ACR 4.3: Clarity and Masking Controls???

Richard

More ACR questions: What exactly does the clarity slider do in the basic panel? It seems to change the saturation some, but I don't know how it differs from the saturation and vibrance controls. When do you use which?

Another question: There is a slider named Masking in the sharpening panel. I mucked with it some, but couldn't really see what it does. So what's it for and when do you use it?

BTW, if you know of any good online references for ACR, I'd love to see them. I did try Google before posting this, but got tired of following false leads.

Thanks,

Rhuarc

From my understanding the Clarity slider does a sort of Local Contrast Enhancement, similar to the effect that you could acheive in Photoshop using the Unsharp Mask. Here is a tutorial that Luminous Landscape did on LCE. It's a pretty neat feature, and something that I do to pretty much all of my shots now. I have an Import preset in Lightroom set with the Clarity at 50. It just makes allmost all shots look a little sharper with more pop.

Regarding the masking slider, no idea!

colourbox

rsinmadrid wrote:

Another question: There is a slider named Masking in the sharpening panel. I mucked with it some, but couldn't really see what it does. So what's it for and when do you use it?

Masking is an easy-to-use implementation of the edge masking technique advocated by Bruce Fraser. I have a really long Photoshop action that does the same thing, and was overjoyed to see Adobe turn it into one slider.

If you want to know about ACR 4.1, this is the definitive article to read.

pathfinder

Richard,

Clarity is a way of increasing mid-range contrast, while a mask in the background prevents changes in both the upper and lower quarter-tones. AT least that is my understanding. As such, it is very useful to add a little punch to images captured in flat lighting. Just don't over do it.


To use sharpening in ARC 43., you really MUST look at the image at 100% or greater.

If you do this ( it is kind of a little secret otherwise), the image goes to B/W if you hold down the ALT/OPT key, and you can actually see the mask that is limiting your sharpening effects.

This Capture Sharpening tool was really not much use in PSCS2, but in ACR4.3 it is the cat's pajamas ( that's a really good thing )
Jeff Schewe suggests doing your capture sharpening in ARC 4.3 now, and I fully agree with him, and do it for each image. (I watched him do this in the video "From Camera to Print" sold on the Luminous Landscape.)

Jeff Schewe describes using this really well in ARC PSCS3 Real World - the book that Bruce Fraser wrote until his death, and the Jeff Schewe recently finished.

But the trick is that you MUST be viewing the image at 100% or greater, and holding down the Option key. This is also true for adjusting the sharpening amount or detail, etc. The image shifts to B&W and you can see what you are doing to the image real time.

Give it a try, Richard, I think you will like it just like I do.

Like you, until I saw this trick, I never understood what use the Sharpening area was in ACR

arodney

Clarity is an offshoot of this technique of Mac Holbert's (Nash Editions):

Midtone Contrast

1. Highlight your top layer in your Layers Palette then:

2a. In CS I: Select Layer->New->Layer to create a new, blank layer at the top of your Layer Stack. Then, holding down
your Opt Key (Mac) / Alt Key (PC), select Merge Visible from the fly-down menu on the right side of your Layers Palette.
Be sure to keep the Opt/Alt depressed until you see the blank layer update. You should now have an additional layer at the
top of your layer stack. It represents how the image would appear if you had flattened your layers. Rename this layer
“Midtone Contrast”
-OR-
2b. In CS II: Holding down your Opt Key (Mac) / Alt Key (PC), select Merge Visible from the fly-down menu on the right
side of your Layers Palette. Be sure to keep the Opt / Alt depressed until you see the blank layer update. You should now
have an additional layer at the top of your layer stack. It represents how the image would appear if you had flattened your
layers. Rename this layer “Midtone Contrast”



3. Ne xt double-click on the Midtone Contrast layer icon to bring up the Layer Style Palette. Change the Blend Mode to
Overlay and lower the Blend Mode Opacity to 20%. Now move the left “This Layer” slider to 70. Now Split away the left
side of that slider by holding down the Opt / Alt key and move it to 50. Repeat the same process on the right “This Layer”
slider, moving the sliders to 185 and 205 respectively. Then select “OK”.

4. Now select Filter->Other->High Pass. In the High Pass Palette set the radius to 50 and select “OK”. Now select Image-
>Adjustments->Desaturate. The Midtone Contrast layer is now complete. At 20% opacity it should be very subtle, but
noticable. The effect can be decreased or increased by raising or lowering the Midtone Contrast Layer opacity. I’ve found
that the proper setting can usually be found between 20% and 40% opacity. Above 40% one risks creating “halo” artifacts
that are visually distracting.


Of course, whenever you can do this kind of work at the rendering stage instead of at the pixel stage in Photoshop, the better. But this works well (make an action) for use in Photoshop for all those existing pixel based images that need the contrast boost.

Sam

Pathfinder,

I tried to see the mask, but alas, no success. I am using a PC. Is this secret keystroke, fondling only a MAC thing?

Sam

colourbox

On a PC you press Alt instead of Option.
On either platform, you must be viewing at 100% or higher.

pathfinder

What Colourbox said, Sam.

Hold down the alt/opt key with the image at 100% or greater, and mouse the Mask slider, and you will see the image go to B&W. As you slide the Mask slider, farther to the right, the image will display white along the edges of borders, and black in between. The areas of white will have sharpening carried out, and the areas of black will have no sharpening performed - the mask is blocking the sharpening effect.

Play with the Mask slider while holding down the opt/alt key and sliding the Masking slider back and forth and it will quickly begin to make sense, Sam.

Richard

Thanks so much, everyone. Very clear explanations and useful links. Excellent. Now I understand what to look for.

Cheers,

susanbudge

arodney wrote:

Of course, whenever you can do this kind of work at the rendering stage instead of at the pixel stage in Photoshop, the better.

I love this technique, thanks for posting it. Sorry to be a bit dim but could you explain further the bit I've quoted?

Susan

susanbudge

Thanks arodney, I've now seen you've explained that in the "colour check?" thread, just ignore me