Detailed analysis of the sharpening tools in Photoshop

(Optional) If the image contains multiple layers, select the image layer to work with that you want to sharpen. You can only apply the Unsharp Mask filter to one layer at a time, even if the layers are linked or grouped. You can merge layers before applying the Unsharp Mask filter.

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

Click and hold the mouse button in the preview window to see the image without sharpening. You can see different parts of the image in the preview window using drag and drop, and the "+" or "-" buttons control the image scale.

Although the Sharpening dialog box has its own preview window, it's best to move the dialog box so that the results of the filter can be seen in the document window.

To determine the number of pixels around the pixels around the edges that are filtered, drag the Radius slider or enter a value. The larger the radius value, the wider the edge effects spread. The wider the outline effect is, the more the increased sharpness will be visible.

The radius value may vary depending on the taste of the user, as well as the size of the final reproduction and the output method. Radius values ​​of 1 and 2 are generally recommended for high-resolution images. A smaller value only sharpens the pixels of the outlines themselves, while a larger value sharpens a wider area of ​​pixels. This effect is not as noticeable in print as it is on screen, because a two-pixel radius takes up less space in a high-resolution printed image.

To set the amount of pixel contrast enhancement, drag the Effect slider, or enter an appropriate value. For images that are printed at high resolution, values ​​between 150% and 200% are generally recommended.

Specify the difference by which the pixels in question will be recognized, compared to surrounding pixels, as outlines for further processing by the filter. To do this, drag the slider for the Threshold parameter or enter an appropriate value. For example, a threshold of 4 means processing all pixels whose tone values ​​on a scale from 0 to 255 differ by 4 units or more. Thus, adjacent pixels with values ​​128 and 129 will not be processed. To avoid noise or posterization (for example, in images with skin tones), it is recommended to use an edge mask or try to set a threshold value between 2 and 20. The default threshold value (0) means to sharpen the entire image.

Most, if not all, digital images require sharpening, even if taken with a mega-resolution digital SLR with fine sharpening. Most cameras or scanners have settings for sharpening, but even better quality can be achieved with image editing software.

Sharpening in Adobe Photoshop CS2 allows you to set the level of sharpening, as well as the areas of the image to which it is applied. As for the image on the monitor screen, here " what you see is what you get". However, if the image is intended for printing, then the picture on the screen is just a preview of the image.

In fact, the level of sharpness required for optimal image quality is usually slightly more than what is needed to comfortably view the image on the screen. Especially when using LCD monitors (flat panels):

The basic concept of sharpening is to send on a mission " find and process» filter « unsharp mask or Smart Sharpen. The algorithms of these filters are programmed to make light pixels on one side of any detected transition lighter and dark pixels on the other side darker.

You can think of it as localized contrast control. If you go overboard with these techniques, your images will look radioactive (glow), if not enough, then people will need glasses to see the details.

The best sharpening methods are those that prioritize areas for sharpening and leave smooth areas of the image intact, such as sharpening around the eyes but leaving skin texture intact. These advanced techniques are essential when sharpening images that have been scanned from film or have excessive noise, and none of them need to be applied." Unsharp masks". So let's get started.

Note: If your devices have their own sharpening tools, it's important to turn them off or set them to either minimum or very low ( when using raw camera, set sharpness level to 0). The sharpening features of most cameras are often very primitive compared to the techniques described below.

It is also not recommended to process photos that have been saved in the JPEG format using a high compression ratio and low quality settings. The sharpening process described below should be done at the very last stage of editing, i.e. before that, the color and tones of the image should be adjusted. If the sharpening level is too high, you can reduce it a bit later.

Method One: Color Contrast

Step 1

Duplicate the background layer and set the blend mode to Overlay. Select Overlay from the Blend Modes menu in the Layers Palette.

Step 2

Select . Increase the "Radius" values ​​in pixels until you reach the desired level of sharpness. A radius of 1.0 pixels for printing on glossy paper and 3.0 pixels for printing on matte paper will be enough:

Note: You can adjust the layer's transparency later to adjust the sharpness level. color contrast or set its blending mode to Soft Light or Hard Light to increase or decrease the sharpness level.

Step 3

Click on the foreground color swatch in the tool palette to open the color picker. In field " Hue/Saturation» Enter 0 and 50% - in the field " Brightness"To select grayscale. Click OK.

Color the layer " color contrast to remove areas where sharpening is not required, such as skin tones, skies, etc. This technique is especially useful for reducing noise or film grain:

On the fourth frame, sharpening was performed using a localized " Unsharp masks(100% ) with the Blending Mode set to Luminosity. You can use the opacity setting to adjust the sharpness level.

Step 4

Keep in mind that the settings you are currently using when viewing will be used directly when you print. To complete the process, you need to print the image, and then decide if it needs additional sharpening or if the current level of sharpening is already excessive.

If the given sharpening is excessive, you can reduce the opacity of the layer " color contrast". Alternatively, you can try toggling the blend mode of the layer " color contrast to Soft Light to reduce sharpness or Hard Light to sharpen it.

Saturation and sharpness

Most methods of increasing the contrast of an image entail a domino effect that "results" in increasing the saturation of colors. How to apply the filter Colour contrast", and the filter " unsharp mask” often cause a problem such as increased color saturation.

In general, you may not pay attention to this when editing images. But if you notice it after applying " color contrast”, I recommend using the following method to limit the consequences.

Method 2: Unsharp Mask / Smart Sharpen

The second method is an extension of the first and is intended to solve the problem of increasing the saturation of colors, causing the color fringing effect. If you use a merged layer to sharpen it and switch its blending mode to " Brightness", the effect of excessive color saturation is leveled.

This variation illustrates how the advantages of localized sharpening and brightness sharpening can be combined into one method.

Step 1

Change the blend mode of the layer " color contrast” back to “Normal”. Then apply to the layer " color contrast"Threshold" correction: :

Step 2

Drag the slider directly below the histogram to isolate the edges that need to be sharpened. This is done in order to render all areas for which you do not want to sharpen in white. Click OK.

Paint over any areas that are not shown as white with the Threshold adjustment to sharpen them up. For example, in the photo below, the pixels remaining around the mouth, nose, and eyes have been painted over, as opposed to other areas that are painted over with white. It's set as the foreground color:

Step 3

Go to the Channels palette and Ctrl + click (Windows), Command + click (Mac OS) on the RGB thumbnail, or click on the icon " Load channel as selection» in the Channels Palette to load the details of the color transitions as a selection. Go back to the layers palette and drag the background layer onto the new layer thumbnail to duplicate it.

Drag the duplicate background layer on top of the rest of the layers:

Step 4

Turn off the visibility of the layer " color contrast". Hold down the Alt or Option key and click on the " Add layer mask» in the layers palette. Make sure the layer mask is active and then go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur. Give the mask a 1.5 px radius and a blue color:

Step 5

Now click on the duplicate background layer icon. Make sure the image is enlarged to 100% original size for small photos, or 50% for photos in print resolution (200ppi - 300ppi ). Go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen or Unsharp Mask. Set through the slider " Quantity»A value of the order of 80-150%.

This setting determines how dark or light the pixels in the color transition will be displayed. If the image is to be printed on paper, set the "Amount" to a value slightly larger than the value set.

Note: Read the information on the basic filter settings " unsharp mask"" Capture" and "Increase". Absolutely exact values ​​of "Threshold" and "Radius" are not critical for this post-processing technique:

Step 6

Change the blending mode of the sharpen layer (top layer) to "Luminance". The Brightness mode will limit the application of the contrast change to bright areas only. It will also prevent all changes in color saturation caused by using " Unsharp masks».

Such changes in saturation are often quite subtle, so this method is recommended only when color fringing appears:

Good bad

Introduction
Photos taken by most cameras need sharpness, even if we are working with high quality cameras with advanced sensors. A solid understanding of the Sharpen process and its applications in Photoshop is an important part to create a well-focused area of ​​an image.

What does Digital Sharpness mean?
In general terms, sharpening is a technique for defining the lines of an object that stands out the most. Sharpening a digital image means making the edges of an image, or the edges of objects within an image, more prominent. This process involves improving the contrast between pixels, or the accuracy between light and dark pixels. This process of increasing the contrast of the edges is carried out within adjacent or adjacent groups of pixels. Edge contrast, also known as local contrast or fine sharpness. Sharpening exaggerates edges by increasing contrast and creates highly defined edges with sharpness between light and dark, which tells us where the edges of an object begin and end.

Why do we need Sharpness?
It's inevitable, every photographer needs sharpening to bring out the details that are lost in the transfer process between camera, computer and printer. Sharpening works by increasing contrast near the edges of an image to bring it into focus, adding detail to your image. Sharpening improves the definition of edges in an image. Whether you are scanning or copying images from a camera, most images will benefit from Sharpness.

The Dark Side of Sharpness
Sharpness does not compensate for poor focus. Also, Sharpness does not solve the problem of adjusting the depth of observation. This is the best way to get sharp photos, taking sharp photos first. Nothing compares to the sharpness of a photo taken optically. Another thing is the edge destroying filter app that changes the pixels. But then, an image that isn't exactly in focus is "bulging" without an appropriate amount of sharpness. Remember that sharpening can correct a blurry image. Be careful; over-sharpening results in a rough, sharp image with jagged edges and shadows. There is also a tendency for pixel destruction or “artifacts” and color fringing.

Before the beginning
I've provided links to images above if you'd like to continue. But my advice is take your own photos to get a clear understanding of the principles and its applications. But remember that this tutorial is more of an overview than a step by step tutorial. So don't focus on the process or steps to get a certain effect. Think more about why we sharpen? How can we use the same techniques for other objects? What is the advantage? Now let's get started!

General workflow
We always start by duplicating the main layer. This will make sure that we do not destroy the main image. Later, if things don't look the way they should, we can remove the layer and start over. After the sharpening procedure, we can control the effect of the sharpening layer by adding a layer mask to it, which is visible in the image below. It's also possible to edit the sharpness using the layer's opacity or blend mode options.

Important Tip: For users of Photoshop CS3 or higher, working with Smart Objects and Smart Filters is a different approach.

Let's highlight this process:

Sharpening with Smart Filters
Without creating a duplicate of the main layer, apply the Smart Filter. Select the layer and go to Filter – Convert for Smart Filters (Filter – Convert for Smart Filters) and click OK. Photoshop will automatically convert the layer to a smart layer and apply a smart filter to it. The Smart Object will preserve the contents of the original image with all of its original characteristics, giving you the ability to edit the layer in a non-destructive manner. To increase or decrease the visibility of the Smart Filter, click the triangle next to the Smart Filter icon displayed to the right of the Smart Object layer. There you will find a mask that is already attached to it, listed as a filter mask. Grab a Filter Mask to selectively mask the effects of the Smart Filter by painting with a black brush. The advantage of the smart filter is that you don't have to use a separate mask layer to control the sharpening effect later.
For this tutorial, we've taken the traditional, user-familiar approach, which is duplicating the main (background) layer and then applying a filter to it. But you can freely make a Smart Object and then apply a Smart Filter.

Arsenal of Sharpening Tools in Photoshop
Let's take a look at some of the sharpening tools that are available to us in Photoshop.

The Sharpen Tool
Below the regular menu tool is the Sharpen tool.

Sharpness Filters:
Below the filter menu are several sharpening filters available to us. These are Sharpness (Sharpen), Sharpness around the edges (Sharpen Edges), Sharpness + (Sharpen More), Adjustable sharpness (Smart Sharpen) and Contour sharpness (Unsharp Mask).
Another powerful filter we use for sharpening, but don't know it has sharpening capabilities, is the High Pass filter, hidden in the obscure Others group.

Sharpen tool
The Sharpen tool increases the contrast around the edges to increase the apparent sharpness. The more you paint with this tool over an object, the more sharpened it gets. Its main advantage is that you can use this tool locally like the Brush tool.

Using the Sharpen tool
Open the face image. Right-click on the main layer and select Duplicate Layer. Rename the layer to 'Sharpen'. Select the sharpen tool from the tool window. In the optional strip, select a soft brush and set Brightness (Luminosity) as the layer mode. Select Protect Derail to enhance detail and minimize problem areas (artifacts). Now click and drag on the part of the image that you want to sharpen.

Although we used the Sharpen tool at 100% opacity for this image, ideally use a low opacity and slowly apply the sharpening effect. Since the Sharpen tool tends to produce a gallo or colored fringe around the edges, the Luminosity blending mode is used to avoid this. The Lightness blend mode only removes the highlight information from the color overlay, but neglects the color information. In the image below you can see the difference in visibility of the fringe in Normal mode and after using Luminosity mode.

Sharpness filter group
Sharpening filters focus blurry images by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels. Let's take a look at them one by one.

Preparation before applying filters
Never apply a filter to the original image. Always duplicate the image by duplicating the main layer and then apply the filter on the newly created duplicated layer. The advantage is that you can experiment with different blending modes later, as well as apply masks to the duplicated layer to control the effect.

Using the Sharpen and Sharpen+ filters
The Sharpen filter focuses the selection and improves its clarity. The Sharpen+ filter is applied for a stronger sharpening effect than the Sharpening filter does. Both of these are basic filters. They do not have additional options to change the effect.

Applying the Sharpness and Sharpness+ filters
Select the Layer, then go to Filter – Sharpness – Sharpness or Sharpness + (Filter – Sharpen – Sharpen or Sharpen More). To enhance the effects, apply it again by pressing Ctrl + F.

Edge Sharpness
This filter finds areas in the image where important color changes have occurred and improves their sharpness. The Sharpen Edges filter sharpens only the edges, keeping the entire image smooth. This filter has the same drawback as the previous two, we cannot control the amount because there is no dialog box.

Using the Sharpen Edges filter
Select the layer, then go to Filter – Sharpness – Sharpen Edges (Filter – Sharpen – Sharpen Edges).

Adjustable Sharpness (Smart Sharpen)
The Custom Sharpness filter uses the same algorithm as the Sharpening filter. The Custom Sharpness filter also allows you to remove previously applied Gaussian, Flare, and Motion Blur filters. You can set the sharpening algorithm or control the amount of sharpening that occurs on the shadow and highlight areas.

Using Adjustable Sharpness in Your Work
Open the fish image. Make a duplicate of the main layer. Go to Filter – Sharpness – Adjustable Sharpness (Filter – Sharpen – Smart Sharpen). Select the Basic options if they are not selected and change the amount to 300. Change the Radius to 3. Then click on the Remove drop-down menu and select Lens blur to remove all highlights. Blur Gaussian (Gaussian Blur) will provide the same result as the contour sharpening. But Glare will provide better quality to image details. Highlight the More Accurate option for a slower but more accurate sharpening effect. In fact, if you do not select this option, Custom Sharpness will provide the result as Unsharp Mask.

Understanding Custom Sharpness Options
In Advanced Options, you can adjust the sharpness of dark and light areas separately using the Shadows (Shadow) and Lighting (Highlight) tabs. But first, highlight the Advanced Option at the top under the view option. Shadows and Lighting have three common settings. These are the Fade Amount, Tonal Width and Radius.

Fade Amount
The Fade Effect reduces the amount of sharpness in Shadows and Lights individually. A high sharpness value will reduce the amount of fine detail in the Shadow/Highlight area that can be protected using the Effect Fade option.

Tonal Width
This parameter determines which tone value will be affected by the Fade effect. A small value will only affect the lightest areas of the light, while a larger value will affect a wider range of highlights.

Radius
The Radius parameter determines the size of the shadow/light. It basically determines the amount of information that will be used in determining the Tonal Width.

Sharpening without shadow adjustment. Grain is visible in dark areas.

Sharpening with shadow adjustment. Adjust the Fade Effect to remove grain from the dark areas.

Sharpening without Lighting Adjustment. With this sharpness, graininess is visible in the light areas.

Sharpening with lighting adjustment. The graininess has been removed from the highlights by adjusting the Fade Effect.

USM or Unsharp filter
The Unsharp Mask filter is an advanced sharpening method that differs from the main sharpening methods. The Unsharp Mask filter finds pixels that are different from the surrounding pixels and then increases their contrast. It basically ends up finding an area of ​​high contrast between pixels and then increasing the contrast.

Using the Unsharp Filter in Your Work
Open the face image. Then select Filter – Sharpness – Contour sharpness (Filter – Sharpen – Unsharp Mask). Set the value to 500 for the amount and 1.0 for the radius.

Radius
Use the radius to determine the number of pixels near the outermost pixels that affect the sharpness. A small radius means that only the area following the edge will be sharpened. A larger radius applies sharpening far beyond the edge. For high resolution images, a Radius value of 1 to 3 is generally recommended. A smaller value sharpens only the outermost pixels, while a larger value sharpens a wide range of pixels.

Meaning
The value determines how much to increase the contrast of the pixels. For high resolution images, a value between 150% and 200% is recommended.

isohelia
Determines the difference by how sharp pixels differ from the surrounding area. For example, Isohelium with a value of 2 affects all pixels that have a tone value other than 2. Pixels with a tone difference value of 10 and 12 will be processed, but not pixels with a difference value of 10 and 11. The default value of Isohelium is '0' and sharpens all the pixels in the image. In addition, you must specify the radius of the area to which each pixel is compared. A larger radius increases the edges of the effect. In other words, if a pixel is darker than the surrounding neighborhood, then the surrounding area brightens even more.
Use the Isohelium setting on grainy images to avoid oversharpening the grain in flat areas.

Consider End Usage
By overdoing the sharpening of the image, we will create a Halo effect (Color fuzzy or Halo) around the edges. The effects of the Unsharp Mask filter are more visible on screen than on high resolution paper. If you ultimately want to print an image, then experiment to find the best settings for your image.

Sharpness Control
1. Work on the image on a separate layer so you can refine it later.
2. If you need to reduce image noise, do so to Sharpen.
3. Sharpen the image several times with a smaller value.
4. The amount of sharpening varies depending on the required output
5. Use a layer mask to control the sharpness.

Photos taken with most digital cameras sometimes lack sharpness. This happens even with pictures taken with a high-end camera that has a high-resolution display. A solid understanding of the sharpening process and applying it in Photoshop is essential to creating perfect focus and sharp images.

What is digital sharpening?

Sharpening is the process of enhancing the outline of an object. To sharpen a digital image means to sharpen the edges of an image or objects. The sharpening process is carried out by enhancing the contrast between light and dark pixels. This edge contrast is defined within neighboring pixels or an adjacent group of pixels. Edge contrast is also known as local contrast or sharpness. Sharpening sharpens edges by increasing contrast and creates sharper transitions between light and dark pixels, showing the beginning and end of an object.

Why is sharpness necessary?

Every photograph needs to be sharpened to bring out details, otherwise they may be lost when the image is transferred from the camera to a computer or when printed. Sharpening works by increasing contrast at the edges of an image to improve focus and detail. It doesn't matter if you got the image from a digital camera or from a scanner, sharpening it will make it more expressive.

The negative side of sharpness

Sharpness cannot compensate for poor focus. Also, no amount of sharpening will make up for the depth of an image. The best way to get a sharp photo is to take a photo like this. Nothing can replace an optically sharp image.

Another thing is applying filters that change pixels. Keep in mind that sharpening cannot fix a very blurry image. Be careful: over-sharpening will create a very rough texture in the image, as well as jagged edges and shadows. Sharpening can also add damaged pixels or artifacts, and color fringing or ghosting to an image.

Before you start

I left links to images at the beginning of the tutorial if you want to follow my directions exactly. I advise you to use your own images to get a clear understanding of the principles of sharpening. This tutorial is more of a study than a step by step guide. So don't focus on the process or steps to achieve a certain effect, think more about why we use sharpening. How can we use the same principles in other projects? What are the benefits?

Common Sharpening Methods

We will always start by duplicating the background layer - this way we will guarantee a non-destructive effect on the image. Later, if we don't like the result, we can delete this layer, make a copy again and start over. After adding sharpening, you can control the effect of the sharpening effect of the layer by adding a pixel mask. In addition, you can adjust the sharpening effect using the layer's opacity or blend modes.

Sharpening with Smart Filters

You can sharpen without duplicating the background layer. Open the photo and right on the background layer go to the menu Filter ? Convert For Smart Filters and click OK. Photoshop automatically converts the layer into a Smart Object that you can apply the Smart Filter to.

The Smart Object will retain the original content of the image with all of its original characteristics, allowing for harmless editing of the layer. To expand or collapse the smart filter menu, click on the small black triangle next to the smart filter icon that appears on the right side of the smart object layer. There you will see a mask that is connected to the filter. Use it to selectively mask the effects of the smart filter. It works just like a normal pixel mask on a layer.

The advantage of smart filters is that you don't have to use a separate layer mask. In this tutorial, we'll take a look at the traditional approach of duplicating the background layer and then applying a filter to it. But don't be afraid to use smart objects and then add smart filters to them.

Sharpening tools in Photoshop

Let's take a look at some of the sharpening tools available in Photoshop.

Sharpen Tool

Tool Sharpness (Sharpen Tool) is in the toolbar.

Sharpening filters

The filter menu contains several sharpening filters: Smart Sharpen, Unsharp Mask, Sharpen, Sharpen More and Sharpen Edges.

Another powerful filter that is used for sharpening is High Pass and is in the Others category.

Sharpen Tool

The sharpening tools increase the contrast around the edges of the object, thereby increasing the overall sharpness of the image. The more you paint over an area of ​​an image with this tool, the sharper it will be. The main advantage of this tool is that you can use it on any part of the image just like the Brush Tool.

Using the Sharpen Tool

Open the face image in Photoshop. Right click on the background layer and select Duplicate layer. Name the duplicate "Sharpen" and select the Sharpen Tool.

In the property bar at the top of the screen, select the soft brush and change the blend mode of this tool to Luminosity. Check the box next to Protect Detail and Sample All Layers to sharpen details and reduce pixel artefacts. Now draw the Sharpen Tool over the details you want to sharpen.

For this image, we're using the Sharpen Tool at 100% opacity, but ideally, start with a low opacity and gradually increase it.

Since the Sharpen Tool creates a halo effect (halo) or colored fringing around the edges, change its mode to Luminosity. This mode will only use brightness information and skip color information.

The screenshot below shows the fringing after using the Sharpen Tool in Normal mode - it was reduced when using Luminosity mode.

Category filters Sharpen

Sharpening filters improve the focus of blurry images by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels. Let's take a look at each of these filters one by one.

Preparation before applying filters

Never apply filters directly to the image itself. Always duplicate an image by copying the background layer and apply a filter on the created copy. The advantage of this method is that in the future we can experiment with different blending modes, as well as add a mask to the duplicate layer to control the sharpening effect.

Using the Sharpen and Sharpen More filters

The Sharpen filter enhances sharpness by enhancing the contrast of adjacent pixels. The Sharpen More filter performs the same operation but is more powerful. Both of these filters have no parameters and are executed immediately.

Applying Sharpen and Sharpen More filters

Select the layer you want to sharpen and go to the Filter ? sharpen? Sharpen/Sharpen More. To enhance the filter effect, press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F.

Sharpen Edges Filter

This filter finds areas in the image where there are significant color changes or sharpens them. It only works on the edges and keeps the overall smoothness of the image. The disadvantage of this filter is that it works in automatic mode and cannot be configured.

Using the Sharpen Edges filter

Select the layer to which you will apply the filter and enter the menu Filter ? sharpen? Sharpen Edges.

Smart Sharpen filter

The Smart Sharpen filter uses the same algorithm as the Unsharp Mask filter. It allows you to remove previously added blur from the Gaussian Blur, Lens Blur and Motion Blur filters. You can adjust the sharpness settings or control the amount of sharpening in dark and light areas.

Using the Smart Sharpen filter

Open the fish image in Photoshop and duplicate the background layer. Go to the Filter menu? sharpen? smart sharpen. Enable the Basic option if it is not active and set the Amount parameter to 300%.

Set the Radius to 3px. Then, from the Remove drop-down list, select Lens Blur to remove camera lens blur. The Gaussian Blur item will give the same result as the Unsharp Mask, but the Lens Blur will give better detail.

Turn on the More Accurate option - it will give a more accurate sharpening effect. In fact, the More Accurate option is more or less similar to the Unsharp Mask filter.

Understanding Smart Sharpen Filter Options

In the options for this filter, you can adjust the sharpness of the dark and light areas using the Shadow and Highlight tabs. But first, you need to enable the Advanced option at the top of the window. There are three general settings for the Shadow and Highlight tabs: Fade Amount, Tonal Width and Radius.

Fade Amount

The Fade Amount parameter reduces the amount of sharpening separately in shadows and highlights. A large value of Amount tends to reduce the amount of finer detail in highlights and shadows that can be protected with Fade Amount.

tonal width

This parameter determines which tonal value will be affected by the Fade Amount parameter. Smaller values ​​will only affect light highlights, while larger values ​​will affect a wide range of highlights.

Radius

The Radius parameter determines the size of the shadow and light. Basically, it defines the number of data samples to be used in determining the Tonal Width.

Sharpening without shadow correction. Sharpness in the form of noise is visible in the dark areas of the image.

Sharpening with shadow correction. Use the Fade Amount option to remove noise from dark areas.

Sharpness without setting Highlights. Note that the noise is amplified in the light areas.

Sharpness with the Highlights setting. Noise can be removed from highlight areas by adjusting the Fade Amount.

Unsharp Mask Filter

The Unsharp Mask filter allows you to adjust the sharpening. It finds pixels that are different from others and then increases the contrast of the surrounding pixels. Basically, this is done by finding areas of high contrast between pixels and then emphasizing the difference between them.

Using the Unsharp Mask Filter

Open the face image in Photoshop and go to the Filter menu? sharpen? unsharp mask). In the window that opens, set the value of the Amount parameter to 50% and the Radius parameter to 1.0

Radius

Use the Radius parameter to define the width of the area around the found border. A small radius value means that the sharpening will be applied directly near the edges. A larger radius of field will affect the area away from the edge. For high resolution images, it is recommended to use a radius value between 1 and 3.

Amount

Adjusts the amount of contrast enhancement. To print high resolution images, the effect value should be between 150% and 200%.

Threshold

Sets the minimum value of the brightness and color levels that the filter defines as a border. For example, a threshold value of 2 levels affects all pixels that have tonal values ​​other than 2. That is, pixels with tonal values ​​of 10 and 12 will be affected, but pixels with tonal values ​​of 10 and 11 will not.

The default threshold value (0) sharpens all the pixels in the image. In addition, you must specify the radius of the area to which each pixel will be compared. The larger the radius, the greater the effects on the edges. In other words, if a pixel is darker than the areas that surround it, then adjacent areas of the image become lighter.

Conclusions:

When sharpening is applied to an image, a halo effect (color fringing or fringing) is created around the edges. The effects after applying the Unsharp Mask filter are more pronounced on screen than when printed in high resolution. If the image is to be sent for printing, you will have to determine the most appropriate settings by experience.

Sharpening control

1. Only sharpen a copy of the background layer of the image so that you can delete it and start over if necessary.
2. If you need to reduce noise in an image, do so before applying the sharpen filters.
3. Add sharpening to the image gradually. Use a small value for the Amount parameter each time.
4. The value of the Amount parameter varies depending on the output values ​​of the image.
5. Use a pixel mask to adjust the sharpness.

Case Study 1: Sharpening an Image Using Luma Mask

This method involves selecting the channel with the best contrast. Since each channel contains only grayscale information, we can eliminate unwanted color fringing or halo effects.

Step 1

Open the banana image and select a channel with good contrast in the Channels palette. Finding a channel with good contrast is important to get a good luma mask. In the banana image, the red channel shows good contrast between the banana and the background.

Step 2

Duplicate the red channel (Red) by dragging it to the channel creation icon at the bottom of the Channels palette (Channels). Alternatively, you can right-click on a channel and select Duplicate Channel. Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the red channel to select it.

Step 3

Go back to the layers palette, duplicate the background layer and name it "Sharpen". With the red channel active, enter the Select ? Inverse or press Ctrl + Shift + I to invert the selection. Then go to the "Sharpen" layer and add a mask to it by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the layers palette to create a mask based on this selection.

Step 4

Go back to the layer (click on the layer thumbnail next to the layer mask), go to the menu Filter ? sharpen? Unsharp Mask and in the window that opens, set the values ​​​​as in the screenshot. If necessary, you can use the Levels adjustment (Ctrl + L) on the copy of the red channel to increase the contrast. You can hide the oversharpening from the image by painting it on the mask with a soft black brush.

Case Study 2: High Pass Filter

First of all, let's find out how this filter works. It removes the low-frequency details of an image while preserving edges and smoothing other areas to a medium gray. After applying the filter, we'll change the layer's blend mode to Linear Light to use only the contrast information. This method of sharpening can be called harmless. In combination with a pixel mask, you can adjust the sharpening effect.

Step 1

Open the face image in Photoshop and duplicate the background layer (Ctrl + J). Rename the copy of the background layer to "Sharpen" and change the blend mode to Linear Light. This Blending Mode will darken or lighten colors by reducing or increasing brightness depending on dark, bright, or composite lighting. The purpose of this blending mode is to sharpen the edges of the image, making them more visible.

Step 2

Apply Filter ? Other? high pass. Experiment with the radius of the sharpening filter. With a low value, sharpening will only be added to the edges.

Step 3

Lower the opacity of the layer if the sharpening effect is too strong. If you want to make the sharpening effect stronger, duplicate the layer it was applied to. To control the sharpening effect, add a pixel mask to the filter layer and use a soft black brush to paint on it those areas where this effect needs to be weakened.

Using smart filters

For those who use smart filters, working with the High Pass filter looks a little different.

Step 1

Open the face image in Photoshop, select the desired layer and convert it to a Smart Object via the Filter ? Convert For Smart Filters. Then, apply a Filter ? Other? high pass.

Step 2

We need to change the blend mode to Linear Light and we didn't duplicate the background layer. On the right side of the "Layer 0" layer, click on the small arrow to reveal the panel with the High Pass filter hidden in it. Next to the filter is a small slider icon, double-clicking on it will open the Blending Option (High Pass) window.

In the window that opens, change the blending mode to Linear Light, and if you double-click on the name of the applied filter (High Pass), a window will open in which you can change its parameters. To control the effect of a filter, use its mask. It works just like a pixel layer mask.

Conclusion

You may be interested in this question: which of the considered ways to add sharpness to an image is best? Unfortunately, there is no better way. The best way depends on the complexity of the project, the level of experience of the user and the amount of time that he is willing to spend on the work. The most common method is to apply the Unsharp Mask filter in combination with the Luminosity blend mode. It provides great flexibility and ease of use.

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Translated from the site psd.fanextra.com, the author of the translation is indicated at the beginning of the lesson.

This Photoshop tutorial describes how to apply all kinds of blurs, which can be used to create the illusion of movement or focus on a specific area of ​​the image.

Finished Image

Step 1
Let's start by adding dynamics to a static car.
Open the classic car image and duplicate the background layer: Ctrl + J.

Step 2
Apply dynamic blur: Filter> Blur> Motion Blur (Filter> Blur> Motion Blur).

Step 3
Create a layer mask (layer mask) for this blurry layer: Layers> Layer Mask> Show All (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All).
To keep the dynamic blur effect only on the background, paint over the surface of the layer mask in the car area with a soft black brush.
In the image below, the areas to be painted with a soft black brush are marked in red.

Here is what should be the result:

Step 4
Press Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E to merge all visible layers into one layer, after which, using the tool Elliptical area (Elliptical Marquee Tool) to create a selection that includes the front wheel.

Step 5
Apply radial blur: Filter> Blur> Radial Blur (Filter> Blur> Radial Blur). Select Ring blur (Spin Blur) to give the wheel the illusion of spinning at high speed.

The image below shows the result:

Step 6
By repeating the process for the rear wheel, you should get the following result:

Step 7
Create a layer mask for the ring blur layer: Layer> Layer Mask> Show All (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All) and using a soft black brush with Opacity (Opacity) 50% paint over the areas along the edges of the rotating wheels to blur sharp too sharp boundaries.

Step 8
Using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Alt + E, again create a new layer from all visible layers. Then apply a 700px Motion blur to it.

Here is the result of applying the last blur:

Step 9
Change Blending mode (Blend mode) of this layer to Screen (Screen) and create a layer mask: Layer> Layer Mask> Hide All (Layer> Layer Mask> Hide All).

Paint over the surface of the layer mask in the back of the car, thus creating the illusion of movement.

Duplicate this layer by pressing Ctrl + J. Press Alt + Backspace to fill the layer mask with black and move it up a little (press the up arrow key once while holding Ctrl + Shift):

Paint the surface of the layer mask with white as shown in the image above:

Conclusion
Finished Image:

Other Blur Features Available in Photoshop
Another powerful effect that creates the illusion of a character moving at high speed can be achieved using Linear Blur (Zoom Blur).
Open the running man file and duplicate the background layer.
Go to the menu Filter> Blur> Radial blur (Filter> Blur> Radial Blur) and activate the option Linear blur (Zoom).

Create a layer mask: Layer> Layer Mask> Hide All (Layer> Layer Mask> Hide All), after which, gently paint over the surface of the layer mask in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe person and a small area in front of him with a white brush. Here is what should be the result:

Another technique for focusing on a particular object or person is to apply a Gaussian blur to the entire image, excluding the desired object or character. Let's see how it works.
Open the stock image of the girls talking and duplicate the background layer.
Apply a 3.5-pixel Gaussian blur: Filter> Blur> Filter> Blur> Gaussian blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian blur).

Now, let's say we want to focus the image on the girl in the middle.

Create a layer mask: Layer> Layer Mask> Show All (Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal All) and with a soft black brush paint over the surface of the face and upper body of the girl in the center. Try not to touch the background. The effect will be weak, but still noticeable.

You can apply these techniques to defocus the background and enhance the focus on selective areas such as body parts (faces, eyes). Just keep in mind that a less obvious effect gives a better result.