The main methods of blurring in Photoshop - theory and practice. Unsharp masking in Photoshop. The negative side of sharpness

(Optional) If the image contains multiple layers, select the image layer to work with that you want to sharpen. You can only apply the Unsharp Mask filter to one layer at a time, even if the layers are linked or grouped. You can merge layers before applying the Unsharp Mask filter.

Choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. Make sure the View option is selected.

Note.

Click and hold the mouse button in the preview window to see the image without sharpening. You can see different parts of the image in the preview window using drag and drop, and the "+" or "-" buttons control the image scale.

Although the Sharpening dialog box has its own preview window, it's best to move the dialog box so that the results of the filter can be seen in the document window.

To determine the number of pixels around the pixels around the edges that are filtered, drag the Radius slider or enter a value. The larger the radius value, the wider the edge effects spread. The wider the outline effect is, the more the increased sharpness will be visible.

The radius value may vary depending on the taste of the user, as well as the size of the final reproduction and the output method. Radius values ​​of 1 and 2 are generally recommended for high-resolution images. A smaller value only sharpens the pixels of the outlines themselves, while a larger value increases the sharpening over a wider area of ​​pixels. This effect is not as noticeable in print as it is on screen, because a two-pixel radius takes up less space in a high-resolution printed image.

To set the amount of pixel contrast enhancement, drag the Effect slider, or enter an appropriate value. For images that are printed at high resolution, values ​​between 150% and 200% are generally recommended.

Specify the difference by which the pixels in question will be recognized, compared to surrounding pixels, as outlines for further processing by the filter. To do this, drag the slider for the Threshold parameter or enter an appropriate value. For example, a threshold of 4 means processing all pixels whose tone values ​​on a scale from 0 to 255 differ by 4 units or more. Thus, adjacent pixels with values ​​128 and 129 will not be processed. To avoid noise or posterization (for example, in images with skin tones), it is recommended to use an edge mask or try to set a threshold value between 2 and 20. The default threshold value (0) means to sharpen the entire image.

Photos taken with most digital cameras sometimes lack sharpness. This happens even with pictures taken with a high-end camera that has a high-resolution display. A solid understanding of the sharpening process and applying it in Photoshop is essential to creating perfect focus and sharp images.

What is digital sharpening?

Sharpening is the process of enhancing the outline of an object. To sharpen a digital image means to sharpen the edges of an image or objects. The sharpening process is carried out by enhancing the contrast between light and dark pixels. This edge contrast is defined within neighboring pixels or an adjacent group of pixels. Edge contrast is also known as local contrast or sharpness. Sharpening sharpens edges by increasing contrast and creates sharper transitions between light and dark pixels, showing the beginning and end of an object.

Why is sharpness necessary?

Every photograph needs to be sharpened to bring out details, otherwise they may be lost when the image is transferred from the camera to a computer or when printed. Sharpening works by increasing contrast at the edges of an image to improve focus and detail. It doesn't matter if you got the image from a digital camera or from a scanner, sharpening it will make it more expressive.

The negative side of sharpness

Sharpness cannot compensate for poor focus. Also, no amount of sharpening will make up for the depth of an image. The best way to get sharp photo is to take a photograph. Nothing can replace an optically sharp image.

Another thing is applying filters that change pixels. Keep in mind that sharpening cannot fix a very blurry image. Be careful: over-sharpening will create a very rough texture in the image, as well as jagged edges and shadows. Sharpening can also add damaged pixels or artifacts, and color fringing or ghosting to an image.

Before you start

I left links to images at the beginning of the tutorial if you want to follow my directions exactly. I advise you to use your own images to get a clear understanding of sharpening principles. This lesson is more exploration than step-by-step instruction. So don't focus on the process or steps to achieve a certain effect, think more about why we use sharpening. How can we use the same principles in other projects? What are the benefits?

Common Sharpening Methods

We will always start by duplicating the background layer - this way we will guarantee a non-destructive effect on the image. Later, if we don't like the result, we can delete this layer, make a copy again and start over. After adding sharpening, you can control the effect of the sharpening effect of the layer by adding a pixel mask. In addition, you can adjust the sharpening effect using the layer's opacity or blend modes.

Sharpening with Smart Filters

You can sharpen without duplicating the background layer. Open the photo and right on the background layer go to the menu Filter ? Convert For Smart Filters and click OK. Photoshop automatically converts the layer into a Smart Object that you can apply the Smart Filter to.

The Smart Object will retain the original content of the image with all of its original characteristics, allowing for harmless editing of the layer. To expand or collapse the smart filter menu, click on the small black triangle next to the smart filter icon that appears on the right side of the smart object layer. There you will see a mask that is connected to the filter. Use it to selectively mask the effects of the smart filter. It works just like a normal pixel mask on a layer.

The advantage of smart filters is that you don't have to use a separate layer mask. In this tutorial, we'll take a look at the traditional approach of duplicating the background layer and then applying a filter to it. But don't be afraid to use smart objects and then add smart filters to them.

Sharpening tools in Photoshop

Let's take a look at some of the sharpening tools available in Photoshop.

Sharpen Tool

Tool Sharpness (Sharpen Tool) is in the toolbar.

Sharpening filters

The filter menu contains several sharpening filters: Smart Sharpen, Unsharp Mask, Sharpen, Sharpen More and Sharpen Edges.

Another powerful filter that is used for sharpening is High Pass and is in the Others category.

Sharpen Tool

The sharpening tools increase the contrast around the edges of an object, thereby increasing overall sharpness Images. The more you paint over an area of ​​an image with this tool, the sharper it will be. The main advantage of this tool is that you can use it on any part of the image just like the Brush Tool.

Using the Sharpen Tool

Open the face image in Photoshop. Right click on the background layer and select Duplicate layer. Name the duplicate "Sharpen" and select the Sharpen Tool.

In the property bar at the top of the screen, select the soft brush and change the blend mode of this tool to Luminosity. Check the box next to Protect Detail and Sample All Layers to sharpen details and reduce pixel artefacts. Now draw the Sharpen Tool over the details you want to sharpen.

For this image, we're using the Sharpen Tool at 100% opacity, but ideally, start with a low opacity and gradually increase it.

Since the Sharpen Tool creates a halo effect (halo) or colored fringing around the edges, change its mode to Luminosity. This mode will only use brightness information and skip color information.

The screenshot below shows the fringing after using the Sharpen Tool in Normal mode - it was reduced when using Luminosity mode.

Category filters Sharpen

Sharpening filters improve the focus of blurry images by increasing the contrast of nearby pixels. Let's take a look at each of these filters one by one.

Preparation before applying filters

Never apply filters directly to the image itself. Always duplicate an image by copying the background layer and apply a filter on the created copy. The advantage of this method is that in the future we can experiment with different blending modes, as well as add a mask to the duplicate layer to control the sharpening effect.

Using the Sharpen and Sharpen More filters

The Sharpen filter enhances sharpness by enhancing the contrast of adjacent pixels. The Sharpen More filter performs the same operation but is more powerful. Both of these filters have no parameters and are executed immediately.

Applying Sharpen and Sharpen More filters

Select the layer you want to sharpen and go to the Filter ? sharpen? Sharpen/Sharpen More. To enhance the filter effect, press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F.

Sharpen Edges Filter

This filter finds areas in the image where there are significant color changes or sharpens them. It only works on the edges and keeps the overall smoothness of the image. The disadvantage of this filter is that it works in automatic mode and cannot be configured.

Using the Sharpen Edges filter

Select the layer to which you will apply the filter and enter the menu Filter ? sharpen? Sharpen Edges.

Smart Sharpen filter

The Smart Sharpen filter uses the same algorithm as the Unsharp Mask filter. It allows you to remove previously added blur from the Gaussian Blur, Lens Blur and Motion Blur filters. You can adjust the sharpness settings or control the amount of sharpening in dark and light areas.

Using the Smart Sharpen filter

Open the fish image in Photoshop and duplicate the background layer. Go to the Filter menu? sharpen? smart sharpen. Enable the Basic option if it is not active and set the Amount parameter to 300%.

Set the Radius to 3px. Then, from the Remove drop-down list, select Lens Blur to remove camera lens blur. The Gaussian Blur item will give the same result as the Unsharp Mask, but the Lens Blur will give better detail.

Turn on the More Accurate option - it will give a more accurate sharpening effect. In fact, the More Accurate option is more or less similar to the Unsharp Mask filter.

Understanding Smart Sharpen Filter Options

In the options for this filter, you can adjust the sharpness of the dark and light areas using the Shadow and Highlight tabs. But first, you need to enable the Advanced option at the top of the window. There are three general settings for the Shadow and Highlight tabs: Fade Amount, Tonal Width and Radius.

Fade Amount

The Fade Amount parameter reduces the amount of sharpening separately in shadows and highlights. Great importance The Amount setting generally reduces the amount of finer detail in highlights and shadows that can be protected with the Fade Amount setting.

tonal width

This parameter determines which tonal value will be affected by the Fade Amount parameter. Smaller values ​​will only affect light highlights, while big values will affect a wide range of lights.

Radius

The Radius parameter determines the size of the shadow and light. Basically, it defines the number of data samples to be used in determining the Tonal Width.

Sharpening without shadow correction. Sharpness in the form of noise is visible in the dark areas of the image.

Sharpening with shadow correction. Use the Fade Amount option to remove noise from dark areas.

Sharpness without setting Highlights. Note that the noise is amplified in the light areas.

Sharpness with the Highlights setting. Noise can be removed from highlight areas by adjusting the Fade Amount.

Unsharp Mask Filter

The Unsharp Mask filter allows you to adjust the sharpening. It finds pixels that are different from others and then increases the contrast of the surrounding pixels. Basically, this is done by finding areas of high contrast between pixels and then emphasizing the difference between them.

Using the Unsharp Mask Filter

Open the face image in Photoshop and go to the Filter menu? sharpen? unsharp mask). In the window that opens, set the value of the Amount parameter to 50% and the Radius parameter to 1.0

Radius

Use the Radius parameter to define the width of the area around the found border. A small radius value means that the sharpening will be applied directly near the edges. A larger radius of field will affect the area away from the edge. For high resolution images, it is recommended to use a radius value between 1 and 3.

Amount

Adjusts the amount of contrast enhancement. To print high resolution images, the effect value should be between 150% and 200%.

Threshold

Sets the minimum value of the brightness and color levels that the filter defines as a border. For example, a threshold value of 2 levels affects all pixels that have tonal values ​​other than 2. That is, pixels with tonal values ​​of 10 and 12 will be affected, but pixels with tonal values ​​of 10 and 11 will not.

The default threshold value (0) sharpens all the pixels in the image. In addition, you must specify the radius of the area to which each pixel will be compared. The larger the radius, the greater the effects on the edges. In other words, if a pixel is darker than the areas that surround it, then adjacent areas of the image become lighter.

Conclusions:

When sharpening is applied to an image, a halo effect (color fringing or fringing) is created around the edges. The effects after applying the Unsharp Mask filter are more pronounced on screen than when printed in high resolution. If the image is to be sent for printing, you will have to determine the most appropriate settings by experience.

Sharpening control

1. Only sharpen a copy of the background layer of the image so that you can delete it and start over if necessary.
2. If you need to reduce noise in an image, do so before applying the sharpening filters.
3. Add sharpening to the image gradually. Use a small value for the Amount parameter each time.
4. The value of the Amount parameter varies depending on the output values ​​of the image.
5. Use a pixel mask to adjust the sharpness.

Case Study 1: Sharpening an Image Using Luma Mask

This method involves selecting the channel with the best contrast. Since each channel contains only grayscale information, we can eliminate unwanted color fringing or halo effects.

Step 1

Open the banana image and select a channel with good contrast in the Channels palette. Finding a channel with good contrast is important to get a good luma mask. In the banana image, the red channel shows good contrast between the banana and the background.

Step 2

Duplicate the red channel (Red) by dragging it to the channel creation icon at the bottom of the Channels palette (Channels). Alternatively, you can right-click on a channel and select Duplicate Channel. Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the red channel to select it.

Step 3

Go back to the layers palette, duplicate the background layer and name it "Sharpen". With the red channel active, enter the Select ? Inverse or press Ctrl + Shift + I to invert the selection. Then go to the "Sharpen" layer and add a mask to it by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the layers palette to create a mask based on this selection.

Step 4

Go back to the layer (click on the layer thumbnail next to the layer mask), go to the menu Filter ? sharpen? Unsharp Mask and in the window that opens, set the values ​​​​as in the screenshot. If necessary, you can use the Levels adjustment (Ctrl + L) on the copy of the red channel to increase the contrast. You can hide the oversharpening from the image by painting it on the mask with a soft black brush.

Case Study 2: High Pass Filter

First of all, let's find out how this filter works. It removes the low frequency details of the image while preserving the edges and smoothing other areas into the middle grey colour. After applying the filter, we'll change the layer's blend mode to Linear Light to use only the contrast information. This method of sharpening can be called harmless. In combination with a pixel mask, you can adjust the sharpening effect.

Step 1

Open the face image in Photoshop and duplicate the background layer (Ctrl + J). Rename the copy of the background layer to "Sharpen" and change the blend mode to Linear Light. This Blending Mode will darken or lighten colors by reducing or increasing brightness depending on dark, bright, or composite lighting. The purpose of this blending mode is to sharpen the edges of the image, making them more visible.

Step 2

Apply Filter ? Other? high pass. Experiment with the radius of the sharpening filter. With a low value, sharpening will only be added to the edges.

Step 3

Lower the opacity of the layer if the sharpening effect is too strong. If you want to make the sharpening effect stronger, duplicate the layer it was applied to. To control the sharpening effect, add a pixel mask to the filter layer and use a soft black brush to paint on it those areas where this effect needs to be weakened.

Using smart filters

For those who use smart filters, working with the High Pass filter looks a little different.

Step 1

Open the face image in Photoshop, select the desired layer and convert it to a Smart Object via the Filter ? Convert For Smart Filters. Then, apply a Filter ? Other? high pass.

Step 2

We need to change the blend mode to Linear Light and we didn't duplicate the background layer. On the right side of the "Layer 0" layer, click on the small arrow to reveal the panel with the High Pass filter hidden in it. Next to the filter is a small slider icon, double-clicking on it will open the Blending Option (High Pass) window.

In the window that opens, change the blending mode to Linear Light, and if you double-click on the name of the applied filter (High Pass), a window will open in which you can change its parameters. To control the effect of a filter, use its mask. It works just like a pixel layer mask.

Conclusion

You may be interested in this question: which of the considered ways to add sharpness to an image is best? Unfortunately, there is no better way. The best way depends on the complexity of the project, the level of experience of the user and the amount of time that he is willing to spend on the work. The most common method is to apply the Unsharp Mask filter in combination with the Luminosity blend mode. It provides great flexibility and ease of use.

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Translated from the site psd.fanextra.com, the author of the translation is indicated at the beginning of the lesson.

About Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular raster graphics processing packages. Despite the high price, the program is used by up to 80% of professional designers, photographers, computer graphics artists. Thanks to its huge functionality and ease of use, Adobe Photoshop dominates the image editor market.

A rich toolkit and ease of use make the program convenient for both simple photo correction and creating complex images.

Topic 3. Improving photos. Lesson 5

At first glance, it is strange that the regular methods of Adobe Photoshop, which allow improving the clarity of a photo, are considered in the fifth lesson of the topic. Indeed, the Sharpen tool and the Sharpen filter group are present in Photoshop from the first versions to Adobe Photoshop CS6. They are simple and visual. However, there is also a downside. Most of tools is automated. This means that the user does not always get what they expected.

Why? Each photo is unique. Somewhere it is necessary to work very delicately on clarity. In some cases, global changes are needed. Automatic filters often give in to such a variety of tasks.

Nevertheless, in the work of sharpening a photo, the standard tools are very powerful and convenient if you know how to use them correctly. By following some rules of work, you can quickly achieve impressive results. This is what we will try to learn in the framework of this lesson on learning Adobe Photoshop.

Practical part.

Where and when are standard tools and predefined parameters applied?

Of course, if you need to quickly process "typical tasks".

For clarity, as a "victim" for sharpening, let's take a photo from the terrarium. Any picture of a living being through glass is a priori slightly "blurred". And the increase in contrast is good for him.

Sharpen Tool Adobe Photoshop

Tool " sharpness"is the base for the Photoshop graphics editor, it is located on the main toolbar.

The organization of tool management is standard. Selecting Sharpness displays the Context Menu or Tool Properties Panel. It sits below the main menu bar in Adobe Photoshop and is based on the brush menu. Therefore, it is first worth learning the basics of brush management.

There are three main blocks in the menu bar:

1. The size and shape of the brush. You can choose any type of brush from presets or set your own parameters. Two sliders are used for adjustment. The top one is responsible for the diameter of the brush. The bottom one is for rigidity. In our case, the word "rigidity" refers to feathering the edges of the brush. With the parameter set to 0%, the feathering area takes up 50% of the brush area. “Hardness” at 100% means no feathering at all.

You can read more about what feathering is in the lesson “ Selection with feathering».

2. Blend Modes. This block is based on layer blending modes. The lesson "selection" describes in detail what layers are. And the specifics of the work of some of the overlay methods are in the lesson “sharpening with layers in Photoshop”. Sharpening brushes work in several modes. To change the method of operation, select the appropriate item in the Mode block. Let's describe each option:

• Normal: the usual sharpening algorithm - darken the shadows and add brightness to the highlights
• Blackout(Darken). In this case, the program determines the main hue (average value) in the brush area and sharpens only the dark areas. The impact is carried out exclusively on pixels with a brightness parameter lower than that of the primary color.
• Light replacement(Lighten). The complete opposite of the previous method. Photoshop sharpens highlight areas.
• Color tone(hue). A very interesting tool. It enhances the presence of complementary colors. That is, those that are hardly visible in the photo. As a result, our photo becomes brighter, catchy. The downside of the tool can be a global change in color. Not always pleasant.
• Saturation(Saturation). This mode increases the sharpness of the primary colors of our image. Simply put, this is an increase in the color effect of a photograph.
• Brightness(Luminosity) naturally increases the contrast of the luminance channel. The mode is sensitive to colors, but very "slow" (the effect is rather weak).

3. The next setting tool is called "Intensity" or "Pressure". Two names are given, since different versions of Russian Photoshop use different translations. The original name of this menu is Pressure. The slider or numerical value is set depending on how powerfully our tool needs to be applied. 0% - no effect. 100% is the most powerful.

Advice: Try to avoid using edge intensity values ​​or pressing any correction tool. It is better to apply the same tool 2-3 times than to spoil the photo with an excessively powerful effect.

4. Additional settings items. A checkmark next to the words " Sample from all layers will cause the Sharpen tool to affect all layers of the image. This is not always justified. The "Protect Details" checkbox is very useful. It reduces the impact of the tool in areas with fine lines and small areas. This saves the detail of the picture.

Thus, to work with the Sharpen tool:

• Select a tool from the toolbar
• In the context menu that appears, set the necessary brush parameters
• By dragging the tool (with the left mouse button pressed) over the target areas, correct the sharpness parameters

Unless absolutely necessary, do not set the hardness to 100% in the correction tools - the boundaries of your work will be clearly visible. The soft contours of the brush provide a smooth transition from the corrected area to the original, imperceptible to the eye.

Try not to work on the base layer. This deprives you of additional opportunities. Make a copy of the layer. Sharpen it up. In this case, you can control the strength of the resulting effect by setting the "Layer transparency" parameter. And also further refine the sharpness using the blend mode. How this is done is described in the lesson "Sharpening with layers".

Use successively several modes of the Sharpen tool (with soft brush options). For example, after increasing the chroma, work with saturation and/or highlights and shadows.

If you want to preserve the maximum color gamut and prevent the formation of a halo around contrast areas, work with the Sharpen tool in Brightness mode (Luminosity).

Enhance the look of a photo with the Sharpen filter group

As the name implies, the group's tools are called through the "Filter" menu. In the Russian version of Photoshop, we are looking for the item "Sharpening". In the original - Sharpen.

Group " Sharpening» consists of five components. Let's start with the latter. (in English version They are the first on the menu.

1. Sharpening (Sharpen)– automatically sharpens the image. The effect is comparable to layering itself on top of itself in soft light mode.
2. Filter "Sharpness +" (Sharpen More). Absolutely similar in algorithm to the Sharpen filter. With one exception - the strength of the effect. If "Sharpness" gives a gentle increase in contrast, comparable to an overlay in "soft light", then "Sharpness +" is more like "overlay".
3. Sharpen Edges. This filter is interesting because it does not work with the entire image, but with its fragments. When you select the sharpening feature, Photoshop determines the transition zones of colors (contrast zones) and sharpens only in these areas. Thus, smooth transitions (sky, water, skin) remain intact. Convenient, but there is a drawback - the filter is fully automatic and it is impossible to adjust its parameters.
4. Unsharp Mask- this is the same sharpness at the edges, only with the ability to adjust.
5. And finally the filter "smart sharpness" (Smart Sharpen). The most powerful tool of the group. With it, you can adjust the sharpening method, detail in highlights and shadows, and other settings.

It is not worth writing about the use of automatic filters for a long time. The algorithm is simple:

• In the menu "Filter" - "Sharpening" select one of the filters
• Repeat if necessary.

Now let's talk about the complex.

Filters with adjustable parameters.

Let's start with "Contour sharpness" (Unsharp Mask).

When you select this tool, a palette of parameter settings appears. Its appearance is similar to the palettes of other elements. Has a large preview window that displays part of the photo. Below the window are two zoom buttons (zoom in and zoom out). The current scale is displayed digitally between them.

You can customize which area of ​​the photo is more convenient to view in the window. If you move the mouse pointer over the view area, the cursor will change its appearance (it will look like a hand). By holding down the left mouse button, you can adjust the display of fragments in the window.

Right below the buttons OK And Cancel There is an option to turn on the preview of the entire image. But, as practice shows, this is not very convenient. Much better to see the original, and in the tool window - the expected result.

• "The effect"- This slider is responsible for the level of sharpness. The larger it is, the more contrast the photo will become.
• "Radius". This scale is measured in pixels. She is responsible for setting the radius within which the search for the boundaries of light and shadow will take place. The smaller the radius, the more details remain visible. A large radius opposite "destroys" small objects.
• "Isohelia" sets the number of halftones and smoothness of transitions between colors. Excessively large parameters of this scale can significantly worsen the picture. But they are indispensable when creating contour images based on "dark" photos.

To apply this filter:

• Select the target zone of the layer (if not selected, the filter is applied to the entire active layer)
• In the menu "Filter" - "Sharpening" select "Unsharp"
• In the tool menu that appears, set the necessary parameters
• Click OK.

Applying Smart Sharpen

The operation of this filter is in many ways similar to the work of the "Unsharp Mask". The difference is that Smart Sharpen allows the user to operate a large number parameters.

The tool properties palette has 2 types: normal and extended. The difference between them is the availability of additional work adjustment tools.

Let's start with a description of the blocks common to both modes.

The preview window is located on the left side of the palette. Its settings and operation are similar to those of the "Unsharp Mask" filter window.

On the right is the switch between normal and advanced modes.

Below (in normal mode) are two scales with sliders.

1. The first is called "Effect" and is responsible for the level of sharpening.
2. The second, “radius”, is similar to the “Unsharp Mask” settings - it sets the radius for searching for edges.

Below is a drop-down box for choosing from three options. These are Gaussian Blur, Shallow Depth Blur, and Motion Blur. This item is the main one for contrast correction. It is responsible for what type of blur will be removed.

The figure below illustrates the blur types.

• If your photo has a pure contrasting color on the edges, choose the Gaussian option.
• If all transitions are blurred - then the best choice there will be a way to increase the sharpness "at shallow depth"
• If your photo is dynamic, blurring has its own characteristics: “blurred” edges in the direction of movement, good sharpness on the side faces. In this case, choose the option "on the move."

The direction of travel is set as follows:

• When "Motion Blur" is selected, the circle under the name of the tool becomes a bright color - it is available for editing.
• Hovering the mouse cursor over the edge of the line in the circle, press the left key and, without releasing it, drag the end of the black straight line. The second option is to set the digital value of the tilt angle in the window to the left of the circle.

note: when changing the application parameters (anti-blur), the filter operation gives different results.

If the way your photo looks satisfies you, you can safely press the button " OK". If not, a direct path to additional settings.

To do this, check the box next to the word " extended” (under the OK and Cancel buttons).

If you switch to advanced mode, the tabs for working in highlights and shadows become available to you. The available tools are similar. The only difference is that the "Shadow" tab works with color brightness less than 50%, and "Light" with pixels whose brightness parameter is in the upper half of the scale.

So, we have three main options available. These are the Fade Amount, Tonal Width and Radius scales.

In previous lessons, we have already said that when enhancing the contrast, shadows and lights often require a differentiated approach. Filters, alas, "row one size fits all."

To correct the situation, scale of "weakening effect". It slightly reduces the sharpness in the selected range. In the shadows tab, works with dark tones. In the light tab - with bright pixels.

The rule of application is this: the more to the right the slider is on the scale, the more the sharpness in the range decreases. In this case, the sharpness will not become worse than it was. Tool CANCELS operation of the contrast enhancer. But it doesn't blur the image.

Scale "width of tonal range" sets how many shades are affected by the operation of the previous scale. A scale value of 0% effectively blocks all shadow manipulation. A value of 100% allows you to work with all pixels whose brightness is less than 50%. Roughly speaking, the smaller the parameter, the more black in the shadows. And great sharpness.

Scale operation "Radius" completely analogous to the already described instrumental settings of the same name. For example, "Unsharpened".

To sharpen with the Smart Sharpen filter in Photoshop:

• Select a filter from the menu " Filter»-« Sharpening»-« Smart Sharpen»
• Set the blur parameters you are going to fight against (based on the specifics of the photo)
• Set basic parameters (effect strength and zone radius)
• If the result in the viewport does not satisfy you, set the tool palette to advanced mode
• In the tabs " Shadow" And " Light» reduce the effect of sharpening for dark and light tones
• Click OK.

Cons of group filters " Sharpening". The main disadvantage of using these filters is excessive noise at the border of light and shadow. This is especially noticeable when zooming in a lot. Therefore, using filters as the only method may not be justified. Especially if you are into large format printing.

In this regard, practical advice:

by the most the best way using the capabilities of the Sharpening filter group will work on a separate layer. In this case, you increase the contrast of the copy of the image (or part of it). And then you can fine-tune the final effect with the help of blending modes. More about this is described in the lesson "Sharpening with Overlay Layers".

A blurry background in a photo makes it easier to focus on the main subject. When using the bokeh effect (bokeh - blur or fuzziness) in photo processing, you should always remember a few rules. The closest objects in the image should remain sharp and clear enough. In turn, those objects that are further away should be more fuzzy.

Adobe Photoshop has a huge list of different blur filters, which include Gaussian Blur, Motion Blur, and a number of others. In newer versions, starting with CS6, these filters have more big amount all sorts of effects.

One of the most simple ways To blur the background in Photoshop is to use a tool called the Archive Brush.

It is used in the following way:

Eraser

The very principle of operation of this method is almost the same as the previous one, but there are some exceptions:

Adjust eraser options: "Size" and "Hardness". You can select a ready-made preset from the samples at the bottom of the window:

Result:

A mask is a tool that all Photoshop pros use. Thanks to its use, you can do more accurate and high-quality work. When it is activated on the workspace next to the thumbnail of the main image appears additional small window. It is a black and white image in which visible areas are marked in white and invisible areas in black. This allows, in case of errors or inaccuracies, to easily eliminate them by painting the damaged area with the desired color.

To make a blurry background using the mask method, you need to:

Radial and radial blur

Photoshop filters include effects such as Radial and Radiant. Depending on the settings, this filter can simulate a circular blur or a blur from the center of the image to its edges, which will create a kind of motion effect.

Radial

Instruction:

Radiation

When creating fuzziness in the form of rays, the scheme of actions is almost the same:

One of the most popular background shading filters. To adjust the strength of the effect, move the radius slider to the right or left.

We use the Gaussian filter:

other methods

In addition to the above, you can use a number of other methods that will blur the background in the photo.

Blur tool

The tool allows you to blur the background, for this you need to do the following:

Pen Tool

To make the work more accurate, you can additionally use the Pen tool.

Instruction:

Quick Selection Feature

Thanks to this method, you can blur the background around the main subject in the photo, while avoiding the so-called halo.

We will talk about how to increase sharpness in Photoshop using various techniques in this article. To begin with, what images will we work with and what final goals do we want to achieve with this event. This will allow you to choose the method of work and the desired approach.

No matter how trite it is, all photos can be divided into two main categories - those where people are and where they are not. Consequently, there will also be two approaches to sharpening - working with a portrait and other pictures.

Before proceeding directly to the work, let us determine that means sharpening in photoshop this will give us an understanding of the processing process. So, Photoshop is not a magic pill for shitty photos, it does not add to the objects in the processed picture that which was not there initially. The program cannot turn a blurry UG into a masterpiece of photographic art.

Sharpening in Photoshop you just increase the microcontrast, nothing else happens. New details do not appear in the photo, just the most clearly, existing ones appear, both those that I would like to emphasize and those whose manifestation is undesirable.

Sharpening a portrait

When working with portraits, you don’t need to increase the sharpness throughout the frame, remember to increase the microcontrast, it’s enough to gently emphasize the eye area, this will be quite enough to make the photo look “cheerful”, lips and jewelry are less often processed in the same way.

Such processing can be carried out as part of the general. I do the following. With the Lasso tool, read about working with it, select the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eyes

Then, using the Shift+Ctrl+C key combination, copy the combined data, if the picture consists of one layer, use the Ctrl+C combination. Then I immediately apply Ctrl + V, the contents of the selected area will be inserted on a new layer.

I apply the High Pass filter to this layer ( colour contrast) from the menu Filter – Other (Filter – Other). The exposure radius is selected in such a way that details begin to appear, in my case these are cilia and a pattern on the iris.

Next, change the blending mode (blending) of the filtered layer to Vivid Light. I throw a black mask on this layer using the corresponding button at the bottom of the layers palette and the Alt key pressed, hiding it

With help white color I process the mask showing the effect of sharpening on the cilia and iris. If the impact force is insufficient, the layer can be duplicated (Ctrl + J), excessive - reduce opacity (Opacity).

Apply sharpening filters

Another way to sharpen both portrait and any other is to use filters Photoshop, however, to use them, you need all the layers that make up the picture into one (Alt + Shift + Ctrl + E).

Earlier I wrote about sharpening in ACR for RAW files, you can read and, however, no one forbids using this module as a filter (Shift + Ctrl + A) you can find out about the settings at the links above.

I wrote about working with the "Unsharp Mask" filter in this one, if you wish, get acquainted. A more advanced option is Smart Sharpen filter it is also in the English version of the program - Smart Sharpen, I will try its action on the experimental picture.

In order to see all the changes that occur with the image, before using the filter, I will set its scale to 100% by pressing the key combination (Ctrl + 1). I follow the path Filter - Sharpness - Smart Sharpness.

Using the Smart Sharpen filter

The size of the filter window can be adjusted by grabbing the bar to move it from both inward to reduce it, and outward to increase it. This useful feature allows you to customize the window so that it is convenient to monitor changes in the picture either in the document window or in the filter view area.

Now about how the filter works - first you need to set the strength of the impact, the parameter Amount (Effect). The larger the value of this parameter, the stronger the contrast between pixels and the sharper. Set to 300%

By moving the slider Radius (Radius) we increase the number of pixels affected by the effect, the higher its value, the more obvious the increase in sharpness. However, it is unnecessary to be overly zealous, because this entails the appearance of halos.

Once the value for "Radius" is set, you can return to the parameter Amount (Effect) and try to increase it to values ​​at which the halos around the contrasting borders do not begin to appear. Sharpening limit reached non-halo by increasing the "Radius" and "Effect" values.

The Reduce Noise slider allows you to effectively deal with emerging noise due to sharpening.

ParameterRemove defines the sharpening algorithm applied to the image. The default setting is Lens Blur, which is most effective at recognizing edges and details and then sharpening them up. In halos, sharpness is adjusted with less intensity.

The Motion Blur item is used to reduce the blur caused by movement during shooting, the camera or the object, when using this item, the angle setting becomes available, which actually determines the direction of movement.

The filter also has the ability to adjust the impact on dark and light areas using the drop-down tab "Shadows / Lights" "Shadows / Highlights"

The settings on these tabs are used to suppress the dark and light halos that appear as a result of the filter. We have saddle settings hidden behind the sliders

Fade Amount ( Weakening the effect) allows you to change the intensity of the set effect.

tonal width ( Tonal Width) allows you to adjust the range of shadows and highlights that can be changed. Adjustment is achieved by moving the slider to the left - the less meaning and stronger shadow correction limited to the darkest areas. Moving to the right - larger values ​​stronger correction of highlights in the brightest areas

Radius(Radius) determines the size of the area around each pixel, which determines whether it belongs to light or shadow

For my picture, I picked up the values ​​​​of these parameters, shown below.

Besides these most obvious ways to sharpen them, there is still a huge amount to describe them all in one sweat, there is no way. However, in conclusion, one more I hope it will be useful to you.

Sharpening with an edge mask

This method of sharpening is simple, effective, easy to automate, and therefore can be used when processing a large number of photos with minimal time.

We take a picture, create a copy of the background layer, go to the “Channels” tab Channels, you need to select the most contrasting channel, usually it is red or green, in my case it is green. I make a copy of this channel by dragging it onto the leaf icon at the bottom of the palette.

With the green copy active, I go to the menu Filter – Styling – Edge Selection (Filter – Stylize – Find Edges). The result is in front of you

Invert the keyboard shortcut image (Ctrl+I)

To expand the received counters, I go: Filter - Other - Maximum (Filter - Other - Maximum). I will leave the default radius value unchanged.

With the help of the correction "" I will get rid of random pixels, with the combination (Ctrl + L) I call up the corresponding dialog and slightly shift the black point

We need to soften the edges of the future mask a little, for this I use a Gaussian blur filter with a small radius value.

The blank for the mask is ready, it remains to apply it. I turn on the visibility of the picture by making the composite channel () active. By clicking on the icon of the copy of the green channel while holding down the Ctrl key, we will create a selection based on it, return to the layers palette, invert the selection (Shift + Ctrl + I).

Now guided by the principles described in I apply the filter of contour sharpness.

After applying the filter, I will remove the selection (Ctrl + D). Thanks to the selection made, only the areas on the goat's face became sharp, the rest of the picture was not affected.

That's all for today until the next articles on the blog.