Sharp and crisp images

[MacksQu]

What's the secret to taking really sharp and crisp images? I always sharpen my images afterwards on my computer, this adds more noise to the images which i obviously don't want.

Is the answer simply, Tripod? Or are there settings that will give you sharper images?

Thanks in advance.
/ Macks

[Pekka]

Few very quick ones, in order of importance.

1. Anticipate. Be focused before you shoot.
2. Use light distribution: find contrasts and avoid flood lights.
3. Shutter speed. Use as much as you can get.
4. Good lens. Do not shoot wide open with lower quality lenses.
5. Lower ISO is sharper (on consumer cameras) because noise reduction eats detail.
6. shoot RAW.

[MacksQu]

Thanks for the tips.

[MacksQu]

A rule is to always use as much shutter speed as you can? Except when you want the low shutter speed effect on a moving object?

[MacksQu]

What does flood lights mean? Sorry for being newbie..

[SeanH]

And if your not sharpening you will never get it as sharp as it could be. To get a really sharp image from a DSLR you going to have to sharpen it.........that just the way the technology has made it. Plus you shouldn't have bad (or any) noise problems under 400 on you 350D anyway.

[Carzee]

I would start the learning curve by getting a Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II
Against your kit lens, the nifty/thrifty fifty will impress you.

[MacksQu]

I'm probably going to get the 50mm f1.8 II in a short period of time. This lens is perfect for portrait shots right? Since it's aperture value is f1.8 makes you get that nice blurry background doesn't it?

[Pekka]

A rule is to always use as much shutter speed as you can? Except when you want the low shutter speed effect on a moving object?

Yes. Output of modern digital cameras is so large that you will need very fast shutter speeds to make full use of it. If you print small then slower speeds might be ok, it's all relative to viewing an enlargement. Of course if you are looking for certain effects you do whatever it takes.

What does flood lights mean? Sorry for being newbie..

I mean light that comes from all directions. Like bright overcast day. Like lamps from many directions at the same time with same power.

[BDM]

What's the secret to taking really sharp and crisp images? I always sharpen my images afterwards on my computer, this adds more noise to the images which i obviously don't want.

Is the answer simply, Tripod? Or are there settings that will give you sharper images?

Thanks in advance.
/ Macks

Pekka's suggestions are certainly excellent. However, for the very best possible sharpness, I always remember the suggestions and examples provided by John Shaw, one of the best nature photographers I know. (He has a web site)

He used an example of a hand held shot of a wood knot and then the same subject shot from a tripod. The difference was remarkable. If you do landscapes or other shots of non-moving subjects, he suggests (1) ALWAYS use a tripod, (2) use a cable release, (3) use mirror lockup. (3) use the lowest ISO speed available (4) use moderate apertures in the range of F:5.6 to F: 11 or 16.

Obviously, for moving subjects many of the foregoing won't work. In that case, use the fastest shutter speed available. With today's cameras, raising the ISO to maybe 400 to allow a higher shutter speed is reasonable - - the noise found at that ISO is usually very low and certainly a lot better than film grain experienced with a film of that speed.

Good luck,

Bruce

[FlashZebra]

What's the secret to taking really sharp and crisp images? I always sharpen my images afterwards on my computer, this adds more noise to the images which i obviously don't want.

Is the answer simply, Tripod? Or are there settings that will give you sharper images?

Thanks in advance.
/ Macks
For the sharpest image with the 18-55 lens you have.

Make sure you are focused properly (most important one)
Use F/8 or F/11
Avoid the zoom extreams (say use the lens between 22mm and 50mm).
Use a tripod and a shutter release cable
Use ISO 100
Use mirror lock up mode (if your camera has one)
Accomplish RAW exposures and apply a judicious amount of sharpening using the unsharp mask tool (USM) (or other capable sharpening rigor) with your image editor.

This will give you an image that will be the sharpest possible for you gear.

It is very likely that you will be pleased with the resulting images, but if this does not net images that meet your sharpness expectations, you may need to consider lenses that are intrinsically sharper.

Enjoy! Lon

[Pekka]

I'm probably going to get the 50mm f1.8 II in a short period of time. This lens is perfect for portrait shots right? Since it's aperture value is f1.8 makes you get that nice blurry background doesn't it?

Yes it will help.

What I mean to say is that do not rely on post processing when you need sharp photos. 90% is done when shooting, rest is just decoration.

[Carzee]

I'm probably going to get the 50mm f1.8 II in a short period of time. This lens is perfect for portrait shots right? Since it's aperture value is f1.8 makes you get that nice blurry background doesn't it?


It is as close to perfect as you will see for a lens under US$90 new. "nice blurry bgds" results ... your mileage may vary. I suggest you research the thread topics on this forum. The 50mm f1.8 has been discussed A LOT. :)

[MacksQu]

Thanks for all the help, this forum is great!

My questions.
1. What's a cable release?
2. What's Mirror Lockup?

So when I'm shooting landscapes of any kind I should use an aparture between f5.6 to f16 ?

[MacksQu]

It is as close to perfect as you will see for a lens under US$90 new. "nice blurry bgds" results ... your mileage may vary. I suggest you research the thread topics on this forum. The 50mm f1.8 has been discussed A LOT. :)I've noticed that people talk and say lots of positive things about the 50mm f1.8. I really want to be able to take nice portrait shots and it's cheap too. The 50mm f1.4 is even better I suppose?

[forrest64]

I always sharpen my images afterwards on my computer, this adds more noise to the images which i obviously don't want.

Post picture proccessing is essential but it must be done properly. May I suggest you use Lab Color sharpening to reduce the halos that come from "ordinary" sharpening. It took me about 2 years to get sharpening right and now my pictures are crisp.


Mark

[MacksQu]

Post picture proccessing is essential but it must be done properly. May I suggest you use Lab Color sharpening to reduce the halos that come from "ordinary" sharpening. It took me about 2 years to get sharpening right and now my pictures are crisp.


MarkI certainly hope that it won't take me two years.

[FlashZebra]

Thanks for all the help, this forum is great!

My questions.
1. What's a cable release?
2. What's Mirror Lockup?

So when I'm shooting landscapes of any kind I should use an aparture between f5.6 to f16 ?
You indicated you wanted sharpest images, so with the lens you have, the 18-55, use F/8 or F/11. Definitely stay away from F/5.6 on the 55mm end.

See this post for test results that back this up:

See:

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/canon_1855_3556/index.htm

A cable release is a device that allows you to trip the shutter without touching the camera (when on a tripod). For the DRebel these are simple wires with a switch. Get one of the Canon clones off ebay, they are less than $20.00. For landscapes, you can also use the self-timer to release the shutter and get the same affect. But, the cable release is just a more universal and elegant solution.

Mirror lock up is a camera function that locks the mirror up just before the exposure. Then the exposure is taken by just opening the shutter. This negates the meaningful amount of camera shake associated with the mirror slamming around from the exposure.

I am not sure the DRebel 350XT has the ability to do mirror lock up mode. Look in your manual, or others may have info on this.

Enjoy! Lon

[Carzee]

....................The 50mm f1.4 is even better I suppose?

Yes, and it is very good value as well. I use it; on a cropcam its like a 85mm on a fullframe.

[basroil]

just remember, even the sharpest lens may still need some digital sharpening due to the way the camera's sensor works. in making those pixels, the camera combines certain sections into pixels, and since the sensor is not layed out as a monitor screen (if it was b+w, they could make it like that, but since you have three colors to deal with, they are spread out in such a way as to have 2 green 1 red 1 blue per pixel at all times), some aliasing will occur before the information is considered a photograph. just learn to sharpen properly, and you should be fine. other than that, pekka basically stated everything you need to know

xt can do lockup, and contrary to belief, the self timer function is more than enough for landscapes. and if you decide to do sports, overcast days will be your friends as you learn to get the right timing and composition. non-overcast days can produce some amazing shots, but you run the risk of improper exposures and flare if you are just begining (i know from experience.. and i still like shooting in overcast days for sports...)

[MacksQu]

Thanks guys!

[MacksQu]

How do I sharpen my images in Photoshop CS2?

*EDIT* Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen.

[curlydog]

How do I sharpen my images in Photoshop CS2?

http://www.bythom.com/sharpening.htm

I found this to be a gret help

[dpastern]

Yes it will help.

What I mean to say is that do not rely on post processing when you need sharp photos. 90% is done when shooting, rest is just decoration.

This is the problem Pekka - many digital photographers take the stance now of not bothering to get the image in camera right, and rely on post processing to make up for laziness/flaws during the actual shoot. If you nail focus, nail exposure, use a decent shutter speed to avoid camera shake, use a lowish ISO speed to avoid over processing of the camera's noise reduction software, you'll almost certainly end up with better images and sharper images. Learn to pick areas of contrast that your AF performs the best on. Low areas of contrast, or low detail generally don't offer anything for the AF sensors to grab onto and focus onto. Also, as others have said, still to f8-f11 and avoid cheaper zooms - they're usually poor optical quality for most of the zoom range and f stop range.

Dave

[forrest64]

I certainly hope that it won't take me two years.

I will take you a couple of years, especially if you're a beginner. There's a lot more to making a picture look crisp and sharp then pressing a single button. It involves the use of tools in which you can selectively work on problem areas of your picture without affecting other areas, such as sharpen, dodge, sponge and burn tools. You will have to learn how to use the mask tool so that you can work on larger areas selectively. Layering is essential. You can apply a slightly blurring layer and then wipe away the blur on areas you want sharp, such as eyes in portraits. Also investigate the use of curves, which allow you to add or subtract detail from areas of your pictures having different brightness. You might think that all this post processing should not be necessary, but I ask you, do you think Adams and Weston just printed their pictures direct from negatives?

Recently I went to an Art fair and visited a display by a supposed professional photographer. He had a hand written letter attached to his tent detailing why he chooses not to use digital photography. He, and I quote, "didn't want his pictures to be contrived" and yet he had pictures containing three moons and harsh contrasts. He obviously used post processing.

Mark

[Bill S]

This is the problem Pekka - many digital photographers take the stance now of not bothering to get the image in camera right, and rely on post processing to make up for laziness/flaws during the actual shoot. If you nail focus, nail exposure, use a decent shutter speed to avoid camera shake, use a lowish ISO speed to avoid over processing of the camera's noise reduction software, you'll almost certainly end up with better images and sharper images. Learn to pick areas of contrast that your AF performs the best on. Low areas of contrast, or low detail generally don't offer anything for the AF sensors to grab onto and focus onto. Also, as others have said, still to f8-f11 and avoid cheaper zooms - they're usually poor optical quality for most of the zoom range and f stop range.

Dave

I agree with Dave and Pekka, getting everything correct in the camera especially the exposure is critical to sharpness. Shooting in RAW and expecting to move the exposure 1 stop and get great sharpness is a flawed plan. Enjoy the journey.

[forrest64]

I agree with Dave and Pekka, getting everything correct in the camera especially the exposure is critical to sharpness. Shooting in RAW and expecting to move the exposure 1 stop and get great sharpness is a flawed plan. Enjoy the journey.

True but doing the best you can with the original shoot and expecting superior results without post shoot processing is equally flawed. After all, as I pointed out earlier, this is nothing more than the greatest of the analog photographers did in the darkroom.

Moving the exposure +/- 1 stop works pretty good for me in raw processing but the question was about sharpness and the adjustment of sharpness in the PS raw conversion program works as good as the in camera process; however, post shoot editing using lab color sharpening, upon the created TIFF file works even better.

Mark

[Bill S]

True but doing the best you can with the original shoot and expecting superior results without post shoot processing is equally flawed. After all, as I pointed out earlier, this is nothing more than the greatest of the analog photographers did in the darkroom.

Moving the exposure +/- 1 stop works pretty good for me in raw processing but the question was about sharpness and the adjustment of sharpness in the PS raw conversion program works as good as the in camera process; however, post shoot editing using lab color sharpening, upon the created TIFF file works even better.

Mark

Don't missunderstand me, being able to adjust in post processing is great but I get the best results with as few radical shifts as possible. Exposure I have found is key. My expectation is very high.

With a MKII you need to add contrast, saturation and USM (when shooting raw) in my opinion to get professional results.

[davidfig]

I'm with dpasten, forrest, and bill.

The first thing you should work on is holding the camera. Sloppy positioning will ruin things. Photography is not much different than firearms. Physiology, concentration all play a part. I have some fantastic pictures from the kit lens with f8 (sweet spot) and some real good concentration on holding the camera still. Mirror slap can throw things off, especially in my 350D, as the camera is lite and the mirror can affect it and mirror lockup is not always practical.

[TheSteveMadden]

I always sharpen my images afterwards on my computer, this adds more noise to the images which i obviously don't want.

If the noise is moderate and the picture doesn't warrent selective sharpening or noise reduction, I'll simply increase the USM Threashold until the noise is not adversely effected. A setting of 2 to 5 usually works, depending on the ISO.

I've also found that the the new DPP's RAW sharpening doesn't handle noise well and won't use it unless the image is clean.

[forrest64]

[QUOTE=Bill S]Don't missunderstand me, being able to adjust in post processing is great but I get the best results with as few radical shifts as possible.
QUOTE]

I'm not talking about an adjustment I mean that post processing to obtain optimal sharpness is essential. One simply cannot obtain the sharpness rivalling that of 35mm with out it.

Mark

[led hed]

i've taken some pretty razor sharp images with my 50mm 1.8 WITHOUT any post sharpening. when the lens gets focus, it's pretty sharp without additional sharpening.

[Bill S]

i've taken some pretty razor sharp images with my 50mm 1.8 WITHOUT any post sharpening. when the lens gets focus, it's pretty sharp without additional sharpening.

Shot raw or Jpeg?

[led hed]

Shot raw or Jpeg?

jpeg

[Bill S]

Jpeg is sharpened in the camera (if you have not changed the settings) RAW images are not sharpened in the camera.

[led hed]

Jpeg is sharpened in the camera (if you have not changed the settings) RAW images are not sharpened in the camera.

i understand this. my sharpness is set to +2 in camera.
i'm gonna have to start shooting RAW soon ;)

[MacksQu]

i understand this. my sharpness is set to +2 in camera.
i'm gonna have to start shooting RAW soon ;)How do you set the sharpness to +2 in the camera?

[PeaPicker]

I read a post by Riach about six months ago that really improved my picture sharpness.
He said once you get focus go ahead and shoot. Don't wait a beat or two.
I used to get focus and then wait for the right moment.
Keep half pushing the shutter and getting focus. This really improved my keeper ratio.
IS doesn't hurt either. :D

[Tareq]

How do you set the sharpness to +2 in the camera?

Check Parameters

[MacksQu]

Check ParametersGot it, thanks.

[Bob_A]

How do I sharpen my images in Photoshop CS2?

*EDIT* Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen.

Instead of just Sharpen try:

Filter -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask

and use settings of:

Amount = 300%, Radius = 0.3, Threshold = 0

if you took the image with minimum to average sharpening or,

Amount = 250%, Radius = 0.2, Threshold = 0

if you took the image with in-camera sharpening set to maximum.


The above works for me as the general purpose "starting" values. The amount you crop, size of output, etc. can all have a bearing on how much sharpening an image can take. Others may have a different approach, but if I want to increase or decrease sharpening I typically tweak the Amount value between 200 to 350 and the Radius value between 0.2 and 0.3. I always leave threshold at zero. 90% of the time I use 300, 0.3, 0 though :)

I shoot in RAW with sharpening turned off for the conversion (ACR adds sharpening unless you turn it off) and then add the sharpening in PS CS2 using the above.

[basroil]

How do you set the sharpness to +2 in the camera?

wouldn't suggest this. if you use DPP, +2 in camera is about the same as +8 in DPP, and -2 is about the same as 0. the best shapening to do if you don't have a dedicated plugin is the simple 300% .3px 0 thresh unsharpen mask. if you have to change exposure, make sure you always move it down rather than up. a slight overexposure without clipped highlights (or at least not more than a dead-on exposure) can be saved easily without increasing noise or hampering sharpness. by slight, i mean 1/3rd to 1 ev overexposure. and, as people keep repeating (so i'll do it too), you must hit the focus exactly. if you're out of focus, no amount of normal sharpening can help you. aliased blurring (type caused by the sensor of every digital camera) can be solved by inverting the process (blur and sharpen are actually the same function, one just has a negative coefficient in a section of the code), but OOF blur is hard to recreate, even with something like photoshop's lens blur, just because it involves too many unknown and impossible to accurately guess variables. make sure your focus is exactly on target!

[dpastern]

Instead of just Sharpen try:

Filter -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask

and use settings of:

Amount = 300%, Radius = 0.3, Threshold = 0

if you took the image with minimum to average sharpening or,

Amount = 250%, Radius = 0.2, Threshold = 0

if you took the image with in-camera sharpening set to maximum.


The above works for me as the general purpose "starting" values. The amount you crop, size of output, etc. can all have a bearing on how much sharpening an image can take. Others may have a different approach, but if I want to increase or decrease sharpening I typically tweak the Amount value between 200 to 350 and the Radius value between 0.2 and 0.3. I always leave threshold at zero. 90% of the time I use 300, 0.3, 0 though :)

I shoot in RAW with sharpening turned off for the conversion (ACR adds sharpening unless you turn it off) and then add the sharpening in PS CS2 using the above.

Interesting settings Bob. I shoot RAW and leave the sharpening in DPP set to +2 generally, very occasionally going to +3, and sometimes to +1 or even set to 0. I then apply USM in Photoshop, but with much less sharpening than yourself, my default is:

Amount = 52%, Radius = 0.3, Threshold = 0

and it works OK for me. I prefer not to oversharpen in Photoshop, it just stands out like dog b*lls. I've learnt the hard way on this ;)

Dave

[grego]

Interesting settings Bob. I shoot RAW and leave the sharpening in DPP set to +2 generally, very occasionally going to +3, and sometimes to +1 or even set to 0. I then apply USM in Photoshop, but with much less sharpening than yourself, my default is:

Amount = 52%, Radius = 0.3, Threshold = 0

and it works OK for me. I prefer not to oversharpen in Photoshop, it just stands out like dog b*lls. I've learnt the hard way on this ;)

Dave

There is no standard way, but his recommendations generally work well for images shot on neutral settings(JPG and RAW). It's mostly play by eye, but those are good settings to use as standards and go from there. Of course that's only if you don't sharpen in other programs or adjust the sharpness in other programs or through the RAW convertered, etc.

[Bob_A]

Interesting settings Bob. I shoot RAW and leave the sharpening in DPP set to +2 generally, very occasionally going to +3, and sometimes to +1 or even set to 0. I then apply USM in Photoshop, but with much less sharpening than yourself, my default is:

Amount = 52%, Radius = 0.3, Threshold = 0

and it works OK for me. I prefer not to oversharpen in Photoshop, it just stands out like dog b*lls. I've learnt the hard way on this ;)

Dave

I agree that you really have to watch for oversharpening, however with zero sharpening from my RAW converter (ACR), 300, 0.3, 0 works pretty good and also is the starting setting recommended by Canon in their EOS 1-Class pdf (page 30):

http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/EOS_Digital.pdf

Scott Kelby in "The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers" uses in his examples:

125, 1, 0 for "basic sharpening"
225, .5, 0 for "moderate sharpening"
65, 4, 3 for "maximum sharpening"
400, .3, 0 for "web sharpening"

which just goes to show ... different strokes for different folks. To me the key is to do sharpening while viewing at 100% in PS and don't worry about how the image looks in PS at 33%.

[bc4393]

I'm probably going to get the 50mm f1.8 II in a short period of time. This lens is perfect for portrait shots right? Since it's aperture value is f1.8 makes you get that nice blurry background doesn't it?

Heres a couple I took with the 50mm 1.8, and I'm not expert with this camera. just did some reading when I bought it. I use the Av feature with thsi lense all the time so make sure I get the aperture I want with every shot and let the camera compensate for the rest. This lense is truley sweet. I did some minor post procesing in photoshop (auto levels and high pass filter to sharpen em up just a bit) but the lense did 98% of the work.

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0546%20copy.jpg

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0752.jpg

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0834%20darker.jpg

[Tareq]

Heres a couple I took with the 50mm 1.8, and I'm not expert with this camera. just did some reading when I bought it. I use the Av feature with thsi lense all the time so make sure I get the aperture I want with every shot and let the camera compensate for the rest. This lense is truley sweet. I did some minor post procesing in photoshop (auto levels and high pass filter to sharpen em up just a bit) but the lense did 98% of the work.

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0546%20copy.jpg

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0752.jpg

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0834%20darker.jpg

WoW, good job
Brilliant shots, you did very well.
I have to take alot of photos soon and try to do some PP and see the results.
May i request something from you people? i took alot of Moon shots and i don't know how to edit, where i can post the original some shots and you do edit for me to see if i did ok or not?

[MacksQu]

Heres a couple I took with the 50mm 1.8, and I'm not expert with this camera. just did some reading when I bought it. I use the Av feature with thsi lense all the time so make sure I get the aperture I want with every shot and let the camera compensate for the rest. This lense is truley sweet. I did some minor post procesing in photoshop (auto levels and high pass filter to sharpen em up just a bit) but the lense did 98% of the work.

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0546%20copy.jpg

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0752.jpg

http://brianmile.com/gallery/pictures/IMG_0834%20darker.jpgNice shots, I love the first one. The lens seems sweet and using the Av mode must be good taking those kind of shots.

[bc4393]

WoW, good job
Brilliant shots, you did very well.
I have to take alot of photos soon and try to do some PP and see the results.
May i request something from you people? i took alot of Moon shots and i don't know how to edit, where i can post the original some shots and you do edit for me to see if i did ok or not?

this is the process I use all the time now but there are others on the page.

http://http://www.steve-perks.com/gfx/tpfsharpening/#hps

By the way those wer shot in JPEG mode on large and i shrunk the pictures down to a 1024 size so I could post them on my site so those pictures look like that even with compression.

[Cassie]

this is the process I use all the time now but there are others on the page.

http://http://www.steve-perks.com/gfx/tpfsharpening/#hps

By the way those wer shot in JPEG mode on large and i shrunk the pictures down to a 1024 size so I could post them on my site so those pictures look like that even with compression.

Nice images bc4393, but the link doesn't work, I think this is it........

http://www.steve-perks.com/gfx/tpfsharpening/

[forrest64]

Instead of just Sharpen try:

Filter -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask

and use settings of:

Amount = 300%, Radius = 0.3, Threshold = 0

if you took the image with minimum to average sharpening or,

Amount = 250%, Radius = 0.2, Threshold = 0

if you took the image with in-camera sharpening set to maximum.


The above works for me as the general purpose "starting" values. The amount you crop, size of output, etc. can all have a bearing on how much sharpening an image can take. Others may have a different approach, but if I want to increase or decrease sharpening I typically tweak the Amount value between 200 to 350 and the Radius value between 0.2 and 0.3. I always leave threshold at zero. 90% of the time I use 300, 0.3, 0 though :)

I shoot in RAW with sharpening turned off for the conversion (ACR adds sharpening unless you turn it off) and then add the sharpening in PS CS2 using the above.


These suggested sharpening parameters come from Canon's web site. They produce halos, Lab Color Sharpening does not.

[rabidcow]

I use the LAB color USM method of sharpening, and it works wonders for my 16x20 and larger prints. But I see alot of obsessing about image sharpness here....sometimes a good image is just a good image. You need to ask yourself what the application of the image is going to be. If it is going to be a large print, then worry, if it is going to be a 5x7, don't sweat it so much.

[forrest64]

I use the LAB color USM method of sharpening, and it works wonders for my 16x20 and larger prints. But I see alot of obsessing about image sharpness here....sometimes a good image is just a good image. You need to ask yourself what the application of the image is going to be. If it is going to be a large print, then worry, if it is going to be a 5x7, don't sweat it so much.

Another trick is to only apply sharpening after you set your output image size.


Mark

[rabidcow]

Another trick is to only apply sharpening after you set your output image size.


Mark

Always. I never sharpen until WB, touchups, cropping, and re-sizing for print is complete

[forrest64]

Always. I never sharpen until WB, touchups, cropping, and re-sizing for print is complete

Sharpening should ALWAYS be the last step.

[Bob_A]

These suggested sharpening parameters come from Canon's web site. They produce halos, Lab Color Sharpening does not.

Maybe because I only print up to 8x10, but I have never had noticeable halos using Canons suggested parameters as long as I convert with zero sharpening. I may give lab color sharpening a go though, thanks for the suggestion.

I also follow the model where sharpening should be the last step in the process.