alternative sharpening..in Photoshop

sulhan · 29th April 2003

Tips for All - Sharpening image in Photoshop
Hi All you people out there!!!!

Well here is one of the tips for all that i think is useful.

Tips: Sharpening image in Photoshop..... .useful when the image is a "daytime" shot..- alternative to USM(UN-sharp Mask)...which may introduce too much grains...

Ready??? Go!!!

Procedure....

0- Go to the top menu and choose:
[windows]->view layers .....make sure you do this first to enable viewing of layers - a floating small window with the "layer" tag on the top left corner

1- Open an image in photoshop - you should be able to see the image also appearing in the floating layers window.

2- Make a duplicate layer of this image by choosing :
[layer]->duplicate layer....-> then okay the form as default (or give it a new name ...up to you)

3- Then choose [Filters]->Others->High Pass
and select a value about 3 to 4 not more than that unless preferred. - This will give a ghostly version of the image with only the outline of the subject more prominant

4- Then on the layer floating window on the drop down menu which is default [normal].......click on the small downward arrow head and then selec "OVERLAY"

5- And Ai Ka Ram Bah!!!....you have a sharpened image.......

This method is a better choice to Unsharp mask as it gives les noise overall........go ahead and try it and experiment......

Toggle the effect by clicking on the "eye" on the layer to see the difference....

Have Fun...

Regards,
Sulhan

Zplus · 29th April 2003

Wow!

Just tried it and it works!
Good tip sulhan!

Minimalis · 30th April 2003

Bravo!

Michael68 · 3rd May 2003

Hi,
Tried your method and it looks good, but can you advise what would be the average range for opacity to be set? 100% would bring out significant grain, while 0% would have no impact at all on the layered photo. Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Michael

sulhan · 3rd May 2003

Hi there......i personally feel that you should tweak according to taste as the overlay opacity results depend on your original hi pass levels too....

regards,
Sulhan

Hobbes234 · 3rd May 2003

tried it!

tehsusu88 · 4th May 2003

Cool!

Wai · 4th May 2003

anyone know how to make a PS action for it?

KCBox · 5th May 2003

This is Cool. Thanks for the tips

toomz · 5th May 2003

great.. it works

KCBox · 5th May 2003

Creating a new action
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you create a new action, the commands and tools you use are added to the action until you stop recording.

To create a new action:

Open a file.
In the Actions palette, click the New Action button , or choose New Action from the palette menu.
Enter a name for the action.
(Photoshop) Choose a set from the pop-up menu.
If desired, set one or both of the following options:
Assign a keyboard shortcut to the action. You can choose any combination of a Function key, the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Mac OS), and the Shift key (for example, Ctrl+Shift+F3).
(Photoshop) Assign a color for display in Button Mode.
Click Record. The Record button in the Actions palette turns red .
Important: When recording the Save As command, do not change the filename. If you enter a new filename, Photoshop records the filename and uses that filename each time you run the action. Before saving, if you navigate to a different folder, you can specify a different location without having to specify a filename.

Choose the commands, and perform the operations you want to record.
To stop recording, click the Stop button, choose Stop Recording from the Actions palette menu, or press the Escape key. To resume recording in the same action, choose Start Recording from the Actions palette menu.

From the Adobe PhotoShop Help HTML.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

jamelaw · 6th May 2003

i think Wai wants some1 to do the action so tat others can d/l the action

willyfoo · 6th May 2003

Here's my feedback..

I've used High Pass for a while before I found "Smart Sharpening"...

High Pass while overall effective does sharpen the noise as well.. this is less than USM but I found "Smart Sharpening" somewhere which leaves the noise alone .. (if someone knows where it is, please help link it).

Smart Sharpening uses a Find Edges to create a mask which can be manually tweaked and then USM is applied over the mask..

(Hmm.. something just struck me... what if High Pass is applied over the find edges mask, then we have the best of both worlds?? Lemme try and revert)

KCBox · 6th May 2003

Some link...

http://mmmaybe.gimp.org/tutorials/Smart_Sharpening/

http://www.powerretouche.com/SharpnessUserguide.htm

http://threedee1.tripod.com/sharpnsmart/sharpnsmart.html

http://www.fredmiranda.com/Action_profilesPage/

I used Power Retouch. Is Cool

Stefan · 7th May 2003

I use this one since I'm cheap and it is free, think it is the same principle as the others and it is much better than plan unsharp mask.
smart sharp

Matrix · 24th August 2003

Wow This method is really much better over USM.

Very useful to me. Thanks for sharing.

NiVleK · 24th August 2003

Hmmm...shouldnt this be in the digital darkroom?

Souphamster · 18th February 2004

just curious, what does this difference from the normal sharpen function? your method is good anyway

thanks

wykhoo · 18th June 2006

Originally Posted by sulhan

Tips for All - Sharpening image in Photoshop
Hi All you people out there!!!!

Well here is one of the tips for all that i think is useful.

Tips: Sharpening image in Photoshop..... .useful when the image is a "daytime" shot..- alternative to USM(UN-sharp Mask)...which may introduce too much grains...

Ready??? Go!!!

Procedure....

0- Go to the top menu and choose:
[windows]->view layers .....make sure you do this first to enable viewing of layers - a floating small window with the "layer" tag on the top left corner

1- Open an image in photoshop - you should be able to see the image also appearing in the floating layers window.

2- Make a duplicate layer of this image by choosing :
[layer]->duplicate layer....-> then okay the form as default (or give it a new name ...up to you)

3- Then choose [Filters]->Others->High Pass
and select a value about 3 to 4 not more than that unless preferred. - This will give a ghostly version of the image with only the outline of the subject more prominant

4- Then on the layer floating window on the drop down menu which is default [normal].......click on the small downward arrow head and then selec "OVERLAY"

5- And Ai Ka Ram Bah!!!....you have a sharpened image.......

This method is a better choice to Unsharp mask as it gives les noise overall........go ahead and try it and experiment......

Toggle the effect by clicking on the "eye" on the layer to see the difference....

Have Fun...

Regards,
Sulhan

Thanks Sulhan

haagen_dazs · 19th June 2006

thanks
awesome

29th April 2003	#1
sulhan Advertiser Join Date: May 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 4,055	alternative sharpening..in Photoshop Tips for All - Sharpening image in Photoshop Hi All you people out there!!!! Well here is one of the tips for all that i think is useful. Tips: Sharpening image in Photoshop..... .useful when the image is a "daytime" shot..- alternative to USM(UN-sharp Mask)...which may introduce too much grains... Ready??? Go!!! Procedure.... 0- Go to the top menu and choose: [windows]->view layers .....make sure you do this first to enable viewing of layers - a floating small window with the "layer" tag on the top left corner 1- Open an image in photoshop - you should be able to see the image also appearing in the floating layers window. 2- Make a duplicate layer of this image by choosing : [layer]->duplicate layer....-> then okay the form as default (or give it a new name ...up to you) 3- Then choose [Filters]->Others->High Pass and select a value about 3 to 4 not more than that unless preferred. - This will give a ghostly version of the image with only the outline of the subject more prominant 4- Then on the layer floating window on the drop down menu which is default [normal].......click on the small downward arrow head and then selec "OVERLAY" 5- And Ai Ka Ram Bah!!!....you have a sharpened image....... This method is a better choice to Unsharp mask as it gives les noise overall........go ahead and try it and experiment...... Toggle the effect by clicking on the "eye" on the layer to see the difference.... Have Fun... Regards, Sulhan

3rd May 2003	#4
Michael68 Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 218	Opacity Hi, Tried your method and it looks good, but can you advise what would be the average range for opacity to be set? 100% would bring out significant grain, while 0% would have no impact at all on the layered photo. Thanks in advance! Regards, Michael

3rd May 2003	#5
sulhan Advertiser Join Date: May 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 4,055	hmm.....depends on taste actually Hi there......i personally feel that you should tweak according to taste as the overlay opacity results depend on your original hi pass levels too.... regards, Sulhan

4th May 2003	#8
Wai Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: South Pole with Penguin Posts: 5,185	anyone know how to make a PS action for it? __________________ We are HDD of PC & FT are MB add to storage; so PC never hangs with enormous storage capacity - LKY

5th May 2003	#11
KCBox Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: West Coast Posts: 345	Made a Action on the above Tips. Creating a new action -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you create a new action, the commands and tools you use are added to the action until you stop recording. To create a new action: Open a file. In the Actions palette, click the New Action button , or choose New Action from the palette menu. Enter a name for the action. (Photoshop) Choose a set from the pop-up menu. If desired, set one or both of the following options: Assign a keyboard shortcut to the action. You can choose any combination of a Function key, the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Mac OS), and the Shift key (for example, Ctrl+Shift+F3). (Photoshop) Assign a color for display in Button Mode. Click Record. The Record button in the Actions palette turns red . Important: When recording the Save As command, do not change the filename. If you enter a new filename, Photoshop records the filename and uses that filename each time you run the action. Before saving, if you navigate to a different folder, you can specify a different location without having to specify a filename. Choose the commands, and perform the operations you want to record. To stop recording, click the Stop button, choose Stop Recording from the Actions palette menu, or press the Escape key. To resume recording in the same action, choose Start Recording from the Actions palette menu. From the Adobe PhotoShop Help HTML. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

29th April 2003	#2
Zplus Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Some equitorial, tropical isla Posts: 2,368	Wow! Just tried it and it works! Good tip sulhan!

30th April 2003	#3
Minimalis Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Bukit Panjang Posts: 784	Bravo!

3rd May 2003	#6
Hobbes234 Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 402	tried it!

4th May 2003	#7
tehsusu88 New Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bukit Batok Posts: 36	Cool!

5th May 2003	#10
toomz Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 418	great.. it works

6th May 2003	#12
jamelaw Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: 碧山 Posts: 236	i think Wai wants some1 to do the action so tat others can d/l the action

6th May 2003	#13
willyfoo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: North Posts: 2,086	Here's my feedback.. I've used High Pass for a while before I found "Smart Sharpening"... High Pass while overall effective does sharpen the noise as well.. this is less than USM but I found "Smart Sharpening" somewhere which leaves the noise alone .. (if someone knows where it is, please help link it). Smart Sharpening uses a Find Edges to create a mask which can be manually tweaked and then USM is applied over the mask.. (Hmm.. something just struck me... what if High Pass is applied over the find edges mask, then we have the best of both worlds?? Lemme try and revert) __________________ Singapore Wedding Photographer Willy Foo on Twitter & Facebook

7th May 2003	#15
Stefan New Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 13	I use this one since I'm cheap and it is free, think it is the same principle as the others and it is much better than plan unsharp mask. smart sharp

24th August 2003	#16
Matrix Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Seng Kang Town Posts: 913	Wow This method is really much better over USM. Very useful to me. Thanks for sharing.

24th August 2003	#17
NiVleK Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Potong Pasir Posts: 696	Hmmm...shouldnt this be in the digital darkroom?

18th February 2004	#18
Souphamster Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 161	just curious, what does this difference from the normal sharpen function? your method is good anyway thanks

19th June 2006	#20
haagen_dazs Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: New YorkNew JerseyBoston Posts: 1,074	Re: alternative sharpening..in Photoshop thanks awesome __________________ Regards, Mark Pang www.markpangphotography.com