Sharpening - at what stage ??

[steven:s]

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Hi,

 

I have read/been told conflicting things re sharpening. Some say its better to do before commencing adjustments in Lightroom while other say it should be done as the last step once everything is done. Perhaps its a combination of both. Can anyone set me straight on this? Thanks kindly.

[Walt Calahan]

I've always done sharpening as the very last step, but I'm just a parrot of what I've been told for years.

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[01af]

To sharpen only as the last step is advice from the stone age of digital image processing. Today, sharpening is divided into several phases The first is capture sharpening (not necessarily the first step but early in the workflow, usually supported by raw converters), the last is output sharpening (the last step in image-processing), and creative sharpening is in-between and optional.

 

The parameters of capture sharpening depend on the camera (resolution, strength of anti-aliasing filter) and on the image content. The parameters of output sharpening depend on the output device and on the size of the final image. The parameters of creative sharpening depend on your intents and imagination. Modern raw converters and image processors (including Lightroom 2 and Lightroom 3) support this multi-phase sharpening workflow originally invented, explored, and introduced by the unforgotten Bruce Fraser.

[ptarmigan]

I think a lot depends on which converter and which camera you use. I used to use a little capture sharpening when shooting with the D2x but never with the M8. In general though, I believe that sharpening is best left to at or near the end and needs careful and considered application. Then finally you sharpen for output - web, printing etc.

 

All the above relates to RAW capture though, I'd be very very careful of over-sharping jpegs created in-camera, not that I ever shoot jpeg myself.

[250swb]

I use a tiny amount of capture sharpening just to make the image nice to look at while I do any post processing. But all my edited files are saved as TIFF's and no sharpening is done at all until I size the image for printing or the web. These get saved as separate images in sub-folders. You simply can't expect the same level of sharpening needed for a 20"x16" print to be suitable for a 3"x2" web photo for instance.

 

For JPEG capture I would have sharpening turned off in the camera and do it in post processing.

 

Steve

[01af]

You simply can't expect the same level of sharpening needed for a 20" × 16" print to be suitable for a 3" × 2" web photo for instance.

You can, and you should. That's the point—as far as capture sharpening is concerned, that is.

 

Of course, output sharpening must be taylored to the different output devices and output sizes. Capture sharpening must not.

[250swb]

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You can, and you should. That's the point—as far as capture sharpening is concerned, that is.

 

Of course, output sharpening must be taylored to the different output devices and output sizes. Capture sharpening must not.

 

I thought that was what I said??

 

Steve

[tobey bilek]

01af said it all. So ditto.

 

The setting I use in ACR is 70, point 7 radius, 0 threshold. Cameras without AA filter are mush less.

 

Setting for final JPEG is done by looking at a print, not a computer screen that can not come close to the resolution of a print.

 

As someone suggested above, three folders, original, photoshop, and final JPEG which is made from the "master" photoshop file fresh for each size.