Photoshop questions: USM vs. smart sharpen, exposure vs. brightness

1) Which one is better USM or smart sharpen? Seems USM is mentioned a lot more than smart sharpen. What is a basic guide line setting for USM for RAW image, landscape.

2) I'm just starting photography as a hobby, and I always used auto exposure. This is good? What are some situation to use manual and are there some basic guide lines? In lots of photos I took with Canon G3 in raw, photoshop raw did a auto -1.5 exposure and +75 brightness, does that suggest something? (it was an overcast day with AE, auto WB, subject mostly in shadow or at least no direct light).

Smart sharpen is a load of crap according to my testing, I use USM.

From memory, exposure adjusts the end points of the curve, brightness adjusts the mid point. Play and see.

I use Av mode almost all the time, M when i'm using a flash.

I love Smart Sharpen for small images. It's a simple way to tone down the highlights so they don't blow out because of the sharpening. While this could be done with USM on a Blend If layer Smart Sharpen is much easier. I've heard bad things (from very reputable sources) about SS on large images (for print) so I've never even tried it, and will stick to a 3-Pass USM method for prints.

I think that Smart Sharpen IS Unsharpen Mask when it's on Gausian Blur. I use it like that about 99% of the time. Every once in awhile I'll try Motion Blur if I can figure out which way the subject is moving. It works some times and others not so much.

I'd suggest that you try to use Manual until you understand what's going on. With Manual YOU will be in control, not the camera. Both Shutterspeed and Aperature will affect exposure but Shutterspeed will freeze or blur the subject and YOU make the decisions. Aperture will affect the depth of field and to a certain extent lens sharpness. What to you choose? A fast Shutterspeed and a wide open Aperture; or a slower shutterspeed and more depth of field with the aperture?

Not to flame you but if you don't understand this try to take a course on basic photography.

Now once you understand it's perfectly OK to use one of the Automatic settings like Tv (shutterspeed priority but called Tv because in Canon speak it's "Time Value") or Av (Aperture priority). The reason I use Av and to a lesser extent Tv is because they are quicker than I am. The sun goes behind a cloud and the camera reacts, while I'm turning dials. But I understand what they are doing and I keep a close eye on their suggested exposure.

That brings us to the program settings which are for people who have no clue. The camera does all of the work and takes away all of the control. I've had a 10D for three years and a 20D for just over a year and they've NEVER had a program exposure selected. I just want more control over the camera and subsequent images. One of these days someone will ask me how one of the funny esoteric Programs settings works & I'll have to tell them that I no clue!

Don't be too concerned about what Photoshop tells you in regard to what the "correct" exposure is. Check your histogram (I assume you can on that camera) and make sure that your exposure is close - the mountain's peak is more or less in the middle, and then you'll be fine. You do want to be as close as you can, but if you can make a good print out of it how bad could it have been?

Scottes, what is that 3-pass USM techinque you talk about?

I only use the USM filter once at setting around 50% to 150% / 3pixel / 2

It gives good results but I want to learn any better technique to do so...

A review of PhotoKit Sharpener explains it pretty well, though simply.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com …ftware/pk-sharpener.shtml
I can never find a good article on 3-pass, but here's Bruce Fraser's article on 2-pass sharpening which should give you a very good idea of 3-pass after reading the above review: http://www.creativepro​.com …e/12189.html?or​igin=story

I can highly recommend this long, detailed tutorial on sharpening by Glenn Mitchell: http://www.thelightsri​ght.com …nYourSharpening​Skills.pdf

It goes right along with his free sharpening toolkit: http://www.thelightsri​ght.com …onalSharpeningT​oolkit.htm
Did I mention it was free? And *darned* good, too. A lot of us here use it.

Thanks a lot Scottes, that is way more data than I ever expected to find in a single thread!