Part Focus

canon400d

Mmmm Can anyone please tell me in Photoshop CS4 if it is possible to bring into focus part of an image using Unsharp Mask or High Pass without affecting the rest of the image. If so, I would appreciate the procedure.
Regards
Bob

kdog

canon400d wrote:

Mmmm Can anyone please tell me in Photoshop CS4 if it is possible to bring into focus part of an image using Unsharp Mask or High Pass without affecting the rest of the image. If so, I would appreciate the procedure.
Regards
Bob

Yes, it's possible. Tutorial here: http://rohirrim.smugmug.com/gallery/1212902/1

canon400d

kdog wrote:

Yes, it's possible. Tutorial here: http://rohirrim.smugmug.com/gallery/1212902/1

Thanks once again Kdog just what I was looking for - great stuff.
Regards
Bob

canon400d

canon400d wrote:

Thanks once again Kdog just what I was looking for - great stuff.
Regards
Bob

I sincerely apologise but I have followed those steps by the letter and I do not find any way to change sharpness in a particular area. I am obviously doing something wrong. Sorry.
Regards
Bob

pathfinder

Bob, all you do is ctrl-j to duplicate your image. Click on your upper image, and sharpen it globally as desired with Unsharp Mask, High pass or whatever.

Click on the layer mask button in your palette, and paint on the layer mask with black paint where you do not want the sharpening to be seen, and white where you want the sharpening to occur. You can then adjust the opacity slider to taste.

You know how to do layer masks, that's all that is needed.

kdog

canon400d wrote:

I sincerely apologise but I have followed those steps by the letter and I do not find any way to change sharpness in a particular area. I am obviously doing something wrong. Sorry.
Regards
Bob

Then you missed a step. That is exactly the way I've been doing selective sharpening for a few years. It's basically like what Pathfinder indicated, however he starts with a completely sharpened image and removes areas of sharpening using a black brush, while I prefer to start with an unsharpened image and paint the sharpening on using the white brush. Either way works.

-joel

canon400d

kdog wrote:

Then you missed a step. That is exactly the way I've been doing selective sharpening for a few years. It's basically like what Pathfinder indicated, however he starts with a completely sharpened image and removes areas of sharpening using a black brush, while I prefer to start with an unsharpened image and paint the sharpening on using the white brush. Either way works.

-joel

Thanks Pathfinder and Joel I am pleased to say I have cracked it.
Regards to you both

Bob

pathfinder

kdog wrote:

Then you missed a step. That is exactly the way I've been doing selective sharpening for a few years. It's basically like what Pathfinder indicated, however he starts with a completely sharpened image and removes areas of sharpening using a black brush, while I prefer to start with an unsharpened image and paint the sharpening on using the white brush. Either way works.

-joel

As I am sure you know, Joel, whether I paint it on or off with a black or white brush, depends on how big an area I want the sharpening to cover... I almost always mask out a sky if I am doing significant sharpening.

kdog

pathfinder wrote:

As I am sure you know, Joel, whether I paint it on or off with a black or white brush, depends on how big an area I want the sharpening to cover... I almost always mask out a sky if I am doing significant sharpening.

Yup! I guess I was speaking from my reference of shooting wildlife where usually (and sadly) the subject only occupies a relatively small portion of the frame. I don't usually think of using selective sharpening in a landscape, but that's not a bad idea now that you mention it.

Cheers,
-joel