nik Sharpener Pro is amazing!

[John - NJ]

I just purchased nik Sharpener Pro. They have an internet/injet version for $199. The full pro version, which handles other modes like offset printing, is $329. The regular version, which is more manual, is $130.

The amount of enhanement is amazing. Details that you couldn't see in the original are brought out. I just tried it on a few photos and haven't read the manual yet, so I can't really give a full review. But with only a few quick tests with the presets, I am impressed. I will put something together in a few days.

You can download a trial version at:

http://www.tech-nik.com/english/downloads.html

[RobertP]

I'm going to check out the demo. In the meantime, after reading the product description at the URL you provided I'm wondering: does this application do anything that a patient user couldn't do with Unsharp Mask? It looks from the description like Sharpener Pro is just an intelligent tool that chooses what it thinks are optimal Unsharp Mask settings based on various image parameters. If that's the case, I'd probably prefer to tweak Unsharp Mask myself until the results satisfy my taste. Time-consuming, but effective. Or does Sharpener Pro do more than adjust Unsharp Mask settings?

Best,
Robert

[John - NJ]

Robert:

Of course you can tweak the photo on your own. These sharpening programs just take the guess work out. I know with nik Sharpener, it chooses the type of sharpening based on image size and it's final use; ie: web display, inkjet printing, pre-press, magazine, etc. It seems that what looks good to you on the screen may not be optimal for other mediums. With practice I'm sure you could duplicate the results. I just don't have time to practice. YMMV