.

Dec. 22, 2008 at 7:46 p.m.

sveltlan

Very helpful and easy to understand. I am bookmarking this to refer back to when I redo my pics.

Dec. 26, 2008 at 12:51 p.m.

ElsaAndEm

I have such a difficult time with photos, and have always wondered how those hand-picked sellers do it. Thank you!

Dec. 27, 2008 at 2:30 p.m.

BeverlyAnn

Very helpful...thank you! I will be redoing all of my photos to help promote my pieces.
I really like the home-made light box as it always seems like I am taking my pictures at night. Thank you again!

Dec. 28, 2008 at 8:22 p.m.

livecreations

great article, thank you

Dec. 30, 2008 at 3:35 p.m.

inkadinkadoodle

Thanks! Can't get enough pointers about the photos.

Jan. 10, 2009 at 6:15 a.m.

hanginmoon

Thanks, life is a continue learning process.

Jan. 18, 2009 at 4:43 a.m.

Tanith

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! You were able to explain a couple of things I was already familiar with in a way that actually made sense to me!

April 15, 2009 at 2:19 a.m.

whatmedia

Excellent article. Photography is really important and this article gives some easy steps to improve. When I write for the blog, I always look for good photography. Sometimes the work is great but there is no usable picture.

May 1, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.

purpletights

What backgrounds are you folks using for your photos? I'm seeing some nice neutral colors and patterns, but where are you getting them? And do you take them outdoors and take the photos there? Is black velvet out of favor?

May 5, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.

sterlingsunjewelry

Thanks for this! I knew about most of this but will now check my camera for manual f-stop settings. Plus, the Unsharp Mask info is v. helpful.

May 5, 2009 at 10:33 a.m.

sterlingsunjewelry

Re- black velvet. The trouble is that when you're in macro, any teensy tiny little speck looks like a football and things you never thought were there will turn up on the image loud and clear! I found that velvet was terrible for this even after I'd brushed it to oblivion. So far, some of my best results have been with a saturated color (black or rich brown), non-reflective paper bought at an art supply store.

June 10, 2009 at 3:01 p.m.

hulupputree

Ah yes, very useful indeed - photos are well tricky!

June 20, 2009 at 7:29 p.m.

tartanbean

This is really helpful information. I haven't been pleased with my photos. I'm going to take some time in the next week to try out your tips. Many thanks for taking the time to post them.

June 22, 2009 at 12:56 p.m.

mibellasophia

love this article.

June 25, 2009 at 3:41 p.m.

wwcsilverjewelry

wonderful and very helpful. Thanks so much!!

June 25, 2009 at 3:44 p.m.

ExoticFlavour

Great tips, thanks a lot ^^

June 25, 2009 at 3:51 p.m.

steampunkjunq

Love this article. Thanks! :)

June 25, 2009 at 4:52 p.m.

amyluo

Thank you for sharing these tips. I was wondering if it's possible to do DOF on a non-SLR camera?

June 25, 2009 at 5:32 p.m.

FunSizeDesigns

Just what I needed! Thank you.

June 25, 2009 at 6:32 p.m.

IrelandScott

Thanks for sharing the tips. This has been totally helpful, as I've been trying for a few days to take pictures like those above.

June 25, 2009 at 10:58 p.m.

BirdhouseBlessings

Thank you! Next step will be redoing everything I have already done, but it will be worth it.

June 26, 2009 at 8:24 a.m.

TealJewelry

I love photography and appreciate all the useful tips! Thanks!!

June 26, 2009 at 12:43 p.m.

EarringVixen

Wow great article, thanks so much for the great tips, I never heard of some of those camera features before! I need to try them out :)

June 27, 2009 at 9:36 p.m.

TeTelesTai

I have been struggling with photos for months. I found this article to be very helpful and hopefully I will put all of the information to good use.
Thank you for your time and willingness to help.

June 28, 2009 at 10:59 p.m.

2harrisons

Great tips on getting those clean close ups, no easy task for me. I think this will really help. thanks so much.

June 29, 2009 at 1:09 p.m.

RomanceCatsAndWhimsy

Very helpful information! Thanks for the great tips!

July 1, 2009 at 3:18 p.m.

aoisart

Thank you for the information!

July 13, 2009 at 1:43 p.m.

Bluebelldesign

Great info. Thanks!

July 14, 2009 at 5:45 p.m.

kinaloon

I'm going to try your DOF advise in my next series of photos. Thanks!

Aug. 4, 2009 at 12:09 a.m.

timdan

Thank You! I'm just starting out, and the biggest problem was my blurry camera pictures! This article was MOST helpful.

Aug. 7, 2009 at 10:14 p.m.

Bohemianchicjewelery

This is fantastic information,i get the holding the button down on the camera half way until your in focus,it definately makes a big difference..now i will have to revamp some of my pics..and great work to those who have got it down pat!!bravo!

Aug. 8, 2009 at 2:50 p.m.

chameleongirl

Great article. So glad I read it too! Will be bookmarking this one for future reference as I often struggle to stay uber-sharp and your advice is very clear to follow. Thank you!

Aug. 9, 2009 at 4:26 a.m.

eclecticbysari

Awesome! Dankeshane!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 3:37 p.m.

studiometalsmith

such useful information, thanks!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 3:47 p.m.

Simag

THANK YOU !!!!
Fantastic article AND very easy to understand!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 3:58 p.m.

jessielawson

thanks for a most inspiring article!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 3:59 p.m.

earthexpressions

Thanks for sharing this interesting tips!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 4 p.m.

earthexpressions

Oops!! ...these!!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 4:09 p.m.

BeyondStitches

Thank you so much for the wonderful tips!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 4:16 p.m.

MyCuteBoutique

This will help me in posting better pictures, thanks!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 4:17 p.m.

AnomalousBits

Awesome! Thank You :)

Aug. 11, 2009 at 4:21 p.m.

SimpleJoysPaperie

Great tips. I love MACRO mode on my camera!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 4:27 p.m.

Enuwbe

Thank you Terrain! Great tips for everyone! Photography is a continual process. I will be practicing these tips for sure!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 4:31 p.m.

nenafaye

Thank you so much Terrain! Photography is the "toughest" part for me, this helps a LOT!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 5:15 p.m.

Jrisco

great ! thanks :)

Aug. 11, 2009 at 6:04 p.m.

ArrayedAndAdorned

Love it! Thanks!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 6:55 p.m.

factoryjunkie

thanks so much for the tips!

Aug. 11, 2009 at 9:03 p.m.

zigwicks

Fabulous tips! Thanks :)

Aug. 11, 2009 at 9:40 p.m.

slapsakky

thanks for the tip ,i am very new at all this stuff.any help at all means alot.thank you again.

Aug. 11, 2009 at 11:10 p.m.

Scallyrags

Great article, very helpful
Thanks

Aug. 12, 2009 at 1:23 a.m.

LavenderField

Good tips, thanks for this article.

Aug. 12, 2009 at 9:25 a.m.

fabfabrique

you mean i should use my camera's settings?!? who'd a thunk? :)

Aug. 12, 2009 at 12:11 p.m.

barefootweaver

Thanks for all the great tips! I'm learning and retaking all the time!! :)

Aug. 12, 2009 at 12:31 p.m.

newsprout

Thanks for the great tips. I am still working on improving my images and appreciate all the help.

Aug. 12, 2009 at 12:50 p.m.

LizzyBdesigns

Wonderful Article...thanks for posting this. I am very new to photographing jewelry & am surely learning day by day~thank you!

Aug. 12, 2009 at 2:18 p.m.

noodlefo

Great article. Useful information and easy to understand.

Aug. 12, 2009 at 2:56 p.m.

Vulpesera

Wonderful article, and infinity helpful...thank you!

Aug. 12, 2009 at 4:52 p.m.

LisaFerinDesigns

this is great--thanks for going beyond the basics!

Aug. 12, 2009 at 4:56 p.m.

mammysshop

Oh my word i just tried one of your tips and what a difference. Didn't know my camera could do that. I'm embarassed!

Aug. 13, 2009 at 1:21 a.m.

ItalicAmpersand

Good to know - thank you!

Aug. 13, 2009 at 11:24 a.m.

LuMagoo

I can't wait to try some of your tips. For me, taking photos can be one of the best or worst parts of posting something new. Thanks ;)

Aug. 13, 2009 at 11:46 a.m.

RenuRedo

NICE

Aug. 13, 2009 at 3:07 p.m.

TutuFairy

THank yoU!

Aug. 14, 2009 at noon

mysticpieces

Yea - thanks for the tip on macro mode!

Aug. 15, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

MeliBMaui

Great tips! Thanks a million Etsy

Aug. 16, 2009 at 12:04 p.m.

CostumeBijoux

Thanks so much for the micro mode tip - I never knew my pics could come out this well!

Aug. 17, 2009 at 8:24 a.m.

vrixa

Thanks. Useful info.

Aug. 17, 2009 at 5:14 p.m.

jabberjewels

Thank you for all the helpful hints. I am one of the people that are having a major problem with photos. I do take photos of jewelry that come out blurry. I switched the macro mode and my ISO to a higher speed and pictures are coming out better. I really hate when you buy a new camera, they don't teach you how to use it. Thanks again.

Sept. 17, 2009 at 5:54 p.m.

sweethead

Great info. Hopefully, I can take my pics to the next level!

Sept. 17, 2009 at 6:27 p.m.

McGregorgirl

this is excellent! thanks for all the helpful tips. I will be re-doing my photos over time...

Sept. 17, 2009 at 6:54 p.m.

TheNightjar

awesome, TY

Sept. 17, 2009 at 11:03 p.m.

smilingbluedog

Thanks for these valuable tips... I'm still working on the
photos, but am improving, thanks to folks like you :)

Sept. 20, 2009 at 11:32 a.m.

girlscout103

I never knew about the macro setting for my camera. Thanks for this information; I am going to try it and hope it makes the difference in helping attract customers to Milagros..

Sept. 20, 2009 at 12:17 p.m.