Sharper Images

Anthony · #1 10-03-2002, 08:06 AM

I remember some time ago, someone mentioned a sharpening plugin or appllication that works with PS. Does anyone remember what that was called?

DJ Dubovsky · #2 10-03-2002, 02:14 PM

Could you be refering to Nik Sharpener Pro by Nik Multimedia? It's pretty good and you can find it here.
DJ

Anthony · #3 10-03-2002, 03:15 PM

Thanks DJ,
I'm not really sure. Sounds like it might be. Have you used it and does work well with photoshop? There are so many to choose from.

DJ Dubovsky · #4 10-03-2002, 05:46 PM

DJ Dubovsky · #5 10-03-2002, 05:55 PM

I was specifically looking for this thread by Danny Raphael but was having trouble finding it. It gives you a link to a site that has done a comparison on several sharpening methods from the PS unsharp mask to one or 2 of the available plugins including NiK Sharpener Pro and a method devised by Jeff Schewe. Check it out here.. Hope this gives you something to go on.
DJ

Anthony · #6 10-03-2002, 06:08 PM

Thank you. I will take a look at this later - there's alot of helpful information here.

Trimoon · #7 10-03-2002, 10:25 PM

My company purchased (nik Sharpener Pro! Complete) it was a waste of time and money. I can do more with the high pass filter.

DJ Dubovsky · #8 10-03-2002, 10:45 PM

Trimoon,
I think I have to agree with you on that one.

Anthony,
I also found another one but I don't know of anyone who's tried it. It's called Sharpness Editor and is from Power Retouche. I think this looks interesting but I also think it's a bit pricey. There is a demo you can try out. Haven't tried it myself so I can't say what the demo allows.
DJ

DannyRaphael · #9 10-03-2002, 11:40 PM

Yeah, ditto on what DJ and Trimoon said. There may some cases where Nik sharpener is superior, but I haven't run into them yet.

I bought it at the recommendation of another guy when I was first getting into PS. Knowing what I know now, I would not bend over to buy it again.

- - - - -

Steve: Check e-mail from me again.

Anthony · #10 10-04-2002, 11:46 AM

Thank you for your comments, but I ran out and purchased NIK Sharpener after the first reply. Oh well! I purchased the least expensive one anyway and am looking forward to trying it on some old photos. I will keep you posted. The examples on NIK site are very impressive. The proof will be in the testing.

Flora · #11 10-05-2002, 12:07 PM

Hi everybody!

I'm surely no expert in all this...but I've read a lot and experimented just as much on the topic 'image sharpening'.

The one thing everybody seems to agree on is that sharpening is one of the most delicate procedure when manipulating images.

As for methods, software, plug-ins concerning this topic.....well....I think I could fill my HD with what I found on the www .... Of what I tried, (demos you could download, or free software), some I found acceptable, some so-so, some absolutely useless, so, I carried on using PS USM or my good, old High Pass Filter.

It was only reading the chapter about sharpening in Katrin Eismann's book that I realized that the Custom Filter could be 1) used at all.....2) used for sharpening.

Unfortunately the best explanation about the usage of the Custom Filter I found, was the one in the PS Help file which isn't a big help for a profane like me....but I started fiddling with it anyway and some of the results I got were quite satisfactory!

I attach a B&A example, (I hope Lisa won't mind if I used her picture!), of what I achieved in sharpening with the Custom Filter. I do hope the difference can still be seen in spite of the strong compression...

Has anyone any tip, advice, explanation about this neglected PS Filter?

Stephen M · #12 10-05-2002, 06:03 PM

Flora - here is some stuff on the custom filter for sharpening:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...?msg_id=001Mod

http://www.aim-dtp.net/aim/technique...r_than_usm.htm

The custom filter can be used for blur. sharpen, emboss and edge finding techniques.

More on custom filter for edgemasks can be found here, along with a download pack of five custom filter kernels for edgefinding:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binar...litymasks.html

If you really wan't to get serious about custom filtering - then look into KPT Convolver...this is serious stuff!

More on sharpening can be found here:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binar...V_links.html#S

Regards,

Stephen Marsh.

Flora · #13 10-05-2002, 08:25 PM

Hi Stephen!

Wow!!! Thank you very, very much for the links!!!!...I'm sure all this will keep me busy for the next two years or so reading... and for the following 1000 years or so....trying to understand what I read!!!

Unfortunately I don't have the basis to get into the 'serious staff'....so I'll have to settle for a smattering of it all.....trying to put my curiosity at rest!!

Thanks again for everything!!!

DJ Dubovsky · #14 10-05-2002, 10:04 PM

Stephen,
After Flora mentioned her sharpening with the custom filter I decided to play around with the numbers. Boy, do I need those links.

Thanks. This filter ranks right up there with calculations in its non user friendly feature.

DJ

Flora · #15 10-05-2002, 10:23 PM

DJ

...are you going to join the '1000 years or so...' league....or are you a fast learner?

Pleeease...let's keep in touch and compare findings....

P.S. I must be going through a masochistic phase because I've started 'fiddling' with Calculations as well.....

DJ Dubovsky · #16 10-05-2002, 10:37 PM

Flora,
I was perfectly happy ignoring all those filters I didn't understand and then you go and bring them to mind. Now see what you started?

To tell you the truth, all I've been able to do is blow the image out of the water or darken it with outlines or blur the heck out of it. My learning process is called "random numbers"

Very effective in doing SOMETHING to an image but not something I want.

Are you really sure you want to compare notes with me?

You may end up taking a step or two backwards in the learning process by the time I'm done helping you.

I always figured they threw those filters in just to please the hard line computer geek types.
It does appear, that by some remote chance that you stumble upon a cool number combo you can save it. Don't know how because the only number combo I can rightly say I want to keep is the default ones.

I will definately check out those sites though and see if I can make heads or tails of them. Looks like they have some preset numbers which is good. If nothing else maybe we can get a few laughs out of this.

DJ

Stephen M · #17 10-06-2002, 04:26 AM

Flora, DJ - I am not that much further down the path than you on this, so I am glad you found the links of interest...

Yes, it is a game of hit and miss if you don't know how things work. Once you know some of the basics and have a single example to follow, then things become simpler (but still tedius).

I mentioned KTP Convolver - which I do not have and have not used, but this plug gives you the interface to play with the power of convolutions above and beyond custom filtering (I think Corel may own KPT now?). I find it amusing that I am recommending a KPT product for it's interface and ease of use <g> - although compared to the custom filter it probably is easier to use.

Altough I am often critical of stuff at the AIM site, the 'better than USM' custom filter kernels will be worth a look if you are interested in exploring this deeper.

The Photonet link has another older thread link mentioned in the body text and is worth exploring too.

That's it for now - doing a search for custom filter and convolutions is perhaps the next step, this seems a basic step in graphics programming courses and many graphics apps offer the custom filter and it seems that Photoshop's implementation may be somewhat 'lite' (but still way too heavy for me).

The problem with the custom sharpening is that things are fixed - the amount and radius are preset (but if you have a whole stack of presets then you can load them in as you experiment)...and I don't know if the very critical thresholding effect applies to this filter. Standard USM is fairly fast and flexible, if somewhat lacking in some results and methods. With the addition of high pass methods there are a lot of options...add in all the other blending and masking tricks...third party filters...then the custom filter and it is all too much for me!

Have fun with your convolutions (or is that convolving?) <g>.

Stephen Marsh.

Stephen M · #18 10-06-2002, 05:24 AM

WOW...

It is amazing what a side search can do for you - I was not even looking for custom filtering, I was off on my never ending search for 'other' things (I think I find more good stuff when I am looking for a totally different topic).

There are some things one this page which I think will be of interest to many users - so I will post this as a separate link as well so that it is not missed.

http://www.reindeergraphics.com/free.shtml

Have fun with these two free filters (some may even have a use for the third filter).

Stephen Marsh.

Flora · #19 10-06-2002, 10:33 AM

DJ

Quote:

Originally posted by DJ
...we can get a few laughs out of this...

....we certainly will....

Stephen

Thank you very much again....I've been to the site and downloaded everything! Now I'll 'dive' into it and see what I can come out with!

.....and thinking that until yesterday the only convolutions I knew were those of my mind.......

DJ Dubovsky · #20 10-06-2002, 12:38 PM

Stephen,
Cool find!! That's some serious stuff. Wow, makes the defaut settings in custom look simple.

I did download them but haven't tried them yet.
DJ

john_opitz · #21 10-06-2002, 03:18 PM

<<Unfortunately I don't have the basis to get into the 'serious staff'.>>

This is why I had trouble getting dates when I was in college, majoring in electronics.

The website

http://www.reindeergraphics.com/free.shtml

This is getting heavy into the imaging thing. Mostly for the science groups though.
The Optipix is good for photographers with digital imaging in mind.
Which brings up one thing. The 8/16 bit thing. I feel this is where "photographers" get the 8/16 bit thing from. The science community uses 16 bit. I don't know if their is a difference in 8/16 bit for them( for scientific purposes). For "photographers", the images are used for other purposes(portraits.ect...ect...) than to view fingerprints on a firearm, lets say.
Even the cameras are the same for "photographers" and the scientific groups. The lens and accessories are different for each group for that (portraits,scientific) purpose.

Flora · #22 10-06-2002, 05:36 PM

Hi John!

Quote:

... This is why I had trouble getting dates when I was in college...

Quote:

... majoring in electronics ...

.....my major was German Language & Literature which came without the side effect of having trouble getting dates though...only kidding!

Yes...you are right...this is trespassing on the scientific field...into which I'll never venture anyway....I think I'll just carry on with the "game of hit and miss" content with the very superficial knowledge I acquired on the subject these last days...I was only being my usual curious self

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