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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> How Do You USM?
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 01/13/2008 11:46:06 AM · #1
I'm curious to know others' USM (unsharp mask) strategies in post-processing.
* When do you apply it?
* How many times?
* What parameters do you use and under what conditions?
* Do you apply it in its own layer (and is that legal under Basic Editing)? If so, how?
* Is there anything about USM that you avoid?
* Any other tricks or strategies?

I apply it after I merge layers and before I resize. I only apply it once. I never use a radius greater than 4 or a strength greater than 120. My threshold is usually around 2 (although I boost it up on images with less detail).

PS: I know that every photograph is different and may call for different strategies. I'm just interested in some general rules you follow, or maybe a good all-around strategy that works well for you under most conditions.
01/13/2008 12:02:57 PM · #2
Three different kinds of applications of USM:

1) Add local contrast:
- At the end, after all other work is done
- Parameters are much different from usual sharpening, with a very low amount but a very wide radius, something like 10%, 60, 0 adjust percent to liking.

2) To sharpen the image for print:
- After #1 above
- Parameters depends on image ... probably start around 80%, 0.8, 4 and adjust from there.
- Use the History brush to undo parts that shouldn't be sharpened

3) To sharpen an image for web:
- After #1 and #2 above
- Reduce size for web
- The image will have gone soft, so re-sharpen with parameters similar to #1 (though percent may be less) and, again, use the History brush to undo parts that shouldn't be sharpened

The above is based solely on USM. In reality, I use a plugin called PhotoKit Sharpener and I'll work things a little bit differently. Ahead of step #1 I will have used the Creative Sharpener to sharpen the eyes and other things that need to be sharp. At step #2, I'll replace USM with PhotoKit sharpener which lets me dial in the amount of sharpening to be applied by telling it what DPI I will be printing at. PKS also gives me a layer mask that I can use to hide the sharpening rather than using the History brush to undo it. If I'm going to reduce the image for posting on the web, then I still use step #3 as is (i.e. I don't use PKS for this).


01/13/2008 12:03:55 PM · #3
By the way, SmartSharpen works better than USM if you have CS2 or above.

01/13/2008 12:48:20 PM · #4
Hmm...never tried that....what are the typical settings that you use?

My sharpening is generally performed by USM or High Pass Filter (Overlay through vivid, depending).
Of course, HPF isn't allowed in basic, so I'm referring to those challenges that are.

Originally posted by idnic:
By the way, SmartSharpen works better than USM if you have CS2 or above.
01/13/2008 12:53:54 PM · #5
Typically, I use Smart Sharpen also. It will let you get a sharper image without causing some of the issues the antiquated USM filter does.

For prints, I start with a radius of about 1.0. I view at 50%. I adjust % and radius until I start to see a little oversharpening and then back off.

For web, I use a radius of about .6 and % at about 95, eyeballing the adjustment. If it's a portrait, I generally oversharpen just a bit and then use a faded Gaussian blur to adda little soft focus.
 01/13/2008 01:45:08 PM · #6
Do you ever use the highlight and shadow sharpen features?
 01/13/2008 04:08:09 PM · #7
I'm using Corel PSP X2 (for better or worse) and I don't think there is a Smart Sharpen. Is there an equivalent in PSP? What about the history brush?

Good feedback. I'm most intrigued by the idea of using a wide radius with a weak strength. I'll have to experiment.

Also, I never even considered sharpening after resize.
01/13/2008 04:29:53 PM · #8
Originally posted by idnic:
By the way, SmartSharpen works better than USM if you have CS2 or above.


I must be old skool, but I still use USM. I've tried working with Smart Sharpen, but it does not give me as much control as USM, and I wind up with results that I like less. The big thing that Smart Sharpen lacks, and the main reason why I didn't give it more of a chance, is that it does not have a threshold setting, so it increases the appearance of noise as it sharpens edges.
 01/13/2008 05:05:53 PM · #9
Originally posted by kirbic:
Originally posted by idnic:
By the way, SmartSharpen works better than USM if you have CS2 or above.


I must be old skool, but I still use USM. ...


I'm with you Kirbic. When CS2 came out, and everyone started raving about smart sharpen, I started using it for awhile, but I went back to USM too.
 01/13/2008 06:26:39 PM · #10
I stopped using USM and SmartSharpen once I learned how to sharpen with the High Pass filter of CS2/CS3 (it may be part of earlier versions, too).

01/13/2008 07:26:44 PM · #11
Originally posted by AperturePriority:
I stopped using USM and SmartSharpen once I learned how to sharpen with the High Pass filter of CS2/CS3 (it may be part of earlier versions, too).

Me too. Using it multiple times with different masks is the biggest plus to me.
 01/13/2008 10:08:00 PM · #12
I used smart sharpen for the first time today (after reading this) and I liked the results. I'm going to enter a challenge with it. With that said, I'm not too worried about noise because I have 3 images [yes yes, same subject :)] so noise wasn't a major factor.

Perhaps its like most photoshop tools and methods, some work better than others, but it depends on the photo and application.

Originally posted by kirbic:

I must be old skool, but I still use USM. I've tried working with Smart Sharpen, but it does not give me as much control as USM, and I wind up with results that I like less. The big thing that Smart Sharpen lacks, and the main reason why I didn't give it more of a chance, is that it does not have a threshold setting, so it increases the appearance of noise as it sharpens edges.
01/13/2008 11:25:46 PM · #13
I am just learning about high pass sharpening and like the results so far but find that noise in the darker areas can be accentuated. I am still working with it and comparing different methods and settings ...
 01/13/2008 11:50:17 PM · #14
I read a trick somewhere that works well for me. First, set the amount really high, like 300%, and the threshold to 0. That will exaggerate the effect of the radius setting. (The photo will look awful, but that will be fixed later.) Click the + in the dialog box to show the image at 200%, and click on a part of the photo with high detail. Now adjust the radius to maximize detail. Go slowly at first until you get used to it; start low and increase a bit at a time. You'll notice detail start to increase, but when it gets too high, the oversharpening will obliterate details. Back off slightly. Now that the radius is set, back the amount back to a more normal amount. Start at 100%, then go up or down to make the photo look its best.

If there is noise in the photo, sharpening will make it more visible. The threshold setting can help reduce this effect somewhat. Noise reduction techniques or tools, if used, should be done before sharpening.

If you will be printing the photo on paper other than high quality photo paper (e.g., matte or plain paper), make the amount larger than what looks right on the screen. You'll need to make some test prints to get it just right. The intent is to compensate for spreading of the ink when it hits the paper.

It should go without saying that artistic sensibility needs to be used. A photo with a nice soft feel will be ruined by the "optimal" amount of sharpening. Or intentional oversharpening can give the right photo a feeling of high detail (even though detail is actually lost in the process).
 01/13/2008 11:52:36 PM · #15
Originally posted by AperturePriority:
I stopped using USM and SmartSharpen once I learned how to sharpen with the High Pass filter of CS2/CS3 (it may be part of earlier versions, too).


High Pass has been around forever. It's my sharpener of choice. Especially useful on luminance channel in LAB color. Not legal in basic.

R.
 01/14/2008 05:43:28 AM · #16
I went through a phase of using the high pass fitler but find it makes images noisier than they otherwie would. I typically used it on soft light blending mode.

I also used Smart sharpen for a while but quickly didn't like the effect it had so just stuck with good ol' USM. I typically do a large one on say radius:20, amount:75, then do a finer one on radius: 85-130, amount: 1.0 - 1.5 depending on what's going on with the shot.

After the resize I tend to do a little USM at maybe 0.5 and 50.

I'll try that trick with the luminance channel though just to see what happens. I've never really ventured out of the sRGB color space.
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