how do YOU sharpen?

[gpc1]

So the last thing to do on an image is sharpen...

Im interested, as a LR4 and a CS6 User how others sharpen.

There is a myriad of methods ( and i cant seem to get comfortable with any of them).

generally i only use LR4, bur recently i have been trying to sharpen in CS6.....

So who does what?
And why
and how do you find it works best for you?

 

[stupar]

I use high pass sharpen in CS6

Method:

CTRL + J to create duplicate layer
Filters - other - high pass sharpen
Select value between 2 and 3 (depending on subject)
In the layers control panel change the blend mode from "Normal" to either overlay/soft light/hard light (again depending on subject) and tweak the opacity as required.

No real reason for using it other than its the method I pretty much first started with.

 

[Spuriousfish]

I use LR pretty much exclusively and find the Sharpening tools to be very good.

LR 5 has introduce Sharpening as part of the Adustment Brush for localised sharpening.

Remember, that you can only view the effects of sharpening at 100% zoom level (or 1:1 if you like)

Colin

 

[Deleted member 34016]

I use the UNSHARP MASK in CS5 very versatile in my opinion- High Pass is too much for some situations


Les

 

[gpc1]

interesting, stright off the bat 3 methods......

perhaps there is no answer, just, yet again, personal taste and preference....

Im trying to get to grips with the aptly named unsharp mask....

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Hi, I do most of my sharpening in LR4 and then a final check in CS6 usually but not always using the tried and trusted unsharp mask technique.

 

[swanseamale47]

With lightroom I use the built in sharpening options, with photoshop I use ACR for capture sharpen and either photoshop or PK sharpener for the creative sharpen, sometimes followed by PK for output sharpening if required.

 

[FruitFlakes]

Filter -> Smart Sharpen (lens blur). Much better than using unsharp mask.

 

[Russy]

Same as fruitflakes although I usually go for Gaussian blur rather than lens blur

 

[futureal33]

ACR sharpen to a degree, then unsharp mark in CS6

 

[gpc1]

So,

Does anyone have the skills to take a half decent image and in LR create some virtual copies and apply each of the different sharpening methods as a compare and contrast...

I might have a go at this but my non LR sharpening skill is somewhat limited.

It would be interesting to see if there is any discernable difference.

Not very scientific but may be an interesting result....may not even be able to see the difference....

 

[Pookeyhead]

I only ever really sharpen low resolution versions for web. Full res print versions I rarely really do, and when I do, it's in small amounts, with low radius and no detail enhancement.

I find techniques such as low pass too aggressive, and false looking. They may work for screen res files, but when you print them they look false.

It seems to be in fashion to over sharpen these days. Almost every image I see is over sharpened IMO.

 

[symmetricalOCD]

I recently changed the way I sharpen, now I zoom in to 300% or 3:1 ratio in lightroom, it really shows more detail, holding the alt key...

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I've been using the Adjust Sharpness control, in PSE10.

I don't have enough experience, with other processes, to suggest that this does a better job, but Kelby says that it produces less halos, & I find the sliders easier to use than USM.

I usually make a selection of just the subject, but I may try High Pass next, as it appears to isolate edges, if I'm reading it correctly.

 

[PMN]

I hardly ever sharpen images out of my 5D2, they're normally pretty much exactly as I want them right out of the camera. On 7D images and those from my previous DSLR's I'll maybe run a pass of smart sharpening after resizing to 1600 for web use at a radius of 0.3 and an amount of maybe 60-80. I used to use much more sharpening but I think shooting film has helped me realise I was overdoing it!

I'm definitely not a high pass sharpening fan, I've tried it and even used sparingly I don't like the way it introduces halos and the general feel I've found it to give images. I'm a big fan of simplicity so I use as little sharpening as I can get away with - ideally none!

 

[ianmarsh]

Lightroom default settings most of the time, a little bit of extra sharpening judged by eye for special shots and Nik's sharpening package at default settings for serious prints

 

[D4rr3n]

After a visit to the opticians I'm spending much less time sharpening my images.

Don't forget to invest in your eyes as well as your gear!

 

[AndWhyNot]

I only ever really sharpen low resolution versions for web. Full res print versions I rarely really do, and when I do, it's in small amounts, with low radius and no detail enhancement.

I find techniques such as low pass too aggressive, and false looking. They may work for screen res files, but when you print them they look false.

It seems to be in fashion to over sharpen these days. Almost every image I see is over sharpened IMO.

Similar for me. I often don't sharpen at all, or sometimes I'll High Pass at a relatively low level (radius never more than 3, often as little as 1.2) then mask out all but the main subject.

I've found sharpened images print poorly and have never been unhappy with my unsharpened prints.