[mouldy101]

Hi all,

I've heard a lot mentioned about unsharp mask, but I am unsure how to get the best from it. Can some one explain the process to me and some settings that would be a good starting point???

Cheers,

Matt

[stepheno]

There are no best settings although, for myself I usually start round about - Amount 100, Radius 1, Threshold 3. I would suggest that you take all settings back to zero, make sure Preview is ticked and have a play with different images. Be aware though that extreme settings will introduce noise and create halos, like a white line, around subjects.

Have a look at this thread - it should give you pointers.

[Dave]

Taken from CS2 Help panel

Choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Make sure the Preview option is selected.

Click the image in the preview window and hold down the mouse to see how the image looks without the sharpening. Drag in the preview window to see different parts of the image, and click + or – to zoom in or out.

Although there is a preview window in the Unsharp Mask dialog box, it’s best to move the dialog box so you can preview the effects of the filter in the document window.

Drag the Radius slider or enter a value to determine the number of pixels surrounding the edge pixels that affect the sharpening. The greater the radius value, the wider the edge effects. And the wider the edge effects, the more obvious the sharpening.
The Radius value varies according to the subject matter, the size of the final reproduction, and the output method. For high-resolution images, a Radius value between 1 and 2 is usually recommended. A lower value sharpens only the edge pixels, whereas a higher value sharpens a wider band of pixels. This effect is much less noticeable in print than on-screen, because a 2-pixel radius represents a smaller area in a high-resolution printed image.

Drag the Amount slider or enter a value to determine how much to increase the contrast of pixels. For high-resolution printed images, an amount between 150% and 200% is usually recommended.

Drag the Threshold slider or enter a value to determine how different the sharpened pixels must be from the surrounding area before they are considered edge pixels and sharpened by the filter. For instance, a threshold of 4 affects all pixels that have tonal values that differ by a value or 4 or more, on a scale of 0 to 255. So, if adjacent pixels have tonal values of 128 and 129, they are not affected. To avoid introducing noise or posterization (in images with flesh tones, for example), use an edge mask or try experimenting with Threshold values between 2 and 20. The default Threshold value (0) sharpens all pixels in the image

If applying Unsharp Mask makes already bright colors appear overly saturated, choose Edit > Fade Unsharp Mask and choose Luminosity from the Mode menu.

[Dave]

Note in Monochrome shots you can be alot more aggresive with the USM. I quite often use figures of 75,50,0 on landscape shots to lift the contrast & add real punch to the shot.

[mouldy101]

thank you very much... I shall have a play!!!

[HIMUPNORTH]

USM can also be used to enhance local contrast. Not just for sharpening. Try 10-20, 80-100,0 to see what I mean.

[knobby]

Dont forget that you need different amounts for on screen veiwing and for printing ... allegedly