Advanced sharpening techniques
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Now click on the image thumbnail on the background copy layer. Ensure the image is zoomed in to 100% for a small image or 50% for a larger print resolution image (200ppi - 300ppi). Go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen or Unsharp Mask. Adjust the Amount slider to between 80 and 150%. This controls how much darker or lighter the pixels at the edges are rendered. Choose an amount slightly more than looks comfortable on screen if the image is destined for print rather than screen.
Note: See Capture and Enhance for basic settings of the Unsharp Mask filter. The exact Threshold and Radius settings are not so critical for this advanced technique.
Adjust the values in the Unsharp Mask dialog box.
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Change the blend mode of the sharpening layer (the uppermost layer) to Luminosity mode. Luminosity mode will restrict the contrast changes to brightness only, and will remove any changes in saturation that have occurred due to the use of the Unsharp Mask. The changes are often very subtle so this technique is only recommended when you become aware of the problems of color fringing due to increased saturation.
If you become aware of the problems of color fringing, change the blend mode of the sharpening layer to Luminosity mode.
The illustration below is a magnified view of the effects of changing the blend to Luminosity. These two cutting edge techniques are capable of producing razor sharp images that will really put the finishing touches to a folio quality image.
Before and after the Luminosity mode change.
