Anyone have Photokit Sharpener?

Hi
1. Is it really good, worth the $100?

2. I'm not sure I understand what they mean when it says:

"To run PhotoKit Sharpener, you must have an 8-bit/channel RGB color image open, or, in Photoshop CS and CS2, a 16-bit/channel RGB image. "

I shoot RAW and my images come into Camera Raw as 8 bit channel. Does this mean it will convert everything to 16-bit channel?

Need a little more education on this....

Thanks,
Ruth

When you open your raw file in CS or CS2 you can change the bit rate from 8-bit to 16-bit so that you don't start off in your post processing by dumping 8-bits of information.

They are simply telling you that if you are using an 8-bit image in CS or CS2 that PhotoKit Sharpener will not work on it.

I just downloaded their trial earlier so I can give it a spin and see if I like it. Reviews seems to be pretty good.

Ken
Please let me know what you think. I am going to try the trial also. There is a right up on it, with basic instructions on how to use it. I think it was in Luminous Landscapes. If you change your file from 8 to 16 bit, do you revert back to 8 when you save it or leave it as a 16 bit???

Ruth

I've used it for a couple years and realy like it. Well worth the $100.

You might want to consider the TLR sharpening toolkit instead. Many in these forums swear by it. Some say it's as good as photokit, some say it's better. But the neat thing is it's free!

Here's a thread to get you started on your research. /Dan

flaclick wrote in post #3498485
Ken
Please let me know what you think. I am going to try the trial also. There is a right up on it, with basic instructions on how to use it. I think it was in Luminous Landscapes. If you change your file from 8 to 16 bit, do you revert back to 8 when you save it or leave it as a 16 bit???

Ruth

This depends on what what you are doing with it. If you need to reduce the image save and save as a jpeg, then you will have to change back to 8-bit.

If you are saving as a psd you can leave it in 16-bit. What you need to be aware of is the type and amount of sharpening should be determined by your intended output.

Ken

CannedHeat wrote in post #3498553
You might want to consider the TLR sharpening toolkit instead. Many in these forums swear by it. Some say it's as good as photokit, some say it's better. But the neat thing is it's free!

Here's a thread to get you started on your research. /Dan

Can't hurt to check out something that's free!

Ken

I love free!

Just finished reading the pdf file. TLR sharpening looks like it will have a moderate learning curve, but should get the job done nicely.

canonphotog wrote in post #3498770
Just finished reading the pdf file. TLR sharpening looks like it will have a moderate learning curve, but should get the job done nicely.

And it's FREE! - -

Seriously, as I said many people on potn think it's better than most commercial $ apps. Give it a good chance. /Dan

Hi Dan

I'll give it a try. Just to make sure I'm grabbing the right one, is it in:

Digital Darkroom/Photoshop Tools, then there are 2 Sharpening Kits:
TLR PROFESSIONAL Sharpening Toolkit

or

TLR Sharpening Toolkit

Which one were you advising to try?

Ruth

The program is worth every cent paid. You have to be prepared to spend some time with the program but it does a lot. I have had it for six months and finally sat down and put some time in with it and its the best money that I have spent since photoshop.

flaclick wrote in post #3499679
Hi Dan

I'll give it a try. Just to make sure I'm grabbing the right one, is it in:

Digital Darkroom/Photoshop Tools, then there are 2 Sharpening Kits:
TLR PROFESSIONAL Sharpening Toolkit

or

TLR Sharpening Toolkit

Which one were you advising to try?


Ruth

Not sure what link you are going to, but to be sure go here. On this page you'll notice all kinds of little goodies. As to the sharpening toolkit, I installed the javascript version. The icon is near the bottom of the page or you can go directly here. If you can afford it, make a contribution of support. /Dan

Edit: P.S., as to the contribution, no, I'm not associated with tlr. I shoot exclusively in raw so sharpening is a must. Sharpening with TLR is a part of the workflow of every picture I process so I know it's good stuff.

Ruth,
I downloaded and installed the TLR Professional sharpening toolkit.
Messed with it somewhat. Need to spend more time with it before I could say it's a good tool.

If you read the info on the regular Sharpening kit it explains the difference in the "actions" vs. "scripts". Might help you make a decision. Then again nothing keeps you from downloading both and installing both the scripts and the actions. Might find you prefer one over the other.

Dan,
I've only tried the pro kit on a couple of images but right now it seems like it applies more sharpening than I like. I've only used the capture and creative sharpening scripts. Any thoughts or recommendation on the workflow for best utilization?

Ken

canonphotog wrote in post #3501016
Dan,
I've only tried the pro kit on a couple of images but right now it seems like it applies more sharpening than I like. I've only used the capture and creative sharpening scripts. Any thoughts or recommendation on the workflow for best utilization?

Ken

No, sorry, I have no definite, static workflow. I capture-sharpen each image as needed, depending upon subject. Some broader, lower-detail scenes take more sharpening, but some scenes, such as with highly-detailed straw or grass or something like that in the foreground uses less sharpening. However, this may be helpful. I find that when capture sharpening, switching back and forth using either the smart sharpen or unsharp mask sharpening methods allows very good control over the amount of sharpening applied using the various controls in each. In the case of an image that seems to be receiving too much sharpening in smart sharpen, I use unsharp mask. Note I am using the javascript plugin version and don't know if the above applies to the action version. /Dan