sharpening advice

[dphillips81]

I have taken a few pictures where i did not get the focus quite to my liking. what are the steps that i need to take in order to sharpen the images in photoshop CS2. i am a complete newbie so the more information the better, thank you,

[tim]

If it's high resolution try strength 300, radius 3.0, threshold 3. Alter radius to suit, then alter strength.

[MikeMcL]

The menu for the instructions above is filters->sharpen->unsharp mask

I am not sure what type of knowledge you already have.

[scrumpy]

Just make sure that Sharpen is your final task

[Sensei125]

Personally I use USM settings of 80/3.0/7 just before I save my images as JPGs. If for some reason I need a little more detail/sharpening I change the Threshold (the 7) down to 5 or I'll resharpen again using the same settings.

Hope this helps out.

[rammy]

Depending on how out of focus your image is and whether there is a plane of sharpness you may or may not get the best results you really want so be sure to compromise :-)

You could try the High Pass Filter for a little more control:

1) Duplicate the layer, apply high pass filter (you may need to try this a few times as not sure of your image size or detail)
2) Overlay the image.
3) Change the opacity to increase/decrease the effect
4) Use a layer mask to apply to certain areas only.

Actually, if you do step 2) first then you can see the amount of sharpness you will get in the preview ;-)

How about trying sharpening in LAB colour? I've done this before. Change image to LAB and try sharpening the lightness?

Have fun, let us all know how you get on.

[Jonathan Consiglio]

If your focus is off, Unsharp Mask will work, but sometimes Smart Sharpen does a better job. Go to Filters > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen then you can choose between fixing Gaussian Blur, Lens Blur or Motion Blur. First thing is to click the "More Accurate" box. Now select Motion Blur and slowly adjust the angle icon. The best way is to highlight the number and use the up and down arrows to adjust the angle. Using the icon moves it very fast. Lens and Gaussian Blur can also do the trick. Just fool around til you find what works. You can go advanced and adjust the sliders for shadows and highlights also.

Unsharp Mask can be tricky. I usually go between 125% AND 180%. Anything above this can be a little to much. I shoot with a 20D and a 5D, so I am working with larger files.. Sometimes I'll apply it twice between 100% and 130%. I set the radius around .8 and 1.8 and the Threshold around 1-4...usually about 3. This varies by image and camera. It usually best to sharpen at 50% or 100%. Most times what looks a tiny bit over at 50% looks right in print. The main thing to remember is that it's better to undersharpen than oversharpen, and it's VERY easy to oversharpen. The best way to tell is by the hair and the eyes.

I usually shapen a duplicate layer as the last step of processing. I then put a hide layer mask on the duplicate and paint in the areas I want sharpened.. Usually the hair, eyes, clothes, etc.. I leave the skin and large areas like walls and clear sky alone.

[dphillips81]

Thank you all for all the helpful tips, when i get home tonight i will work on this and see what i come up with,
thank you all

[ChrisBlaze]

Depending on how out of focus your image is and whether there is a plane of sharpness you may or may not get the best results you really want so be sure to compromise :-)

You could try the High Pass Filter for a little more control:

1) Duplicate the layer, apply high pass filter (you may need to try this a few times as not sure of your image size or detail)
2) Overlay the image.
3) Change the opacity to increase/decrease the effect
4) Use a layer mask to apply to certain areas only.

Actually, if you do step 2) first then you can see the amount of sharpness you will get in the preview ;-)

How about trying sharpening in LAB colour? I've done this before. Change image to LAB and try sharpening the lightness?

Have fun, let us all know how you get on.


I’ve heard different debates on what to use. One person told me to sharpen in RGB then switch to Lab color go to the lightness tab and sharpen again. Then go to edit and fade sharpness to about 80%. Has anyone done with before? I’ll post pics when I get home.

[jfrancho]

OOF shots are tough. I had to overcome one that a client really wanted, despite being really soft. I settled on adding a diffused glow effect to it. So instead of trying to sharpen edges that weren't there, I killed the softness with more softness. If you want, I can PM you a link to it - I'm really way too embarassed about it to post here.