In this tutorial I will be discussing two of the methods I prefer to use when sharpening my images in Adobe Photoshop CC 2015. The first method I'll discuss using is one that employs manipulating the channels of an image. The second method I'll discuss using employs changing the blend mode.
1. Always edit your photograph in a non-destructive manner. Duplicate the "Background" layer by pressing Ctrl+J (Windows) or Command+J (Mac). The reason you duplicate the original layer is because you want to work in a non-destructive way. This technique allows you to be able to undo any changes you make by simply deleting the layer you have been working on.
2. In the Menu Bar browse to Image > Mode > Lab Color and select Lab Color.
3. After you change the image to Lab Color, you will receive a notification pop-up. Select "Don't Flatten".
4. Change to the "Channels" tab and select the "Lightness" layer.
5. In the Menu Bar browse to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharpen Mask and select "Unsharpen Mask".
6. You can adjust this setting to the desired effect that you want. I normally use the following values:
Amount: 88%
Radius: 4.0 Pixels
Threshold: 7 levels
Press OK once you have set your values using the sliders.
7. Click on the "visibility" icon next to the "Lab" layer so that all of the layers in the Channels tab are now visible.
8. Now you want to change the Image mode back to "RGB Color". In the Menu Bar browse to Image > Mode > RGB Color and select RGB Color.
9. After you change the image to "RGB Color", you will receive a notification pop-up. Select "Don't Flatten".
10. Go back to the "Layers" tab.
11. Change the name of the to layer that sharpened to "Sharpen" so you will be able to identify it.
12. Now you can toggle the visibility of the layers to compare the new "Sharpen" layer to the previous original layer before you applied the sharpen method. Notice how the image is now sharper and looks more in focus.
13. This is the full view of the image after sharpening.
14. This is how the original imaged looked before sharpening. This view is zoomed in.
15. This is the full view of the original image. You can see the slight difference how the sharpened image looks crisper and more in focused. This method doesn't introduce noise into the image.
1. Always edit your photograph in a non-destructive manner. Duplicate the "Background" layer. The reason you duplicate the original layer is because you want to work in a non-destructive way. This technique allows you to be able to undo any changes you make by simply deleting the layer you have been working on.
2. Change the Blend Mode from "Normal" to "Overlay".
3. In the Menu Bar browse to Filter > Other > High Pass and select "High Pass".
4. Set the Radius to a value at 4 and then click on OK. I choose 4 because I find this value to sharpen the photograph without causing too much noise or degradation to the quality of the image. You do not want to make the image to appear over sharpened.
5. Take notice of how the preview image within the layer you have been working on has now turned grey.
6. This is a view of the image after sharpening, zoomed in at 100%.
7. This is a view of the image after sharpening, fit to screen.
8. This is a view of the image before sharpening has been applied.
Once I have done sharpening the image. I will create a Stamp Visible Layer command to merge the visible layers into a new layer. To do this press Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (Windows) or Shift+Command+Option+E (Mac). The benefit of creating a Stamped Layer is that you don't have to flatten the layers which will cause you to loose the previous edits that you have made. Remember, you always want to work in a non-destructive manner within Photoshop. Preserving the layers allows you to go back to a previous state in your editing process if you decide later that you don't like something or want to change something.
Zoomed in at 122.14% in Adobe Photoshop CC 2015
Zoomed in at 122.14% in Adobe Photoshop CC 2015
There are probably other applications, methods, or Photoshop actions that could be employed to accomplish the task of sharpening a photograph. Remember there are numerous ways to accomplish the same thing within Photoshop. Choose whatever method you prefer that fits within your post processing workflow.
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