How do you sharpen?

[Dmitri]

See title.

I realize most people will think "I use a combination." or "The right tool for the job.". But what I'm asking is, when you toss a photo in PS and need to sharpen without spending a ton of time selectively sharpening bits and pieces, which do you lean on most?

 

[Overread]

Why is this in off topic??


Also I currently use two methods - so I can't vote

Unsharpen mask is my default and most used this far and my method with it is quite simple.
Radius - 0.8
Threshold - 4
Amount - whatever the shot requires to look right.

Simple - easy and quite effective.

However I've also started playing around with the sharpening controls in Neat Image and I also have my eye on options such as Topaz Detail as another possible sharpening tool. Suffice to say at present my understanding of these other tools is more limited at present so I can't say if they will or won't replace my main sharpening method

 

[ghache]

I rarely sharpen the entire image,

I create a layer, apply the unsharp to the entire layer. Created a inverted mask and use the paint in white with disired opacity on the areas i want to sharpen.

 

[icassell]

I use two different methods, usually.

The majority of the time, I use Smart Sharpen.

I also use Noel Carboni's action using Genuine Fractals 6 combined with CS5. ( http://www.prodigitalsoftware.com )


EDIT: http://www.prodigitalsoftware.com/dSLR_Fractal_Sharpen.html

 

[Overread]

I rarely sharpen the entire image,

I create a layer, apply the unsharp to the entire layer. Created a inverted mask and use the paint in white with disired opacity on the areas i want to sharpen.

I do the same with a layer mask (which I assume is just the same as your inverted mask) for both sharpening and noise (though I've not tended to use opacity as much; I tend to go for all or nothing most of the time).

However I'll admit a lot of the time I'm lazy and don't bother unless the shot is really needing a separation of sharpening and noise reduction - or I'm being really strict with myself to process the shot "correctly" for once .

 

[Dmitri]

Why is this in off topic??

Habit I guess. lol

Also I currently use two methods - so I can't vote

Unsharpen mask is my default and most used this far and my method with it is quite simple.
Radius - 0.8
Threshold - 4
Amount - whatever the shot requires to look right.

Simple - easy and quite effective.

However I've also started playing around with the sharpening controls in Neat Image and I also have my eye on options such as Topaz Detail as another possible sharpening tool. Suffice to say at present my understanding of these other tools is more limited at present so I can't say if they will or won't replace my main sharpening method

I use Unsharp Mask sometimes (my sharp of choice is the high pass-overlay). It is very easy to overdo. I've been reading good things about Smart Sharpen.

I have never tried Neat image, but I have used Topaz Detail. Do you find it does a decent job? It seemed to me to be very exacting - if one slider was just a hair off of perfect, it could really mess something up. Do you find this too?

 

[Dmitri]

I rarely sharpen the entire image,

I create a layer, apply the unsharp to the entire layer. Created a inverted mask and use the paint in white with disired opacity on the areas i want to sharpen.

okay, but that qualifies as 'unsharp mask' Have you ever tried Smart Sharpen?

 

[mwcfarms]

Depends if its a portrait or something else. I'm not too great with edits yet still learning. But in portraits I will sharpen eyes in lightroom a bit then when I finish off in PS I tend to use unsharp mask. Sometimes if Im brave I try layers and just do specific spots of the shot.

 

[Dmitri]

I use two different methods, usually.

The majority of the time, I use Smart Sharpen.

I also use Noel Carboni's action using Genuine Fractals 6 combined with CS5. ( ProDigital Software Home )

ah there we go.

I'm surprised no one else uses the high pass-overlay method. It's very good and makes for a smaller file size.

 

[Dmitri]

Depends if its a portrait or something else. I'm not too great with edits yet still learning. But in portraits I will sharpen eyes in lightroom a bit then when I finish off in PS I tend to use unsharp mask. Sometimes if Im brave I try layers and just do specific spots of the shot.

oh I think you should always use layers in PS. Being non-destructive is what makes it so great

I feel like I own stock in one of the sharpening methods lol, but for portraits you can try the highpass-overlay method on the eyes and lips for a great 'wet' look.

Here is a youtube tutorial someone made for it (not mine): YouTube - Photoshop Tutorials with Matt - Wet Eyes & Lips

 

[Overread]

I honestly haven't played enough with TopazDetail to really get a feel for how it works - heck I don't even know how Neat Image works Suffice to say I find Neat Image the easier to sharpen with and its a great noise removal tool as well. Topaz I keep getting this niggling feeling that their Detail is working in a similar way to Neat Image's which (for me) means that there's no point investing in one when I have the other.

But as I say I need to experiment more with the Detail tool.

 

[timethief]

I have used high pass overlay. I do think it does a better job than smartsharpen.
But lately i am using unsharp mask more often.

 

[icassell]

The problem with the Noel Carboni action is that it is slow (even on my i7 Quad-Core). If you have a lot of files to sharpen, you'll go crazy waiting for it. It works well, though, and you don't get the halos.

 

[mwcfarms]

Depends if its a portrait or something else. I'm not too great with edits yet still learning. But in portraits I will sharpen eyes in lightroom a bit then when I finish off in PS I tend to use unsharp mask. Sometimes if Im brave I try layers and just do specific spots of the shot.

oh I think you should always use layers in PS. Being non-destructive is what makes it so great

I feel like I own stock in one of the sharpening methods lol, but for portraits you can try the highpass-overlay method on the eyes and lips for a great 'wet' look.

Here is a youtube tutorial someone made for it (not mine):

Thanks for the tip, Ill take a look and try some this week.

 

[Tee]

For the time being, I'm using NIK Sharpener (output).