The Unsharp Mask Tool

[Collie_lover]

Hey you photoshop experts does the "unsharp mask" tool sharpen photos or blur them?

I have been using it and i think it is sharpening my images alittle but i am confused about it's name!

To get a photo to be crisply sharp is the unsharp mask tool the one to use?

thanks!

[Freckles]

Hey you photoshop experts does the "unsharp mask" tool sharpen photos or blur them?

Now firstly I'm no expert so my answers don't count as expert opinions, they're just my own opinions from tinkering with PS

When I use it on furred animal photos it definitely sharpens up the image so much you can almost see the individual hairs, so I say it sharpens

I have been using it and i think it is sharpening my images alittle but i am confused about it's name!

Can't help you with why its called that? I just use it cause it works

To get a photo to be crisply sharp is the unsharp mask tool the one to use?

If you are happy with the effects you are getting then yes it's the one to use. But I will be interested to see what other suggestions might be given by others as I don't venture out side of a handful of features and I know I'm missing out on a heap of cool tricks and techniques.

thanks!

Your welcome, sorry had to answer that too

[Gayle.]

Yes, it sharpens them. It's based on a darkroom technique of overlaying a transparency with an identical one and shifting it just very slightly to improve the edge sharpness......masking an "unsharp" image to make it sharper.

It can also be used to improve contrast in your image.

If you would like a tutorial on a very basic unsharp mask technique, pm me with your email address and I'll send one to you.

[Ripley]

I read a quick way of doing it is to crank it right up and then select the 'fade' command from the drop down menu and lessen the strength to your taste how it affects the image. I haven't sharpened any shots yet as I loathe image editing (because I am lazy and hate spending time on photos, I like taking them, I hate resizing, cropping etc).

[Collie_lover]

Yes, it sharpens them. It's based on a darkroom technique of overlaying a transparency with an identical one and shifting it just very slightly to improve the edge sharpness......masking an "unsharp" image to make it sharper.

It can also be used to improve contrast in your image.

If you would like a tutorial on a very basic unsharp mask technique, pm me with your email address and I'll send one to you.

I have found that using this techique darkens the image which is why it is probably a "darkroom technique". Is there anyway to sharpen without darkening the image? Even if I life the saturation it's just not quite the same.

[rubiton]

Thanks for the explanation GayleK - I too had wondered why its called an unsharp mask.

I haven't found any problems with the image getting darker though - to me the image gets a little grainier (but it does help on enlargements of an image thats 95 per cent ok and looks fine small but not as good bigger).

[Gayle.]

If it's making the image darker, you don't have the correct values set. Make a duplicate layer of your background and use the unsharp mask tool on the layer. Use values of 120, 0.4, 0. If it's too sharp (jagged edges) fade the opacity of the layer a little. To remove the jagged whiskers you often get on animals, apply a layer mask and brush back gently to the orginal just in those areas.

[Guest Tess32]

It definitely shouldn't darken the image?

[Ripley]

I'm converting some RAW files from a roadtrip we took last month so need to sharpen them a bit after I convert them to jpeg. I've used this method:

Create a duplicate layer and select the unsharp mask tool.

Radius setting of 1 pixel, threshhold setting 1.

Then I've cranked it up fairly high to around 70-80% and then, to fade the effect as it's too much, I change the duplicate layer's blending mode in the drop down menu on the layer palette to 'Luminosity' and reduced the strength of the effect to around 40%. I found this works best for landscapes, no idea how it goes on wildlife, I'm not up to those photos yet!

I copied the above from a camera magazine I have and it gives a subtle sharpening effect. If I shoot in jpeg, I don't bother, but RAW files need some sharpening.

Edited February 16, 2008 by Ripley