Sharpening with Camera Raw
Pages: 1, 2, 3

Capture Sharpening in Camera Raw

A sharpening value is automatically applied to a RAW file when you open it in Camera Raw for the first time. More often than not, the default Camera Raw sharpen setting works pretty darn well. There are good reasons for this. First, Camera Raw automatically applies a sharpening factor based on relevant data specific to a particular digital camera. Second, sharpening occurs only in the luminous channel, thereby reducing the chance of unwanted artifacts. Third, Thomas Knoll, a certified genius and creator of Photoshop, built the Camera Raw sharpen algorithm from scratch.

Of course, if you have the time or inclination, you can tweak the Camera Raw sharpen settings and apply your custom settings to other images taken with the same digital camera.

For an example of how to adjust the sharpness setting, I'll use the image in Figure 2, which has a combination of detail (trees) and continuous tone (sky). I want sharp, clearly defined branches, but I also want to avoid adding noise or artifacts to the sky.

Figure 2: I want to define the branches without adding noise to the sky.

1. I set the white balance and exposure controls. In this case, the Auto settings are fine. I check these settings first because it's easier to judge detail appearances when the colors and exposure are correct.
2. I identify a representative area of the image that contains both detail and continuous tone. Using Camera Raw Magnify tools--either the Zoom tool or the Zoom level controls--I enlarge the image at least 100 percent and use the Hand tool to position the area I wish to observe in the middle of the Camera Raw window, as I've done in Figure 3.

Figure 3: I zoom in on a section that has both detail and continuous tone.

3. I select the Detail tab in the Camera Raw controls, shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: The Camera Raw Detail tab.

4. Unless you changed the number previously, the sharpening setting is always 25, regardless of which digital camera you use. I find it useful to start by sliding the slider to 0 and examining the image to establish a baseline for future sharpening (see Figure 5).
   (Keep in mind; the effect of no sharpening will vary from camera to camera. With some digital cameras, the effect is barely noticeable. With others, it'll appear extremely noticeable.)

Figure 5: I start with the Sharpness slider set to 0.

Remember, when Preview is deselected you see a representation of your image determined by Camera Raw settings applied when the file first opened and before you changed anything. This means if Sharpening is set to 25 at Camera Raw startup, then when preview is deselected you are actually viewing your image with some sharpening applied.

5. Move the slider to 100 percent (see Figure 6), which obviously is way off. Again, I'm going to the extreme to get a sense of the range I have to work with.

Figure 6: I move the slider all the way to 100 to get a sense of the other extreme.

6. Through trial and error, I finally come up with the number 40. You can see in Figure 7, I now have the right balance between sharpness of the branches, with no noticeable noise added to the sky. In general, don't go too far with sharpening. It's always best to err on the side of caution. If you overdo it, future Cosmetic or Output sharpening will suffer.

Figure 7: I finally arrived at 40 for the right balance.