First Pic

[nUgZ]

Here is a Ricordia I own. Thought it was a decent pic. I'm new to phtography so don't bash me too hard.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b222/drnugz27/10%20Gallon/Ric1640x576.jpg

[Schnauzer]

Thats a great start. Could be sharper but a wonderful start.

[nUgZ]

I didn't do anything to the shot but crop it. Don't have any great editing programs. The one I've been using for cropping etc. is Microsoft Picture It! Photo 7.0. Should I sharpen or would that make it too pixelated? Thanks for the compliment by the way.

[alanhill]

It's better than 'a decent pic' :) I think this is an interesting and attractive photo: it's a rather unusual angle, which shows more than most conventional photos. Well done!
I have never used your software, but most programs have a sharpening tool and the good ones have several. There is no problem with experimenting - provided that you keep a copy of the original. The most useful sharpening tool is called 'unsharp masking' (a silly name): most of us use it for the images we post here. The skill you have to learn is how to sharpen enough to improve the image without making it look as if it's been sharpened at all.

Alan

[nUgZ]

Here is a sharpened version. Better??
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b222/drnugz27/10%20Gallon/Ric1640x5761.jpg

[Schnauzer]

That looks really nice. A picture to be proud of.

[nUgZ]

You're gonna make me cry guys. :'( But seriously thanks for the kind words.

[Molino]

Agreed. The sharpened picture looks very nice, definately a great start to photography. If I hadn't seen the original I wouldn't have known you made any changes on the second image.

I'm getting a frag of Ricordia tomorrow and would be thrilled if it looks as nice as what you've got ;)

[paradise]

Agree, a nice improvement. Something to keep in mind, always do a sharpen after resizing the image heavily. It's a must.

[nUgZ]

Thanks Edward and Molino.