Sharpening without funny edges

JeroenJeroen Registered Users Posts: 447 Major grins
edited June 30, 2006 in Finishing School
Ever used "Unsharp mask" and had those funny edges around your colours? Here's a way to avoid that.

- Convert from RGB to LAB colours.
- Use "Unsharp mask", but only on the "Lightness" channel. This way you won't touch your colours.
- Move back to RGB.

Have fun,
Jeroen
Flickr | Website

Comments

  • arroyosharkarroyoshark Registered Users Posts: 191 Major grins
    edited June 27, 2006
    I have been using the "high pass" sharpening method more and more. I like the results of that because it looks only for edges and doesn't sharpen all pixels. You might try that sometime too. You find it in CS2 under Filters>Other>High Pass. Create a duplicate layer of image. I usually use a setting of 10. Turns your image into a sort of embossed gray image. Use blending mode to change the layer to soft light. Bingo.
    Available light is any damn light that's available -W. Eugene Smith
  • mercphotomercphoto Registered Users Posts: 4,550 Major grins
    edited June 27, 2006
    Jeroen wrote:
    Ever used "Unsharp mask" and had those funny edges around your colours? Here's a way to avoid that.

    - Convert from RGB to LAB colours.
    - Use "Unsharp mask", but only on the "Lightness" channel. This way you won't touch your colours.
    - Move back to RGB.

    Fred Miranda has sharpening plug-ins that also offer "haloless" sharpening. I am not sure, but I believe that works by asymetrically sharpening the edge. In other words, making a much darker dark side and a not so white light side to the edge. Its that white side to edge sharpening that becomes distracting to the eye.
    Bill Jurasz - Mercury Photography - Cedar Park, TX
    A former sports shooter
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  • JeroenJeroen Registered Users Posts: 447 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2006
    arroyoshark wrote:
    I have been using the "high pass" sharpening method more and more. I like the results of that because it looks only for edges and doesn't sharpen all pixels. You might try that sometime too. You find it in CS2 under Filters>Other>High Pass. Create a duplicate layer of image. I usually use a setting of 10. Turns your image into a sort of embossed gray image. Use blending mode to change the layer to soft light. Bingo.

    I know that method, but I found that with the LAB-way, the quality of your colours stay better.
    Flickr | Website
  • KodachromeKodachrome Registered Users Posts: 47 Big grins
    edited June 30, 2006
    ...no lab colour
    Jeroen wrote:
    ...with the LAB-way, the quality of your colours stay better.

    That sounds like good fix...I have noticed that...if I get a bit to heavy handed.

    At what level of Photoshop do you get LAB Colour...I have 5.5 and under File/Colour Settings/ I have RGB Setup, CMYK Setup, Grayscale Setup, Profile Setup...maybe 5.5 does not have that or am I missing something?

    I almost did not ask...if it is there I will feel like such a yelrotflmao.gif
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited June 30, 2006
    I have 7.0 still on my machine (along with my PSCS, so I did not have to try and load the plugins into CS) and it has lab under the mode tab.......
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • giggleSNAPSgiggleSNAPS Registered Users Posts: 24 Big grins
    edited June 30, 2006
    When I use the High Pass filter (I also prefer this to the "unsharp mask", which seems to make my images more grainy), I first duplicate the layer, then go to "layers", where I click "overlay". Then I go to filters>high pass. If this creates any area that is too sharp (ie. a place that was already showing some "noise"), I will then lasso around that area with a feather of about 20 or so....then go to edit>cut. After I'm satisfied, I'll then merge layers. This method works miracles for me!
    Heather
    http://gigglesnaps.smugmug.com/
  • mwgricemwgrice Registered Users Posts: 383 Major grins
    edited June 30, 2006
    Art Scott wrote:
    I have 7.0 still on my machine (along with my PSCS, so I did not have to try and load the plugins into CS) and it has lab under the mode tab.......

    As far as I can tell it was introduced with Photoshop 5. Dan Margulis' Professional Photoshop 5 book discusses it (at least from what I read on Amazon).
    So give what Art suggests here a try, Kodachrome.
  • JeroenJeroen Registered Users Posts: 447 Major grins
    edited June 30, 2006
    giggleSNAPS wrote:
    When I use the High Pass filter (I also prefer this to the "unsharp mask", which seems to make my images more grainy), I first duplicate the layer, then go to "layers", where I click "overlay". Then I go to filters>high pass. If this creates any area that is too sharp (ie. a place that was already showing some "noise"), I will then lasso around that area with a feather of about 20 or so....then go to edit>cut. After I'm satisfied, I'll then merge layers. This method works miracles for me!
    You're editting the actual layer here. Try using layer masks. That will give you better control and flexibility.

    Good luck, Jeroen
    Flickr | Website
  • retroretro Registered Users Posts: 303 Major grins
    edited June 30, 2006
    http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=9541
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