Sharpening in RAW dialog

[Rose]

Hi all

Well i have just started shooting RAW with my canon 350D, using CS2.
Was wondering how much people 'sharpen' in the raw dialog that comes up when u open your file in photoshop. As far as i can remember, its set 30 when you open it, but i usually increase to 40.

..I also use unsharp mask once i have done everything in photoshop, before saving or printing at these settings Amount 75% or more, Radius 0,6-1,5, Threshold 0-3 .

Is this correct or can someone please give me more advice on sharpening with raw files..

thank you in advance

 

[Arch]

Hi rose,
For me it depends alot on what kind of photo your dealing with. If say i have a shot of a bird..... i'll use the sharpening in RAW to start with.... zooming right into the image to see whats happening..... im using a nikon plugin so it may not be exactly the same..... but generally the sharpening in raw helps, but doesnt give an obvious sharpened effect. I'll then use either unsharp-mask or smart sharpen to give the bird more detail after i'v adjusted levels etc.

Other kinds of images are hard to tell..... most i dont want too sharp... i want soft or just medium, in which case i wont use any extra sharping in RAW or in ps.

 

[Big Mike]

I don't recall what setting I use when opening the RAW file...I definitely don't increase it. I do my sharpening with USM when I'm done my other editing.

As for the settings with USM...that's really variable. Everyone seems to use different numbers. I tend to adjust it by eye...some images need more...and some will start to look worse with too much.

I often sharpen once then save the file. Then when I make a web version (reduce image size, save as JPEG) I sharpen again.

Here are some examples I wrote down one time.
"Polish"
Amount 30%
Radius 60
Threshold 10

"Subtle"
85
1
4

 

[Rose]

thanks guys thats great - i do realise that it depends on the image, just wanted to make sure its ok sharpening twice so to speak -once in raw dialog and using USM! :thumbup:

 

[ksmattfish]

Take the same photo, and run it through a couple of different workflows to see what works best for you.

I was using the sharpening in CS2 Camera Raw at 30 to 40, but then I noticed it was causing nasty edge darkening effects in some of my photos. Particularly when the background is bright. I compared it to using USM alone, and the results were worlds better just using USM as the final step.