I printed out all four final images and compared the results with the respective images on the monitor screen.
The image that was sharpened using Martin Evening’s technique, came out very well – in fact, the best out of all four images that I printed. The image 3 that I expected to be too sharp, was not as harsh as the same image on my computer monitor. I noticed that the threshold setting is really important to get right in portraiture to make sure that the skin remains smooth (unless a rough effect is required).
Original image
Sharpened Image 1
Sharpened Image 3
Sharpened Image 4 (Martin Evening's method)
Lessons learnt from this exercise:
This exercise demonstrated that it is very hard to estimate how much sharpening would need to be applied just from looking at the image displayed on the monitor.
To my surprise, the sharpening that looks harsh on the screen, does not appear as harsh when the image is printed out.
I’ve learnt that the image viewed on the monitor at 100%, is likely to look too sharp on the screen but would come out just fine when printed out.
The amount of sharpening applied to an image depends on the specification of the printer, the type of paper used for printing and the output resolution applied to an image.
Amazingly, the maximum amount of sharpening adjustment that could be applied in Photoshop (Unsharp Mask) is not 100% but 500%!
Images that are printed at a higher resolution, are likely to need a higher pixel radius sharpening.
I ‘ve learnt to use the Unsharp Mask more effectively and was able to further develop my digital workflow.
The more you practice, the more you learn!
