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> Tutorials
> Sharpen Your Photos For Display
Most of us upload
our pictures or print them the way they were captured by our digital cameras.
We read and hear of a post-processing technique called "Sharpening"
using "USM" (or "UnSharp Mask")
and decide it is just too difficult for us. If you are comfortable using a computer
and can load an image into an image editing software, such as Photoshop Elements,
then be prepared for a pleasant surprise!
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Most cameras --
especially in the "pro" category -- will capture an image without
applying any sharpening to it, resulting in an image that appears "soft"
or even slightly "out of focus." Others will apply a certain degree
of sharpening to the images and output crisp looking images. Most beginners
prefer the latter type, while most advanced photographers prefer the former.
Here's why.
When a camera
processes your images, it is in effect deciding the amount of sharpening to
give your images without your input. Some cameras do a good job at it, others
do too much of it. It is akin to processing labs a couple of years ago that
treated all your negatives the same way, and all got printed with the same adjustments.
If you go back and look at your old prints, chances are they all have a bluish
tint to them. As competition heated up, processing labs started to examine each
print individually and making adjustments and corrections to each, resulting
in much better color rendition. This is akin to you sharpening your own images
the way you like them.
Of course, if
you have to do that for every single picture you take, it is really not worth
it. Truth is, most pictures don't need it. It is only the few pictures you really
want to highlight, either on screen or in print, that will benefit most from
sharpening (and other adjustments).
If your camera
produces "soft" images (because it does not sharpen for you), then
you are in fact in luck. Using an image editing software such as Photoshop Elements,
you can apply sharpening yourself to selected pictures for maximum impact, either
for screen display or for printing.
In fact, if you
are in the habit of printing unretouched pictures from the different digital
cameras and then comparing the prints to see which camera is better, you are
making a grave mistake. Unless you have sharpened the images individually first,
the comparison is really not a valid one, and you'll end up with wrong conclusions.
Sharpening for
screen display and sharpening for prints are also two different things. So,
let's understand what sharpening is and how to do it for screen display. (I
cover for screen display here, and for prints at a later date.)
What Is Sharpening?
Sharpening is enhancing
the edges of an image. This edge enhancement technique is called unsharp masking
and involves isolating the edges in an image, amplifying them, and then adding
them back into the image. In Photoshop, amplifying the edges is accomplished
by locating pixels of greatest contrast, lightening one side and darkening the
other. Once sharpening is appropriately applied, people's reactions is usually,
"Wow! It jumps right out at you."
Perhaps the simplest
way to understand sharpening is to attempt one in Photoshop Elements.
Here is our original
unsharpened image we will be working with in this tutorial. It is a "soft"
image, even appearing out of focus in some places. Don't be deceived by appearances.
Original unsharpened
image
Canon PowerShot S50
Program AE, Center-weighted averaging, Auto WB
7.1mm, 1/60 sec., F2.8, ISO 50, Flash ON
Make
A Copy
Open Photoshop
Elements and do File - Open - select the picture you want
to work with.
Immediately, save
it as a different name, with a psd (Photoshop) extension. For example, if your
original image was named IMG0001.JPG, then save it as IMG0001.psd (i.e. use
the default extension of the image editing software you are using). This way,
you will preserve the original file (IMG0001.JPG).
If the Layers
Panel is not on your desktop, drag it from the tabs at the top into your
work area. If necessary, drag the bottom edge down so you can see more than
one layer. You will see your picture (probably named "Background")
in a layer.
Double click on
that layer and rename it as original. (You could leave it as "Background"
but renaming it is a good habit, since you may want to add a real background
in some cases.)
Now, drag it to
the new layer icon (the middle one at the bottom of the Layers Panel) to create
a new layer, original copy.
Click on the original
copy layer to select it as the one you want to work with. (Remember, we
never want to muck with the original layer.)
Your Layers Panel
should end up looking like this:
Sharpen
If not already
selected, click the original copy layer to select it.
From the menu bar,
select: Filter - Sharpen - Unsharp Mask... and type in Amount = 200%,
Radius = 1.2, Threshold = 4. Click on Preview to view the
original and sharpened version. Yeah!, I hear you say already. You may
select different values, though the above values are a good starting point.
Separate
Darken and Lighten Pixels
Now, copy the sharpened
original copy layer by dragging it to the new layer icon. You'll end
up with original copy 2.
Double click on
original copy and rename it darken.
Double click on
original copy 2 and rename it lighten.
Select the darken
layer by clicking on that layer.
Set the blending
mode to darken: See where it says, Normal in a drop down box
at the top of the Layers Panel? Click on the down arrow and select "Darken":
Select the lighten
layer by clicking on that layer.
Set the blending
mode to lighten: Click on the down arrow and select "Lighten":
What we have done
is separate the darken and lighten pixels into two layers. Now, we can control
each layer separately.
Adjust
Sharpness
If you are following
this tutorial in your own Photoshop Elements and using our image, you'll
notice that the lighten pixels (the highlights) are a bit too bright.
(You might have to zoom in 200% to see things clearer.)
Click on the lighten
layer to select it and adjust the Opacity until you are satisfied. (Ensure
Preview is ON.) In my case, I select 26%.
Likewise, select
the darken layer and adjust the Opacity until the darken pixels
(the dark edges) just "jump out." I select 90%.
Each picture you
sharpen will require different values, so if you are using your own image, adjust
to your own liking.
Here is the original (unsharpened) version:
Original unsharpened
image
And here is my final (sharpened)
result:
Sharpened image
There, you have
it. Pretty simple, huh?
Save this final
work (in our example, as IMG0001.psd).
Render unto Caesar
what belongs to Caesar: I followed the sharpening technique spelled out in Russell
Brown Tips & Techniques. Russell Brown explains the same sharpening
technique and other cool Photoshop tips in easy-to-follow QuickTime videos.
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It seems that you got lost, but we are here to help
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