Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Advanced Sharpening Techniques

Now that you understand the basics of sharpening, it’s time to delve into the realm of advanced sharpening. Consider yourself warned that this is pro-level stuff and not for the faint of heart. (Basically, these methods involve many more steps than the techniques you’ve learned so far.) In this section, you’ll learn how to create a detailed edge mask and make a new high-contrast channel. Read on, brave warrior!

Note

This book doesn’t cover every Photoshop sharpening technique (if it did, it’d be too heavy to lift!), just the most practical and frequently used methods. If you want to learn more, pick up a copy of Real World Image Sharpening, Second Edition by Jeff Schewe and Bruce Fraser (www.lesa.in/rwsharpen). That book is a few years old, but it teaches you more than you ever wanted to know about the art of sharpening.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: The Sharpen Tool

What’s all this talk about sharpening with filters? Why can’t I use the Sharpen tool instead?

While it seems like a no-brainer that the Sharpen tool would be your best bet for sharpening (it’s specifically designed for that, right?), you can actually get better results using other methods. However, if you’re sharpening a few image details instead of the whole enchilada, this tool can be very useful. Here’s how it works:

The Sharpen tool is part of the blur toolset. When you click its icon (which looks like a triangle) and mouse over to your image, you see a familiar brush cursor. You can then paint ...