Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
When we apply sharpening, we apply it so it looks good on our computer screen,
right? But when you actually make a print, a lot of that sharpening that looks fine
on a 72- or 96- dpi computer screen gets lost on a high-resolution print at 240 ppi.
Because the sharpening gets reduced when we make a print, we have to sharpen
so our photo looks a bit too sharp onscreen, but then looks perfect when it prints.
Here's how I apply sharpening for images I'm going to print:
for Printing
Step One:
Start by doing a trick my buddy Shelly
Katz shared with me: duplicate the Back-
ground layer (by pressing
Command-J
[PC: Ctrl-J]
) and do your print sharpening
on this duplicate layer (that way, you don't
mess with the already sharpened original
image on the Background layer). Name
this new layer “Sharpened for Print,” then
go under the Filter menu, under Sharpen,
and choose
Unsharp Mask
. For most
240 ppi images, I apply these settings:
Amount 120; Radius 1; Threshold 3.
Click OK.
Step Two:
Next, reapply the Unsharp Mask fil-
ter with the same settings by pressing
Command-F (PC: Ctrl-F)
. Then, at the
top of the Layers panel, change the layer
blend mode to
Luminosity
(so the sharp-
ening is only applied to the detail of the
photo, and not the color), then use the
Opacity slider to control how much sharp-
ening is applied. Start at 50% and see if it
looks a little bit oversharpened. If it looks
like a little bit too much, stop—you want
it to look a little oversharpened. If you
think it's way too much, lower the opacity
to around 35% and re-evaluate. When it
looks right (a little too sharp), make a test
print. My guess is that you'll want to raise
the opacity up a little higher, because it
won't be as sharp as you thought.
