Lightroom 3 size problems HELP!

[The Stal]

So I've been using Lightroom for about 6 months or so now and all of a sudden I seem to be having issues with images looking softer (less sharp) in the Library tab than the develop tab. I've read about this issue on here before but nothing was resolved so I wanted to be more specific.

At 1:1 the images look great in both tabs. When I export, let's say, a picture (jpg) at 800X1200 it looks sharper at 'size to fit' when exported than a full blown 50MB TIFF or a full size jpg. In fact the larger file size I choose to export the more blurry it looks (unless zoomed in to 1:1). This effect seems to be worse with dark or night photos. Before this started happening the other day I exported larger files and they look fine when fitted to my screen. It almost seems like the function that sharpens an image in Lightroom when viewing at 'size to fit' has broken or something. It won't re-sample so the smaller view looks sharp.

I've tried deleting the previews and loading new ones. I've emptied the cache. I've optimized. Closed, re-launched and been through every menu. Have I just not noticed this before and this is normal or do I have some kind of a bug all of a sudden.

This now affects me printing. (not in house). If I wanted a 4X6 or an 8X12 picture i would upload a large unsized jpg to Ritz Pix to make sure the quality was good and the pictures came back great. Now I worry I can't do that. if I want a 4X6 I feel I need to make sure I export appropriately for that size and respectably for a larger size instead of the large file size being fine for any size frm 4X6 to super big.

So do I have a bug? I'll see if I can show a side by side above.

Thanks in advance. The first image was exported without re-sizing at 13.4mb, 3295x4942.

The second is smaller at 888kb, re-sized to 800x1200. Both jpegs. All other settings match.

 

[The Stal]

Looking at the images posted to this they look the same so this just baffles me even more. Ugh.

 

[goanna670956]

Both the photos that you have uploaded are 320X480 so surely they are going to look the same.

I am not an expert but in LR3 you are looking at previews. AFIAK the previews in the Devlopment Module and the Library Module are different. Actually this is a query I also have so hopefully someone can explain. The previews size is set in preferences and is samller than the actual photo.

I would suggest that you export and then view in a regular viewer (Faststone or similar) or even just windows.

My guess is that the larger the picture the better the quality.

ALSO

When you view "Fit to screen" in a regular viewer, the image normally has to be "condensed" and so interpolated. The smaller you make the zoom then the more condensed the view has to be. This does tend to cause varying "perceived" quality variation.

On the other hand with previews (depending on the quality of the previews you have set in LR preferences) they may have to be expanded or condensed. Again with perceived quality variation.

Hope I am explaining this properly.

To my mind the larger (in pixels) the export, the higher the quality of the print. Just change the resolution to manage the print size but don't change the dimensions on pixels of the photo.

Hope this helps

 

[The Stal]

Thanks for your reply. What you are saying does make sense and all of this may have been happening before but never noticed it. I'm not sure how but I'm doubting it just suddenly occurred although stranger things have happened.

I went and got prints today and was very happy and relieved to see that they looked great so that eases my mind a great deal.

As far as exporting goes. I'm viewing them (on a Mac) in Canon Image Browser and also in Preview. Typically the photos look much better in Canon Image Browser. I understand that the larger the file the more compressed it must be when viewed in "fit to window" but my problem was that the larger the exported picture the crappier it looks. I never noticed this before as I have always saved a final color corrected picture as a full size TIFF and when I view them they've always looked fine. Recently that size of an image seems really not fit to show anybody on the computer screen. Yes, it will print and look great 1:1 but that's no good for everyday viewing. Not that I need or use files that big for that kind of thing. The smaller, say 800X1200 jpg, looks way sharper when viewing "fit to window". In my head it makes sense that the smaller would look better this way but have just never noticed it before. (Note: This is all OUTSIDE of lightroom.)

As far as viewing IN LR, it seems to be impossible to correct an image in the develop tab to exactly how you want it and then export it exactly as you've corrected it. This to me, if normal, is a huge flaw! However, if the Library tab's preview is inherently different than the 'develop' tab... what the hell good is that? And when I export it exports the library view and not the precise 'Develop' view!! In some pictures the difference is minimal but in others it's enough to rip my hair out!