I'm finding it difficult to sharpen images consistantly to an acceptable level. For example, I have a highly detailed forest scene and somehow (probably by luck) I manage to sharpen it right and it looks good, so I make notes on how that happened. OK, later I have another forest scene so I use the same process and adjustments and it comes out looking pitifull, usually flat or oversharpened.
Marc Adamus's "sharpening for the web" method suggests after reducing file size to apply "sharpen filter." I use PSE 7 and there isn't a sharpen selection in the filter menu. Is it called something else in PSE? Any advice in regards to sharpening consistantlly in PSE 7?
Thanks.
I use a very basic technique that works about 95% of the time. After downsizing I use an unshapr mask setting of 500/0.2/0. If it looks oversharp, I simply decrease the 500 to whatever looks good.
In the event that the method works in some parts of the photo and not another, I create a duplicate layer, sharpen on that, then use it as a mask to sharpen only the areas I want sharp.
It's not 100% foolproof, and nothing is. But for painless sharpening that works most of the time, I haven't found anything better.
Are you sure there isn't a "sharpen" filter in PSE7? There was in PSE4 and there is in CS4 - odd if they removed it from Elements (it's found in Filter->Sharpen->Sharpen).
In any case, you don't have to use it as any sharpening will work actually. That technique mainly just requires some oversharpening before down-sizing. Using the sharpen filter was a good way to get there, but I've used USM for the same thing.
Try that USM setting I recommended as a starting point (500/0.2/0). It's close enough most of the time that I can use it for batch processing to produce thumbnails for a submission. Only a few images need less than 500%, and I can usually spot them through the viewfinder long before sitting down to process.
We just did a quick (3 hour) industrial shoot this morning, in which I exposed 150 frames and my wife did 130. The 280 frames have to come down to 50 tiffs and 50 800k jpeg versions by 5 today. Most of the client review will be done with the jpegs, so some sharpening is in order. I simply have no time to get real fancy with sharpening each one individually. 500/0.2/0 it is, and that's guddenuff.
Just for reference, here's an example from our industrial shoot yesterday. I'm posting it because it contains a range of textures and tones, and not for the subject matter. "Interesting" to an engineer is not necessarily a nature shot.
Discussion
8 repliesMarc Adamus's "sharpening for the web" method suggests after reducing file size to apply "sharpen filter." I use PSE 7 and there isn't a sharpen selection in the filter menu. Is it called something else in PSE? Any advice in regards to sharpening consistantlly in PSE 7?
Thanks.
In the event that the method works in some parts of the photo and not another, I create a duplicate layer, sharpen on that, then use it as a mask to sharpen only the areas I want sharp.
It's not 100% foolproof, and nothing is. But for painless sharpening that works most of the time, I haven't found anything better.
In any case, you don't have to use it as any sharpening will work actually. That technique mainly just requires some oversharpening before down-sizing. Using the sharpen filter was a good way to get there, but I've used USM for the same thing.
Those older 'sharpen' filters were replaced by 'Auto Sharpen' and 'Adjust Sharpness' filters in PSE 7.
We just did a quick (3 hour) industrial shoot this morning, in which I exposed 150 frames and my wife did 130. The 280 frames have to come down to 50 tiffs and 50 800k jpeg versions by 5 today. Most of the client review will be done with the jpegs, so some sharpening is in order. I simply have no time to get real fancy with sharpening each one individually. 500/0.2/0 it is, and that's guddenuff.