Question for the silkypix users re. sharpening

I am still relatively new to digital photography. I am now using silkypix to process raw files, and have a question about sharpening

I use Silkypix for the raw conversion to TIFF, and then crop and resize and save my jpegs in Adobe Elements. At the moment I dont apply any sharpening in silkypix , I leave it on the natural setting. This is because i have learned that sharpening is best done as the last process before saving as the final image. So I take the TIFF file, open in Elements;crop;resize, and then apply unsharp mask before saving as jpeg.

Can anyone tell me if I am doing this right, or does anyone use another method that they feel works better ?

Peter

I have come to need PhotoShop less and less with he great job that SilkyPix does, so I do tend to sharpen within SilkyPix.
But if my intention is to create more significantly modified images I may not sharpen as much until after I have the final image at the size I need.

Silkypix Developer Studio has three facilities for sharpening: Sharpness, Demosaic Sharp, and Unsharp mask (and there are various settings within each as well). You would normally combine at least two of these.

Even if you are not setting any Unsharp mask, the "Natural" setting does apply some sharpening before the Development stage. So does Demosaic Sharp (via Development) unless you have it turned down to zero. "Natural" also applies some noise reduction.

I don't use Elements or anything like that myself, but if I did for further advanced processing, I expect I would use some initial sharpening with Silkypix, then finish it off with the other program.

Sharpening is one of the things Silkypix does very well, and is best done with RAW input, so it would be defeating the object somewhat not to use Silkypix for this at all.

There is also no need to use another program if ALL you are doing with the other program is cropping and resizing - because Silkypix can do that well itself. It's another matter if you want to do some furher processing before that, though, that Silkypix can't do, like cloning.

This is a forum for Silkypix users if you want further help than you can get from just Pentax users:

www.shortcutinc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1

I would have to disagree with that statement.

There should be a three step process to sharpening:

The actual capture onto CCD/CMOS introduces some softness (because of the Bayer filter matrix), and this needs to be addressed before you start editing. It is what some call "Capture Sharpening". This capture sharpening is best done by Silkypix - because it has more information available to hand (before it's outputted to TIFF).

Secondly, there's creative sharpening - ie introducing a little "zing".

Finally, there is output sharpening. This is your statement - and the sharpening should be applied appropriate to the specific output device you are targeting. Inkjet output needs a certain amount of over-sharpening, for instance.

TheLightsRightStudio.com has a good guide to the sharpening processes (some is specifically PS, but much applies to PSE too).


Silkypix provides sharpening even in the "Natural" setting Depending on the ISO setting, and the scene, I'd use Natural, or Emphatic Sharp. It just depends on the shot you have.

Matt

Thanks for all the advice. Digital photography sure is a journey of discovery.

It seems I have been paying too much attention to what I had read elsewhere about leaving sharpening to last.

Time for more experimentation I think.

Here is the link with the tutorial and links to the actions which you can download.

These may get you on the right track:-

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/learning-sharpening-toolkit.htm

Rgds,

Gary.

I suppose you mean Output sharpening instead of capture. The latter was already mentioned in the first step of your otherwise great explanation, right?
Martin.

Thanks Martin! Monday morning typo
(Edited and fixed)
Matt

It's good to see for us mortals, that even the ''Master" has his week moments.
Martin.

Actually, they are only once a month.

G

ROFL! Very good George
Matt