Misc Attempt Clean check/advice, tips, tricks?

[FANtomCore]

Ok, I'm NOT experienced at cleaning, I just took it up recently, and I'm basically trying to replicate certain cleaning styles. I'm just trying to eye ball others cleans and see if I can come close.

Here is my first cleaning attempt with the raw shown, I blew up the image and then did the necessary things to clean it. I wanted to ask the experienced cleaners if this cleaning style is too smooth for its own good or is it okay considering the raw quality. The clean isn't much bigger than the raw's file size so I did manage to keep the file size in check. Any advice would be welcome before I plan to work extensively with many tankobons that i plan to debind and scan myself then clean if necessary. So before I take on that kind of project I want to be sure how to do the cleaning job right if I have to do it myself.

I'm still trying to figure out a good font type as well, doesn't fonts need to be different within a chapter if different emotions are expressed, to use the same font all throughout the chapter seems dull, doesn't it?

SHARPENED

 

[Name-Undecided]

Blurry and messy. Even for a first attempt this is no good.
1. Clean it without using filters. They almost never help.
2. Level properly.
3. Burn the blacks if necessary.
4. Clean out the whites with the white brush or the dodge tool if necessary.
5. Do steps 3 and 4 in moderation.
6. Leave the greys alone.
7. It's a magazine raw. Don't fret if it's not perfect.

 

[FANtomCore]

Blurry and messy. Even for a first attempt this is no good. What about my second attempt clean on top?
1. Clean it without using filters. They almost never help. Which filters?
2. Level properly. Yeah I realize skipping that phase isn't good.
3. Burn the blacks if necessary. Noted.
4. Clean out the whites with the white brush or the dodge tool if necessary. Thanks this is a good tip I didn't even think about this concerning how to handle whites.
5. Do steps 3 and 4 in moderation. I will and have.
6. Leave the greys alone. I do.
7. It's a magazine raw. Don't fret if it's not perfect. Yes.

I decided the 1st clean on the bottom isn't going to be my standard with general release raws, but what do you think of my updated clean on top?

 

[Name-Undecided]

The blacks are black and the whites are white, but you're either using Topaz DeNoise or NeatImage or some other denoiser, and that's messing with your greys. The clean looks pale and washed out compared to the original and there's still a bit of blurring, especially in the first and last frames.

That overly-smooth, glossy, foil-like appearance of the tones is not right. So many people use them these days that they've become the new "standard", but I think they look awful.

 

[dawnsan]

Name-Undecided's already said probably the most important part about your clean: the grays look a little too smooth. If the mangaka used screen tones, you should try and keep it there or redraw it as close to the original as possible. For precleaning, what I usually do (learned from senbonzakura's tutorial) is use the diffuse filter and high pass sharpening filter. It works better than the filter you're using now.

 

[FANtomCore]

I think I improved my clean as best I could, these are the improvements:

- improved the burning in delicate areas
(look at upper-right panel chin and nose they are more detailed instead of smudged)
- now has textures within all the grays
- the whites are white
- the blacks are black
- saved in the best lossless format
- filesize is compressed to the most tiniest possible, it's even smaller than the original raw at a bigger resize no less.

Note: This is a slight resize from height 1200 to 1250.

READY for web release as is?

 

[aegon-rokudo]

The blacks are black and the whites are white, but you're either using Topaz DeNoise or NeatImage or some other denoiser, and that's messing with your greys. The clean looks pale and washed out compared to the original and there's still a bit of blurring, especially in the first and last frames.

That overly-smooth, glossy, foil-like appearance of the tones is not right. So many people use them these days that they've become the new "standard", but I think they look awful.

why do they use things like topaz denoise and netimage? They clearly suck.

 

[[Ju-Ni]Vicissitude]

why do they use things like topaz denoise and netimage? They clearly suck.

THANK YOU!

I've been saying this for years, but now I'm hearing my cries begin to echo among the masses! The best way to clean is to actually do the work necessary. You need help, find more people to help. Don't whine about how long it takes.

 

[OneClash]

I think you should level it more.

THANK YOU!

I've been saying this for years, but now I'm hearing my cries begin to echo among the masses! The best way to clean is to actually do the work necessary. You need help, find more people to help. Don't whine about how long it takes.

Yeah I agree with you too.