Improving the clarity of a photo in Photoshop. Sharpening in Adobe Camera Raw

Instructions

Open the photo in Photoshop and make a copy of it using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+J. In the future, all image correction actions must be performed on copies of the layer so that the main image does not suffer from unsuccessful changes.

Duplicate upper layer, using Ctrl+J again. In the Filter menu, in the Other group, find High Pass and set the radius to 0.5 pixels so that the outline of the image is barely visible from under the gray mask. Apply the Overlay blending mode to this layer and merge the layers with Ctrl+E.

If the image quality does not satisfy you, duplicate the top layer again and repeat the sharpening operation as many times as necessary. You can increase the filter radius a little.

Adjustment layer masks will help add clarity to the image. Click on the round black and white button at the bottom of the layers panel and select the Brightness/Contrast and Levels options. Carefully move the sliders to achieve optimal photo sharpness.

Click on the eye image next to the background layer to make it invisible. Merge visible layers using Shift+Ctrl+E.

It is possible that the original color scheme of the image has changed during processing. You can try to fix this by-effect using the Photo Filter tool from the Adjustments section of the Image menu. In this case, it is more convenient to use Warming Filter(81) to add the feeling of a warm sunny day.

Of the huge number of ways to sharpen a photo in Photoshop, I recommend you try this one. A little skill with layers is required. This method preserves all the details of the photo and does not spoil the image. To simplify the process of processing your photos, you can create an Action.

Step 1.

Opening the image in Photoshop

Step 2.

Increase the sharpness of a photo using the Sharpen filter Filter - Sharpen - Unsharp Mask

Step 3.

Double the image size. Image - Size

images (Image - Image Size). In my example, these are the dimensions:

Step 4.

Create a duplicate layer by pressing CTRL+J or dragging the layer onto the corresponding icon.

Step 5.

Apply to the duplicated layer Filter - Sharpening -

Sharpness + (Filter - Sharpen - Sharpen More).

Step 6.

Set the opacity of the duplicated layer to 40–60%

(depends on the number of small or large details in the picture). My opacity is:

Step 7

Merge the layers CNTRL+E and return the image size to its original size. Image - Image size (Image -Image

Size), enter the value 50%:

Step 8

Duplicate this layer and apply Filter - Sharpening

- Contour sharpening (Filter-Sharpen-Unsharp Mask)

And finally, change the transparency of the duplicated layer to 5–30%

(depends on the amount of small or large details in the photo and the selected sharpness in step 2)

Merge the layers and save the image.

Here is the result of our work.

Most, if not all, digital images require sharpening, even if taken with a DSLR. digital camera with mega resolution and high-precision sharpening. Most cameras or scanners have settings to increase sharpness, but even greater quality can be achieved using image editing software.

Sharpening in Adobe Photoshop CS2 allows you to set the level of sharpening, as well as the areas of the image to which it is applied. As for the image on the monitor screen, here “ what you see is what you get". However, if the image is intended for printing, then the picture on the screen is just a preview of the image.

In fact, the level of sharpness required for optimal quality images are usually slightly larger than what is needed to comfortably view the image on the screen. Especially when using LCD monitors (flat panels):

The best sharpening techniques are characterized by the ability to set priority areas for their application; in this case, you need to sharpen the eye area in the portrait, but leave the skin texture intact.

The basic concept of sharpening is to send on a mission " find and process» filter « Unsharp Mask" or "Smart Sharpening". The algorithms in these filters are programmed to make the light pixels on one side of any detected transition lighter, and the dark pixels on the other side darker.

You can think of this as localized contrast control. If you overdo these techniques, your images will appear radioactive (glow), if not enough, then people will need glasses to see the details.

The best sharpening techniques are those that prioritize areas for sharpening and leave smooth areas of the image unchanged, such as sharpening around the eyes, but leaving skin texture alone. These advanced techniques are basic when sharpening images that have been scanned from film or have excessive noise levels, and none of them need to be applied " Unsharp masks" So let's get started.

Note: If your devices have their own sharpening tools, it is important to disable them or set them to either minimum or very low value ( When using a Raw camera, set the clarity level to 0). The sharpening features of most cameras are often very primitive compared to the techniques described below.

It is also not recommended to process photographs that were saved in the JPEG format, which uses high degree compression and low quality settings. The sharpening process described below must be carried out directly last stage editing, that is, before this, the color and tones of the image must be adjusted. If the sharpening level is too high, you can reduce it a little later.

Method One: Color Contrast

Step 1

Duplicate the background layer and set the blending mode to Overlay. Select "Overlay" from the Blending Modes menu in the Layers palette.

Step 2

Select. Increase the Radius values in pixels until you reach the desired level of sharpness. A radius of 1.0 pixels for printing on glossy paper and 3.0 pixels for printing on matte paper will be sufficient:

Select Overlay from the blending modes menu and go to Filter - Other - Color Contrast:

In the dialog box " Colour contrast» Increase the pixel radius value until you reach the desired level of sharpness.

Note: You can later adjust the layer's opacity to adjust the level of sharpening. Color contrast"or set its blending mode to "Soft light" or "Hard light" to increase or decrease the level of sharpness.

Step 3

Click the Foreground color swatch in the Tools palette to open the Color Picker. In field " Hue/Saturation Enter 0 and 50% in the Brightness field to select gray midtones. Click "OK".

Paint over the layer " Color contrast" to remove areas where sharpening is not needed, such as skin tones, skies, etc. This method is especially useful for reducing noise or film grain:

Click the Foreground color swatch in the Tools palette to open the Color Picker:

In field " Hue/Saturation"Enter 0 and 50% - in the "Brightness" field:

This is a fragment of a portrait taken with Nikon D1x. RAW image sharpness has been increased by 15%. There is no sharpening in the first frame. On the second frame the layer " Color contrast"(radius 3 pixels) with the blending mode "Soft light". On the third frame, the layer's blending mode has been changed to Overlay.

On the fourth frame, sharpening was done using localized “ Unsharp masks"(100%) with the blending mode "Brightness". You can use the opacity setting to adjust the level of sharpness.

Step 4

Remember that the settings you use now when viewing will be used directly when printing. To complete the process, you need to print the image and then decide whether it needs further sharpening or whether the current level of sharpening is already excessive.

If this sharpening is excessive, you can reduce the opacity of the layer " Color contrast" Alternatively, you can try switching the layer's blending mode " Color contrast" to "Soft Light" to reduce sharpness, or "Hard Light" to increase.

Saturation and Sharpness

Most methods for increasing image contrast have a domino effect that results in increased color saturation. How to apply a filter " Colour contrast", and the filter " Unsharp Mask”, often cause a problem such as an increase in color saturation.

In general, you may not pay attention to this when editing images. But if you notice this after applying " Color contrast", I recommend using the following method to limit the consequences.

Pay attention to the appearance of a colored fringe after applying " Color contrast».

Method two: Unsharp Mask / Smart Sharpen

The second method is an extension of the first and is intended to solve the problem of increasing color saturation, causing effect colored edging. If you use a merged layer to increase sharpness and switch its blending mode to “Brightness”, the effect of excessive color saturation is leveled out.

This option illustrates how the benefits of localized sharpening and brightness sharpening can be combined into one method.