[Arkady]

With the various types of in-camera sharpening in use, it's sometime better to switch it off and apply sharpening afterwards.
I use a Nikon D1x and it still benefits from this approach.
However, just whacking a bit of USM on can adversely affect an image, especially where there are sharp transitions in colour and texture.
So, for those of you with PS7 or 8 here's a handy tip:
(With sharpening in-camera switched off)
Open the image in PS 7/8

Go to Image>Mode>Lab Color

Open Channels and select Lightness Channel - the image will go mono

Apply USM to about 100% and tweak the threshold a little bit.

Revert to RGB Color

What this does is apply sharpening to only the tones rather than the colours, thus avoiding problems of colour fringing that you'll get when applying to the RGB image as a whole.
I've set this up as an action which I can apply as a keystroke: Ctl+F-whatever

Hope this is useful to you.

[silkstone]

Thanks for that, Arkady. Those using Paint Shop Pro 9 can do a similar thing...

Image > Split Channels > Split to HSL
The Lightness Channel should appear on top by default, but otherwise select it from the Window menu.

Apply USM. Typical settings are Radius 1-2, Strength 70-100, Clipping 5.

Image > Combine Channels > Combine from HSL
Click OK on the dialogue box that appears.

The processed image will have a new name, so Save As the old name if you like.

You can set up a script to do all this automatically.

[Steve]

This is the method that I use on important pictures that I have printed. It is worth the extra effort to get the best from your picture if you or somone else is going to be looking at it for a long time. For web display I ususally just use a small amount of USM as required as the quality really isn't that critical.

Thanks guys for the tutorials [smilie=t:

[ppuga]

Great tip, I will try it!! THANKS!

[Steep]

If by any remote chance you're using PP10, go to Image/Channels/Split HSL, the Lightness channel will be on top, Apply Unsharp Mask to the level that suits you, I find 1/150/7 works well and recombine. Thanks Arkady!

[CT]

Great 'How To!' In PSP7 (must upgrade) it's Colours/Spliit Channels/Split to HSL. Then apply USM. Finally it's Colours/Combine Channels/ Combine From HSL

[dod]

thanks for the tip, I've got a few images which will more than likely benefit from that.

[Pook]

Hang on tho.... you've just converted the image from RGB to LAB, and then back again, thus compressing it's colourspace. LAB is a much narrower gamut than RGB. Normally, you wouldn't notice, but try that with something with loads of VERY vivid colours.. convert to LAB, then switch back and forth to RGB/LAB by pressing ctrl+z and you'll see the colours change. LAB is still wider than an inkjet printer, but sometimes you may want a professional print made from something like a Kodak LED printer... with something like that, you'll see the difference.

It is a good technique if you're not bothered about the colour however.


Another way is to look at each channel, and just apply USM to the channel that actually has the most edge info. It's usually green, but not always. If you select a channel, the image will go black and white, to enable you to see the info in each channel. Just apply sharpening to the one that needs it most, that way, you're not also sharpening crap, and noise. You can even do a "find edges" on the green channel, and just sharpen that.

Basically... just do a Google search for "Photoshop SHarpening" and I promise you, you'll find more techniques than you can shake a mouse at.... all of them useful for certain things. Remember, there is no one, definitive method of doing anything in Photoshop, and it's always better to know many ways to do the same thing.

[CT]

'Kin Hell Pook, my head's hurting. :lol:

I just tried your RGB layer method, applying USM to the green layer and it works great. How do you ascertain though which layer has the most edge info if it isn't always green?

[Pook]

Originally Posted by CT

'Kin Hell Pook, my head's hurting. :lol:

I just tried your RGB layer method, applying USM to the green layer and it works great. How do you ascertain though which layer has the most edge info if it isn't always green?

Best way is to use Filters/Stylise/find edges... have a look using this on each channel.. just apply it.. then ctrl+z to undo it, then move on to the next channel. Should be pretty easy to work out which would benefit from sharpening teh most. Then just sharpen that channel. This cuts down on artefacts from sharpening just noise, or things that you don't need.

For some reason, it's nearly always green that's got the most edge detail... never have worked out why tho.

[CT]

Ah... Gracias Amigo.

[Arkady]

Most of my techniques have arisen from trial and error and are geared towards a fast turnaround.
As the majority of my work is intended for press release, I don't have the luxury of hours to spend on individual images.
The tip outlined above is a good all-round tool designed for 'average' images in terms of tonal values and hues and may therefore be less suitable for specific projects you may set yourselves.
For the vast majority of work it's still way better than plain alod USM'ing the whole shebang.

Photoshop, as most users discover sooner or later has a vast redundancy of features, many of which replicate themselves ad nauseum - there are many, many routes to the same end. Find one you like and stick with it.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Pook

For some reason, it's nearly always green that's got the most edge detail... never have worked out why tho.

Has it got something to do with captured pixel ratio?

red = 1
blue = 1
green = 2

[CT]

Originally Posted by Arkady

Photoshop, as most users discover sooner or later has a vast redundancy of features, many of which replicate themselves ad nauseum - there are many, many routes to the same end. Find one you like and stick with it.

That's true with most editing packages I think. In the end all roads lead to Rome.

[CT]

Originally Posted by Matt

Has it got something to do with captured pixel ratio?

I think you may have cracked it there Matt.

[seberri]

just a detail .. please : what is USM !!! ??? :-) if someone knows the translation in french it will be great

thank you