Adobe Photoshop Sharpening Tips using Layers

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Arthur Durkee . Black Dragon Productions. Adobe Photoshop:. Sharpening Tips using Layers. In this exercise, we. will use layers and. filters to sharpen …

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Arthur Durkee ?Black Dragon Productions
Adobe Photoshop:
Sharpening Tips using Layers
In this exercise, we
will use layers and
filters to sharpen
a blurred original,
bringing out as much
detail as possible
without distorting the
original image.
To begin, here is our
original image. The
photo was taken under
low-light conditions
in a museum, using
only available lighting.
The image is blurred
because the camera
was hand-held for a
long exposure. How
can we bring out the
detail in this blurred
Buddha?
As a first step, duplicate the image onto
a new layer by dragging the existing
Background layer onto the New Layer
button at the bottom left of the Layers
palette. We will make our changes
on the duplicated Background layer,
preserving the original if we want to go
back and start over again.
Tip: This is a good working habit to get
into, as you can always start over again
if the changes you have made do not
work out.For the purposes of comparison, we will now learn two different methods of sharpening
this image. In each case, note the particular advantages to each method.
First, select the Unsharp Mask filter from the Filter Menu (Filter:Sharpen:Unsharp Mask).
Use the sliders and real-time Preview mode to select settings for optimum results. In this
example, I have applied a Threshold of 2 levels, with a Radius of around 2 pixels, and a
sharpening Amount of 99%. Much less than this, and there is no appreciable sharpening
of the image. Much more, and the image begins to posterize. (Tip: Special effects can be
created by using filters such as Unsharp Mask with extremely high settings to achieve
extreme results. These can then be layered with the original image to create unusual
custom effects.)
The advantage to the Unsharp Mask method is that it gives a good overall result in
a quick, single-step process. If you have numerous images to process, you may even
choose to apply Unsharp Mask in Batch mode using the Actions palette.
When you have found your optimum settings, click OK or hit the Enter key to apply the
filter….