USM in Elements 8

Ian W

Ian W

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Name
Ian
Edit My Images
Yes
Evening all

I had taken a fair number of shots on my D40x at my girlfriend's graduation yesterday and am sort of struggling with the very last stage of editing....sharpening.

I've adjusted levels, vibrance, contrast etc where needed (all imo of course) but I haven't mastered sharpening my images in the slightest.

I know that there is an 'autosharpen' which I could use, however I'd rather learn how to do it properly. The USM seems to be a more subtle way of doing it with adjustable parameters and possibly the way to go?

My question is, what sort of parameters should I be using when utilising the USM?

Thanks for all your help in advance, guys.

Ian
 
Try
Amount 125%
Radius 1
Threshold 3 (lower the number the more sharpening).

There are other sharpening methods.
High Pass Sharpening tutorial in here is good.
 
High Pass Sharpening tutorial here, Ian:-

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=28733

Don't be afraid to experiment with the values.

Another one worth a look at is:-

Cntrl J to duplicate background layer
Enhance menu - Unsharp mask
Use the basic settings suggested above - OK
Layers palette - change blend mode from Normal to Luminosity
Layers tab at top of window - flyout menu - Flatten image
Save it.

That one is good for avoiding sharpening halos.
 
Meant to say, Ian, after
Use the basic settings suggested above - OK
Layers palette - change blend mode from Normal to Luminosity

If, after that step, sharpening looks excessive drag the opacity slider back to somewhere between 40% and 70%.
 
arclight said:
Meant to say, Ian, after
Use the basic settings suggested above - OK
Layers palette - change blend mode from Normal to Luminosity

If, after that step, sharpening looks excessive drag the opacity slider back to somewhere between 40% and 70%.
Click to expand...

Okay, slight problem with this.

The sharpening looked a tad harsh but it turns out that the only layer I'm using is the original image i.e. 'background' and this cannot be adjusted in the way mentioned?

Should I have made a duplicate layer at a particular point? (as you can guess, I've no idea what a normal 'process' should be when it comes to PP).

:thinking:

Thanks

Ian
 
Ian W said:
Okay, slight problem with this.

The sharpening looked a tad harsh but it turns out that the only layer I'm using is the original image i.e. 'background' and this cannot be adjusted in the way mentioned?

Should I have made a duplicate layer at a particular point? (as you can guess, I've no idea what a normal 'process' should be when it comes to PP).

:thinking:

Thanks

Ian
Click to expand...

Duplicate layer is the first thing you do ........... Cntrl J (you'll see it appear below the original layer on the right)

Now apply unsharp mask (under Enhance menu)

Go to the Layers palette on the right (it will say Normal). Click on the tiny arrow to open the drop down menu and select Luminosity (right at the bottom)

Drag the Opacity slider back to abot 65%.

Now go to Layer at the top of the page. Click on that then Flatten.

Now go to File and Save As (put in a name for your file)

You'll be given the option of the quality to use (I always use the best possible)
 
Absolutely perfect, Dougie. Thanks very much for all your help (y)
 
I've found shooting in RAW and using the clarity function in Elements really brings out the detail. High pass is then good to bring out the sharpness in specific parts, like eyes.
 
Brilliant stuff, most helpful, thanks (y)
 
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