Sharpening overview

Sharpening enhances the definition of edges in an image. Whether your images come from a digital camera or a scanner, most images can benefit from sharpening. When sharpening images, keep the following in mind:

• Sharpening cannot correct a severely blurred image.

• Sharpen your image on a separate layer so that you can resharpen it later if you need to change the adjustment. Set the layer’s blending mode to Luminosity to avoid color shifts along edges. If you find that highlights or shadows are lessened after you sharpen, use the layer blending controls to prevent sharpening in highlights and shadows.

• If you need to reduce image noise, do so before sharpening so that you don’t intensify the noise.

• Sharpen your image multiple times in small amounts. Sharpen the first time to correct blur captured by a scanner or digital camera. After you’ve color corrected and resized your image, sharpen it again.

• If possible, judge your sharpening by outputting your image. The amount of sharpening needed varies depending on whether the image is printed or displayed on a web page.

For detailed sharpening recommendations and techniques, see this excerpt from Advanced Photoshop Elements 7 for Digital Photographers.