Great comparison, thanks. In the camera RAW version you could have used masking to limit the sharpening to just the main details rather than the whole image, would give it a less 'fragmented look' as you said. Fantastic channel, finding it really useful.
well i have been using high pass all along, but after watching this video, i think am gonna use smart sharpen from now on, i like the fading function, it's really handy ... thanks for passing on the knowledge.
Great video as per.... my sharpening of choice method is to convert to Lab Color and sharpen on the lightness channel. Also, to sharpen/edit an image in Raw it doesn't need to be a smart object just remember to duplicate the layer as it's destructive.
Ahh, that is actually a pretty good method. I should have covered that as well. Channel related sharpening and noise reduction techniques are always a bunch of fun.
Great video. The high-pass method is my favourite (don't have smart-sharpen since I only got Elements). I also like to combine some highpass layers in overlay with some in soft light.
In case you missed that comment... Will you please make a video about making realistic shadows of anything? that will be a huge help for compositing.. Thanks again :)
Great video, some questions: What is the benefit of desaturating the image before high pass? Why don't you use the mask slider in camera raw sharpening? What's your opinion on the sharpening method for resize when they multiply the image size by 1.67, then apply sharpen and then resize again to the final desired size?
If you don't mind me answering Q1. High Pass filtering a colored layer can/will introduce additional unwanted color even with a strength as low as 4 - 5%, so by desaturating that layer first (or after) you are left with the additional detail you wanted as your overlay without accidentally adding color as well.
I'm afraid I don't know much about about the Sharpening Mask in Camera Raw other than in general a mask of 0 is deemed as 'everything' and greater than that is algorithmic selective up to 100 which is pretty much nothing. You can visualise what the algorithm selects by holding down alt (cmd) on a Mac whilst using the mask slider, this is the same as Lightroom as it's the same algorithm, it can help to reduce sharpening grain for example if you're using film, or high iso noise whilst you're sharpening the rest of the image. In general though I use high pass filtering with a very low (sub 5%) setting on a duplicated layer, add a mask and manually mask out from there which gives you a lot more control and avoids nasty edge pop which can make the subject look unnaturally out of place with it's surroundings. Unlike in the video I do tend to use vivid or hard light for dramatic effect, on eyelashes or fur it's especially effective. As for Q3, I really don't know, but would like to :) All the best
First, +J Andrews nailed the first question. Thanks! Q2: The mask slider will remove sharpening (which will create noise/grain) in areas of the image that don't have contrasting edges i.e. large areas of blue in the sky, etc... I do use the mask slider in Camera Raw, but just didn't this time around. Q3: I've heard a lot about enlarging an image and sharpening. For the 167% method, you enlarge by 167%, apply Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen, duplicate that layer, reduce the opacity until it looks good, downsize the image to its original size. Honestly, it still doesn't look better than the Smart Sharpen, but it can definitely be a decent way to quickly get a good sharpness "pop" for your image.
+tutvid thanks a lot for replying!, I still don't understand what is the scientific basis for the 1.67 or 167% method, why that number?, I've searched a lot and still can't find an answer to that, a lot pf people use it but no one explain the reason for 167%, I'm curious on why that specific number
