This post is the 3rd opportunity for you to enter my contest for a free copy of Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7! See details after the post.
It never fails that the cutest pictures of my kids are slightly less than perfect photographically. Often, they aren’t quite sharpe enough – I find it hard to concentrate on focusing properly while trying to make sure that BigGirl doesn’t drop her baby sister while they pose!
So, needless to say, I’ve spent lots of time researching ways to improve sharpness using Photoshop Elements and what I’ve found is below. If one method doesn’t help your picture, try the next, or even a combination of them. Each works a bit differently.
Keep in mind when sharpening that, except for the camera Raw adjustments, always shapren last and always view you picture at 100% zoon to get a good look at how well the sharpening is working. You don’t want to over-sharpen, which creates halos and graininess. And you sure don’t want to lost that sweet softness in your kids’ skin! The settings in the tutorials below are just starting points and will probably vary from shot to shot.
- Clarity Slider in Adobe Camera Raw
- Details Tab in Adobe Camera Raw
- Unsharp Mask
- Unsharp Mask Times Two
- Unsharp Mask in Luminosity Blend Mode
- Adjust Sharpness Command
- High Pass Method
- Sharpen Tool
- Sharpen Edges Only
- If All Else Fails When Sharpening in Photoshop Elements
To enter the giveaway for Photoshop Element 7/Premiere Elements 7, comment once on each post that I make during the month of December (through December 21). For this poist, why don’t you share your favorite sharpening method?
You can also comment on these posts if you haven’t already:
Scott Kelby’s Books on Digital Photography
Photoshop Elements 7 Giveaway!
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