Post processing workflow for RAW files (lightroom to photoshop)

[smedz28]

Hi all,

I was going through some old images that have already been edited from a while back when I over processed everything as the inexperienced do. I started re-processing the ones I knew I had gone overboard on, I then decided that I could change the look of some of them in photoshop but i'd already applied sharpening and couldn't decide if I should reset this. I have read in many places that sharpening should always be the last thing you apply to an image.

I do most of my basic editing in lightroom, then if I want to retouch any of the images (using curves, clean up tools etc) I export to photoshop. I imagine most of us do this to some effect but at what point do you apply sharpening in your post processing?

Would you stop at the basics in lightroom i.e. exposure adjustments, contrast, white balance then export to photoshop to do whatever retouching you have planned, then back into lightroom to sharpen?
If so is it counter productive to apply any sharpening in lightroom prior to exporting to photoshop and what effects would it have on the image?

Or do you prefer to use photoshop for image sharpening?

 

[Craig_85]

I use lightroom for a reasonable sharpen (but definitely not over sharpened) when converting the raw to a tiff.

I might do high pass sharpening selectively in Photoshop on the full size tiff.

Final output sharpening is done in Photoshop after resizing but at 100% view of whatever that size is.

 

[ecoleman]

lightroom applies pre output sharpening, which is generally required on all raw files.
I always apply a bit of lightroom sharpening regardless of whether I the send the image to PS or NIK.

Sharpening that should be applied last is called output sharpening and this is usually done when you export from LR and will be based on the type of export, i.e. For screen or print, Matt or gloss.

If I feel it necessary, I may apply a bit of high pass sharpening in PS and the paint it in locally as I see fit.

 

[Oliver Pohlmann]

I have import presets in Lightroom which apply about +40 sharpening by default. I then go in and tweak this, plus the masking and radius levels to suit. Even if I then carry out additional work in Photoshop, I still do all my sharpening in Lightroom. Just habit.