Unsharp Quick Guide

Sharpening is a mystery to many people, myself included. A few weeks ago I started to investigate sharpening, and while there are a plethora of tutorials and methods and actions available, not being a professional with hours to dedicate to one image, I needed something quick and dirty, that I can remember and repeat. I came up with two sharpinging "defaults" and a "custom" approach that works in many if not most situations. It is important to always save sharpening for the very last step before saving. Sharpening before making other adjustments will often yield unwanted artifacts and effects, which will then be compounded by jpeg compression (but that's the subject of another post).

As a quick examplar, the image below was shot in raw and jpeg. The first image is the jpeg as it came from the camera, resized to 1200x800. No editing was done. The second image is the edited raw file finished off with the unsharp mask procedure described below. Comparing results and playing with settings has taught me the most about this tool, although reading the CS3 help file and online tutorials also proved informative.

Superfine Large JPEG, untouched, resized.

8.2MP RAW, adjusted & sharpened in Photoshop, resized.

ALL PURPOSE SETTING:
Amount: 85 Radius: 1 Threshold: 4

WEB SETTING:
Amount: 400 Radius: 0.3 Threshold: 0

"CUSTOM" APPROACH:
1) View at 50 or 100%
2) Set Initial Parameters:
Amount: 400-500 Radius: 1-2 Threshold: 0
3) Increase Radius until halos form, then back off
4) Adjust Amount until grainy/oversharp, then back off
5) Increase Threshold to smooth low contrast areas, but preserve fine detail

I'll use a quickmask or path to define where I want to sharpen and what I want to leave alone, feathering the edges, etc. This isn't a Photoshop tutorial or blog, so I will omit details of making selections and using layer masks.

For a bit more flexibility, I like to put the sharpening on its own layer, so I can adjust the amount simply by sliding the opacity handle. Probably not the most elegant method, but it seems effective.

Unsharp is by no means the only way to sharpen, and in fact there are multiple sharpening methods and tools that can be used in conjunction to achieve astonishing results that are way ahead of my ability. Future posts will hopefully include quick guides to using high and low pass layer masks, along with some other methods that Photoshop CS3 provides.

Other sharpening routines that are straightforward and relatively simple are definitely welcome in the comment section.

Nazareth Workout

Stretched out the 70-200 to shoot some informal roller hockey. Decent images although shooting through a chain-link fence can be a challenge. The trick is to be the right distance away from the fence, and at the longest focal length possible, to blur the fence links. Sometimes, to the point where they aren't even noticeable after a little post. Speaking of which, I shot this entire series in raw+jpeg and almost entirely in aperature priority. Over the next few weeks I'll post a few of the better shots with heavy emphasis on creating really vibrant colors, low noise, and exercising different sharpening techniques including high and low pass filters, unsharp mask, layer masks and whatever else I can come up with.






Canon 40D, ISO400, 175mm f/2.8 1/1600sec

G&T

Mixed feelings towards diagonals. Very rarely do they work, more often than not they come across forced and leave the image without negative space and poor balance. I don't think there's a formula but generally speaking, rounded curves seem to help a diagonal stand on its own.







Then again, perhaps our eyes adjust in ways that we don't quite think about. Like leaning into a turn at the video arcade, it doesn't change the image nor does it inherently change the perception, but it does change the experience for better or worse.



Canon 20D, ISO400 50mm f/1.8 1/2000sec

Ketchikan Details

A mailbox vista and some faces carved from driftwood. Some of the first images I ever took with the 20D after purchase. All shot in manual with no flash. The ISO 400-800 performance of the 20D is quite good, particularily in natural soft light. The super-cheap kit lens performed about as well as could be expected. I tried to capture some of what makes Ketchikan unique in these images, aside from the raw tourism and natural beauty, there are all sorts of details easily missed.

27 September, 2007
Ketchikan, Alaska
Canon 20D, ISO400 35mm f/10 1/250

4 October, 2007
Ketchkian, Alaska
Canon 20D, ISO800, 35mm f/4.5 1/125

Impromptu Wedding

I had never shot a wedding and have very little "event" experience, but I decided to mount my 50mm f/1.8 for an amazing wedding in northern Virginia earlier this summer. My objective was not to document the wedding, two photographers were being paid well to do that (with full-size Fujifilm bodies and Nikkor lenses/flashes). I went for candid images, personalities, photojournalistic style. It's a lot tougher than it looks, folks.








24 May, 2008
Alexandria, Virginia
Canon 20D, 50mm f/1.8 at various ISO and shutter speeds

Buffalo Bills vs Philadelphia Eagles

First time out with the 70-200 was great. Overcast, rainy NFL game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Shooting under stadium lights is very cool, it brings out the colors and creates some really interesting reflections and highlights. This was game sixteen of the 2007 season and the Eagles were trying to salvage an 8-8 record. A maximum effective focal length of 320mm was good, but not great even from the first row on the 50. Regardless, it was an exciting game and a good opportunity to exercise the new glass.

Philadelphia Eagles Linemen Jean-Gillis (#62) and Andrews (#73) enjoy a season-ending win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, bringing the Eagles' 2007 season to a close.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (#5) hands off to running back Correll Buckhalter (#28) as Buffalo Bills' tackle Jason Jefferson (#98) defends the line.

Philadelphia Eagles safety J.R. Reid leaves the field after a long day at work. The Eagles defeated the Bills to preserve an 8-8 record for their 2007 season.

30 December, 2007
Philadephia, Pennsylvania
Canon 20D, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

Foggy Tree On Mountain

The fog did a spectacular job diffusing what was already soft light for this composition. One of the first nature images I took with the 20D, I decided to keep a bit of color rather than completely black and white. Part of this decision is that oftentimes, b&w digital looks very digital, but moreso, the rich browns and greens would have been lost. I feel as though those muted tones pull the image together, and bridge what would otherwise be a harsh contrast battle.

30 September, 2007.

Dude Mountain, Ketchikan, Alaska.

Canon 20D (ISO 800, 32mm, 1/400, f/5.6).