My research and limited experience shows that any sharpening/unsharpening should be done to the final image after resizing for output. Contrary to what one would think, the smaller the image the more sharpening needed. Very large prints may need some blurring instead. It is very easy to over sharpen or unsharp-mask an image and it can not be undone once the image is saved without loss of quality.
Ergo, produce the best possible image without any avoidable sharpening and save that as your archive, then sharpen as need just prior to printing or posting.
graywolf http://www.graywolfphoto.com "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" -----------------------------------
Boris Liberman wrote:
Hi!
It sounds like you have a good grasp of the RAW conversion process. My main suggestion would be to use the Sharpness slider carefully. A setting between 75 and 100 is a lot of sharpening. Blow your image up to 100% or 200% when sharpening to see what it does to the edges and transition areas. I find that I usually can't go above 65 without causing damage and frequently end up in the 50s. You're also applying even more sharpening after conversion. Without a doubt, you're oversharpening. This will tend to significantly reduce the plasticity of the image in that the transition areas will be "notchy" or abrupt. I also think that if you get everything right with exposure, brightness, shadows, and contrast before you convert, you shouldn't often have to fuss with curves or limites. I sometimes add a minor tweak after processing, usually just as a final contrast adjustment with the rgb curve, but most of the time the RAW converter gets it right. Too much is frequently too much.
Paul, I have to agree with you. It is just that I was often pointed out that my images lack some sharpness and some contrast. It seems that I've over-accepted that advise.
I am going to start with the same procedure I am applying, but with much less sharpening, especially for image that would be printed. Then I will slowly build up my experience from these prints.
Boris
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