Almost every RAW file requires some degree of sharpening to counter the effect of blurring that occurs at some stage of image capture or image processing. But when do you apply the sharpening? In Camera Raw or later in Photoshop? The answer isn't as straightforward as you might think. The fact is, there are compelling reasons to apply some sharpening to your RAW file using Camera Raw. There are also compelling reasons to turn off sharpening in Camera Raw, wait until your RAW file is open in Photoshop, and then apply sharpening via the new Smart Sharpen filter or one of the many third-party sharpening tools. It really depends on what you want: optimal workflow or ultimate flexibility and user control.

To sort through some of the misunderstanding about when and how to apply sharpening, I find it useful to break sharpening down into three general categories, applied sequentially in the order listed here:

1. Capture sharpening: sharpening that compensates for purposeful blurring at either the camera level or during RAW conversion.
2. Cosmetic sharpening: sharpening applied to a specific part of an image and not another, i.e., eyes, but not blemishes.
3. Print or output sharpening: final sharpening based on a specific size and destination of an image.

Since we're talking about processing RAW files, I'm going to emphasize capture sharpening.

Capture sharpening is best understood by looking at an image with no sharpening applied. For example, look at Figure 1. The photo was taken with a Fuji FinePix S3 Pro SLR using a very high-end Nikon lens for optimal sharpness. It was shot at f/8 at 1/250th of second and carefully focused. I used the Camera Raw sharpening slider to turn sharpening completely off, and the resulting image is not an accurate representation of the scene as I shot it. Also, it doesn't do the equipment I used justice.

Figure 1: An image in need of sharpening.

Ok, so we agree this image requires sharpening, but what's the best way to do it?

I recommend using the sharpen feature in Camera Raw whenever you are processing large numbers of RAW files, or when speed is an issue and you simply want to create an image that appears sharp on a monitor. I say this knowing full well that you'll likely need to use other sharpening methods to apply Cosmetic or Output sharpening at a later point. I recommend using the Smart Sharpen feature in Photoshop if you have a problematic image that Adobe Camera Raw sharpening doesn't improve, or if you have the time and desire to perfect a particularly special image. (The Photoshop Smart Sharpen filter can also be used effectively for both Cosmetic and Output sharpening.) For this example, let's use Camera Raw.