Hi,

Since I am learning about 4 different N.R. plug-ins, I wonder if anyone has any experience with sharpening plug-ins for CS3? My complaint with USM is trying to sharpen an image that is in need of much sharpening gives me halos and an over-processed look. Are their plug-ins that can get the results I am looking for without the drawbacks?

Thanks,

Jim

CS3 Smart Sharpen works well. Sharpen on a separate layer and erase away the areas you do not want to be sharp to draw your attention to a part of the photo. for people do just the eyes, mouth maybe hair..

In the end for final print sharpening I let Qimage handle the printing and it does a great job. Actually its sharpening as well as final print sharpening do wonderful when I wish to sharpen the entire photo and not do it selectively.

Depending on your camera body and other subjective factors you will need to find your settings. With my 1D III it takes a fair bit of sharpening and I usually start with smart sharpen Radius 1, 150%. Make sure more accurate is checked and preview at 100% for the halos..

I recommend everyone at least try PhotoKit Sharpener. It was the late Bruce Fraser's baby, and it works beautifully. It's also perhaps the most reasonably-priced sharpening utility.

If you don't click with PK Sharpener, Nik's Sharpener Pro is also working quite well these days.

No tool is a replacement for getting sharpness at capture time, though—if you have images in need of sharpening because of technical faults (missed focus, camera shake, awful lenses, etc.), ain't nothin' gonna fix that.

I like FM's Intellisharpen. Only problem I have now is that I have not been able to move the program from PS CS3 to CS4.

Ultra Sharpen Pro and its free

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&extid=1695031

Read this and the plugin will make more sense

http://www.pixelgenius.com/tips/schewe-sharpening.pdf

Another vote for PK Sharpener.

Just about any sharpener is going give you halos if you over process. Some of the best advice I read was after you think you have it sharpened, back down a notch or two. There is a tendency to over sharpen and it seems to happen the more one works on an image, been there done that.
Smart sharpen inside PS3 is good also and it's already there. You can read up on it in the help menu.

Gil_W wrote:
Another vote for PK Sharpener.

Some of the best advice I read was after you think you have it sharpened, back down a notch or two.


Although for printing rather than computer display this may not be the thing to do.

every proper sharpening tool will give halos when overdone. that is what they are supposed to do.

i use Focus Fixer because it was the very first easily available deconvolution sharpener. Smart Sharpen is a lighter weight deconvolution sharpening plugin and good enough for most uses. FocusFixer understands lens diffraction and AA filter effects and does some compensation for them.

Herb...

Gil_W wrote:
Just about any sharpener is going give you halos if you over process. Some of the best advice I read was after you think you have it sharpened, back down a notch or two.

I use Focus Magic for an initial sharpen.

Another vote for PK Sharpener.

Just an FYI, if you use Lightroom, both the capture and output sharpening technology of PK Sharpener have been incorporated into Lightroom. If I recall correctly, Jeff Schewe said that the sharpening was improved due to the fact Lightroom can factor in more information about resolution and size than PK Sharpener could as a plug-in.

Dave,

Thanks for the response. I really have not given Smart Sharpen that much of a chance. Perhaps I will try again and maybe look into Qimage.

Thanks,

Jim

Colin,

Thanks for the info. I downloaded Photokit Sharpener. It seems to be a very involved program. I have read through the 31 page guide and will try to use it this weekend. As for glass, I have some very nice glass and camera back, so I know that these are probably not a factor.

Thanks,

Jim

jjonsalt,

Thanks. I may look into it.

Jim

Hi John,

If the others do not pan out to my liking, I will look at Ultra Sharpen Pro.

Thanks,

Jim

Hi Gil,

I just downloaded PK Sharpener. Need to learn it and use it now to see if I like it.

Thanks,

Jim

Paul,

Yes, I should have been more specific. I primarily just print off my Epson 3800.

Thanks,

Jim

Herb,

I will look into FocusFixer. I was wondering if PK Sharpener compensated for the A.A. in my camera. I would think that would be important to any program before it knew how much sharpening to apply.

Thanks,

Jim

Jim,

I am not using Lightroom at this point. However, I did download a trial of PK Sharpener the other day.

Thanks,

Jim

J4644 wrote:
Hi Gil,

I just downloaded PK Sharpener. Need to learn it and use it now to see if I like it.

Thanks,

Jim


Here ya go:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/software/pk-sharpener.shtml

http://www.pixelgenius.com/sharpener/manual.html

Gil

Aaarrrggghhhhhhhh Vista

Aaarrrrrgggggghhhhh CS4