[Nesster]

I use an old copy of Elements mostly - the way I avoid sharpening noise - or accentuating grain - is by selecting a higher threshold - I adjust it depending on scan size etc. Often two or even three passes at sharpening, higher radius - smaller % and vice versa... and I like to finish off with .2 at ~180%. I only use USM, though sometimes I dup the image do a heavy USM and blend it back in... which I suppose is what the High Pass does.

Anyway, here's my last photo of 2010, and second roll developed in 2011 (daughter's P645 was the first... hmmm, maybe I can show one of hers here...)


Last photo, Twenty Ten by Nesster, on Flickr

And here's daughter's Tri-X session with the P645

Two can keep a secret if one of them is Dead by LillyYellow, on Flickr

Fingers and Toes by LillyYellow, on Flickr

[stevebrot]

I use an old copy of Elements mostly...

The high pass sharpening sounds interesting, but I don't have PS and generally limit my USM sharpening on scanned images due to artifact amplification. Still though, it is something for me to store away in my brain somewhere. At the very least, maybe I should spend some time fine-tuning the USM in Lightroom.

Does anyone want to contribute a new thread on the subject for the PP forum?


Steve

[stevebrot]

Anyway, here's my last photo of 2010...

Cool photo! You look so tiny!

[lbenac]

At the very least, maybe I should spend some time fine-tuning the USM in Lightroom.
Steve

I use LR3 for image management. I use the sharpening in LR3 as the equivalent of Capture Sharpening with 100% masking = edge only and a small max 0.5~1 pixel Radius - playing with the Detail slider to control halo with usually very small values

Then in PS I use the Edge & Surface Masks actions to again select only edges to give an extra sharpening.
Digital Darkroom @ The Light's Right Studio

I also use the Local Contrast technique
Contrast Enhancement

Cheers,

Luc

[elphinston]

Here is another Isle of Skye photo from the hiking trail to Loch Coruisk . I used my 45mm lens.

[Vertex Ninja]

The high pass sharpening sounds interesting, but I don't have PS and generally limit my USM sharpening on scanned images due to artifact amplification. Still though, it is something for me to store away in my brain somewhere. At the very least, maybe I should spend some time fine-tuning the USM in Lightroom.

Does anyone want to contribute a new thread on the subject for the PP forum?


Steve

Steve,
I will look into creating a thread. I once posted a tutorial and some Photoshop actions for masking and sharpening, but I think they got buried and the links to the actions are probably dead by now anyway. The good news for Lightroom users, is that these techniques(masking etc.) are now built in. It's my understanding that Bruce Frasier actually helped Adobe implement these before he passed away.

I would exercise caution using the Luminous Landscape's directions to anyone that intends to print at different sizes. 10 pixels and "hardlight" creates some big high contrast halos, which will only get bigger with larger print sizes and smaller(i.e. less effective) with smaller print sizes. I actually find it strange that they don't mention this and tell the reader to apply 10 pixels of highpass without any explanation of what those values do or how they'll effect the file. An 8x10 print with that setting from a 4000 SPI scan will have a different effect than the same size print from a 2000SPI scan. Same applies to Digital captures of varying resolutions and output sizes.

I don't want to sidetrack this thread anymore, but I'll see what I can come up with for a new thread. I use both Photoshop and Lightroom so I can probably touch on both software and also how you can use them together, particularly with scans.

[Vertex Ninja]

Fs999, Great photo of Raasay sound. Ilse of Skye is a great place to take photos. I found one of mine from few years back. It was shot on the 67ii using the 200mm lens with provia 100. I have cropped the image. I hope you like it.

Great image, I particularly like how it is divided into 3 distinct areas of tone.

[stevebrot]

The good news for Lightroom users, is that these techniques(masking etc.) are now built in

I should probably upgrade my LR. I am still on v1.x


Steve

[lbenac]

I should probably upgrade my LR. I am still on v1.x


Steve

Yes according to Jeff Schewe that worked with Bruce Fraser LR3 has received all the good things for the sharpening "routines". I like the result better but I might not be the best judge.

Great comment from Vertex Ninja regarding the one size fits all for the last steps of sharpening. That is the nice thing of having LR and a big HD you can keep a Master TIFF with 99% of the adjustements and then versions with the final sharpening and contrast adjustements for the paper you use.

Cheers,

Luc

[Vertex Ninja]

I should probably upgrade my LR. I am still on v1.x


Steve

If anything do it for the speed. LR3 64 bit is significantly faster for me than LR1. The noise reduction and local adjustments are much improved too.

[fs999]

Fs999, Great photo of Raasay sound. Ilse of Skye is a great place to take photos. I found one of mine from few years back. It was shot on the 67ii using the 200mm lens with provia 100. I have cropped the image. I hope you like it.

Thank you !
Wow ! That's really a Skye light (sorry ) and the second one a typical Skye weather. Superb shots !

I have found the home of Santa in Skye, it's near Kilmuir...



Nice shot Nesster and my compliments to your daughter !

[tuco]

S

...I'll see what I can come up with for a new thread. I use both Photoshop and Lightroom so I can probably touch on both software and also how you can use them together, particularly with scans.

That would be great. I first edit in LR3 but for exposure, cropping and any possible geometry corrections. But I then go to CS5 because the healing tool for BW scans is so much better and faster to use. LR3 starts to choke with too many healing adjustments applied and that is with 8GB of memory (files sizes are up to 500MB though). And that is where I apply the sharpening in the final steps.

[Vertex Ninja]

That would be great. I first edit in LR3 but for exposure, cropping and any possible geometry corrections. But I then go to CS5 because the healing tool for BW scans is so much better and faster to use. LR3 starts to choke with too many healing adjustments applied and that is with 8GB of memory (files sizes are up to 500MB though). And that is where I apply the sharpening in the final steps.

I will try to post something in the next few days. I'm working on preparing the files now. I go the opposite direction as you. Scan in color(B&W Film), open in Photoshop, dust-bust, use channel mixer to convert to B&W, convert to Gray gamma 2.2 and do capture sharpening. Then I use LR3 for any minor tone tweaks and cataloging. Lightroom works in RGB, so by going this route your .tif on disk can be 3 times smaller(assuming a b&w image scanned in color). Lightroom only stores changes in metadata, so you can then have multiple versions of that file with minimal disk space; tones, crops, etc..

Know what you mean about files sizes, when I scan 6x9 the files are huge even at 2540SPI!

[tuco]

I will try to post something in the next few days. I'm working on preparing the files now. I go the opposite direction as you. Scan in color(B&W Film), open in Photoshop, dust-bust, use channel mixer to convert to B&W, convert to Gray gamma 2.2 and do capture sharpening. Then I use LR3 for any minor tone tweaks and cataloging. Lightroom works in RGB, so by going this route your .tif on disk can be 3 times smaller(assuming a b&w image scanned in color). Lightroom only stores changes in metadata, so you can then have multiple versions of that file with minimal disk space; tones, crops, etc..

Know what you mean about files sizes, when I scan 6x9 the files are huge even at 2540SPI!

Not too different. VueScan actually scans in color if you want looking at the RGB values and adjusts them in the end for you so you end up with R=G=B to get grayscale. Saves the effort of converting later. Tweak a hue in the image editor and you'll get a color shift in the image. The file I get out of VueScan is a TIFF-DNG file.

[lbenac]

That would be great. I first edit in LR3 but for exposure, cropping and any possible geometry corrections. But I then go to CS5 because the healing tool for BW scans is so much better and faster to use.

Amen to that it makes upgrading from CS3 or CS4 to CS5 worth it just for that feature.