Alright man, you'll be able to tell pretty easily when the trics turn from clear to cloudy. Its important to inspect the trics under a good light, I preferr a full spectrum flouro light to inspect mine under, it really help you notice any subtle tric color changes. I start checkin my trics about 2 weeks from the usual harvest window, now when I see all the tric have gone cloudy, I'll start checkin every other day for amber trics. Sometimes it takes a while for em to appear, and sometimes its just like BAM, amber is clearly present. You really have to be thorough when looking for amber trics, try moving your magnifying glass slightly in and out so you see different trics come in and out of focus. When I do this I can see what color the trics are most accurately. I find that if I just stare at one area without doin this, my eyes don't pick up the amber trics as well. Also most people harvest at about 20 percent amber, 50-75 percent is rather extreme as amber in trics represent the breakdown of THC, so once you're past 50 percent amber, you're statrting to sacrafice potency. Also remember, the more amber the trics, the more of a stoney body high than a head high, so it has alot to do with personal taste with how many amber trics you have when you harvest. Also, you might want to look at geeting a radio shack 15x magnifying glass instead of the microscope. I think it makes things easier cause it gives you a broader picture and you aren't always having trouble with the focus, but you can still see the trics just fine. JMO. Hope this helps. Buds look great BTW