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Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
Selective sharpening

 

 


Brackish
Veteran


Jul 30, 2007, 6:53 AM

Post #1 of 3 (340 views)
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Selective sharpening Can't Post

I've got an image that I think might benefit from it
so I've looked at some tutorials. It sounds
pretty complicated when it's explained but I suppose
once I figured it out it wouldn't seem that hard. Sly

Most of the tutorials seem to be going about it in
basically the same way but with some variations.
It involves duplicating a layer - though some
tutorials make three different layers and sharpen
each one separately. There's usually talk of "masks",
"inversion of the mask", "painting and feathering with
a white brush", "painting with a black brush", "using
an eraser to erase away the areas needing sharpening".
There was mention of a "history brush", whatever
that is.

Anyways, I was just wondering if y'all are regularly
doing selective sharpening? Or not much at all?


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Postal Boy
Veteran


Jul 30, 2007, 9:24 AM

Post #2 of 3 (336 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Selective sharpening [In reply to] Can't Post

I guess you could call what I do "selective softening"...I soften the image to ease wrinkes and imperfections, then remove the softening on sharp points. I have seen people dodge the corners (whites) of the eyes, as well, but I continue to see "overdone" eye shots - people wanting to make kids portraits have "doll eyes" and it looks more like "children of the corn" instead. I don't see why they go so extreme. Also, I have seen a lot of "portraits" where the softening/smoothing is so intense that the people look more like wax dummies instead of people.

Sharpening/softening has its limits, and you don't want to blow reality away - just enhance it a bit.

Key things to make sure are sharp - the eyes...and...well...the eyes? Actually, it depends on what you want to emphasize.

-Postal


DarrenS
Veteran

Jul 30, 2007, 9:33 AM

Post #3 of 3 (334 views)
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Re: [Postal Boy] Selective sharpening [In reply to] Can't Post

it looks more like "children of the corn" instead
hahaha! so true.Laugh