[Gary Bagshawe]

Hiya all, please find below the method I use with examples for this method of sharpening.

First of all open your image and make a duplicate copy of the background layer. This is done by going to Layer-duplicate layer.


Select the background copy layer and under layer-layer style-blending options, select Hard Light
Next go to the filter menu and select other-High Pass. Then select the radius amount to appy. In this case I chose 1.6 pixels

As you can see this has sharpened the image but done so a bit too much for the skin tones.
Next Flatten the image Layers-flatten and make another duplicate copy of the layer.
On this layer mask off the eyes and eye lashes along with the lips.
Go to filter-blur-gausian blur and in this case I used 6 pixels.
then layer-layer style-blending options and select soft light.


I hope that this is of some help to somebody

[stepheno]

Thanks Gary. A short and straight to the point tutorial - love 'em like this.

[Steve]

Thanks again Gary for yet another useful article

[stevec]

Thanks Gary been looking for this kind of help

[spxxxx]

Right - being thick - how do you create the mask - like most valuable information my brain has consigned this to the bin..........

[Gary Bagshawe]

Originally Posted by spxxxx

Right - being thick - how do you create the mask - like most valuable information my brain has consigned this to the bin..........

Ahahaha, In PS you have a tools pallete thingy with paint brush and stuff like that on it, half way down this is a box that lets you set the foreground and background colour. Make sure that the foreground is black and the background is white. then underneath that box is another one with 2 circles in it. click on the right hand circle and then on the paintbrush, adjust the size to suit and then paint your mask on. next click on the left hand circle and your mask will become a selection. Hope that helps, probably as clear as mud but it's the best I can manage im afraid.

[spxxxx]

You are the man...........