Capture Sharpening

I am gradually working out the details of my digital workflow. This has been a slow process and is evolving as learn more. To me it is kind of amazing that there are so many approaches to workflow.

I found the thread on RAW conversion interesting as it got me thinking once again. Thanks to everyone that responded in that thread.

I will admit I have not read my camera manual in about a year. I do know that you can set sharpening at a couple of levels in camera. What I am not sure of does that actual effect to the raw file? I know that other settings do not.

Curerntly I have my cameras set for no sharpening. I am thinking I need to think more about this. Are there good tutorials about capture sharpening out there?

Thanks,

In-camera sharpening will not have any affect on the RAW file. It will affect any jpeg derivative of the RAW file though. You don't mention what camera you are using. With Canon cameras, the RAW file has an embedded jpeg. This jpeg is what is seen on the camera LCD immediately after shutter release. Having a moderate amount of in-camera sharpening set is a good idea to help you evaluate the sharpness of your images on the LCD.

All that said, this isn't really what "Capture Sharpening" is. Capture sharpening is the process of eliminating the initial minor softness inherent in digital capture when converting RAW files. This softness is a result of the anti-aliasing filter that sits on top of the CMOS sensor. I think you saw the link I put in the other thread you referenced, that's a good primer on the subject.

Bob - I am using Nikon cameras from D70 to D2X. The link you l=posted inthe other thread does not work for me, I get an error when I click on it.

Sometimes it is difficult to figure out what people are doing and what one should and should not do. I am gradually figuring out works for me.

Thanks,

Scott,

PK Sharpener has a very nice interface for capture sharpening but if you don't want to shell out the cash upfront, you can use the free TLR professional sharpening toolkit. Its interface is not as sleek but it does a great job and you can't beat the price:

http://thelightsright.com/photoshop-tools.htm

(enough there to keep you busy for a long time )

Guy

Oops, I fixed the link so it works now... Not that it's much help for a Nikon shooter, but it does have some interesting info that is worth reading.

EOS Ditigal.

Bob and Guy - thanks for the information.

Hi folks - you might like to try this sharpening routine in CS2. A good starting point for tweaking to suit for your particular taste/images. I have to say its been useful for me.

Disable sharpening in your RAW converter (so you'll start with a fuzzy file) and instead use CS2 "Smart Sharpen" set to Amount 100, .9 radius; Shadow Tab: Fade amount 100%, Tone with = 30, Radius 1; Highlights: Highlights Tab: Fade Amount 100, Tone width 65, radius 1.
Then apply the Noise Filter with all sliders set to zero and the last slider "Sharpen Detail" set to ~40 (more or less to taste.)

I found this sharpening technique recently and I am stunned by it. I have gotten extremely sharp files without the halos that can occur with USM and other methods.

Let us know how it works for you?

I am curious. Of the 230 (two hundred and thirty) people who have viewed this message since I posted it how many of you have actually tried the sharpening routine suggested? Your collective lack of response is astonishing. Puzzled! :-)