If you use Photoshop CC and shoot in RAW mode chances are you see a need to add some sharpening to your images. Being a rather lazy guy, I have, until recently, simply used the sharpening slider in the ACR (adobe camera raw) module. I have used the unsharp mask filter in the past but moved away from that tool when I began shooting in RAW mode. I was aware there are other sharpening tools but did not take the time to learn how to use them. A few weeks ago I decided to learn how to use the high pass filter for sharpening. At first it seemed like a lot of steps. But like most things in Photoshop, after using it a few times it started to go pretty fast and I like the more subtle results it seems I can achieve. Now I plan to learn how to use the "smart sharpen" tool to see what that does for my images. All this has led me to wonder how others approach image sharpening. What tool(s) give you the best result and do you always sharpen as a last step in your workflow? No need to reply to this question if you don't sharpen your images. I really don't want to hear from you folks.

I use what I learned in a couple of places, notably a video class on Photoshop:

1. Make a copy of the background layer.
2. Convert the copy to a smart object.
3. Use a high-pass filter (Filters->Other->High pass) with a suitable radius; I use 2 as my "standard" value.
4. Edit the blending mode (right-click on the filter) of the filter to Overlay or any of the alternatives; I often use Vivid Light.

I find this to be quite simple and it works quite well. If you use too high of a radius, you will get all the classical symptoms of too much sharpening.

If you use Photoshop CC and shoot in RAW mode chances are you see a need to add some sharpening to your images. Being a rather lazy guy, I have, until recently, simply used the sharpening slider in the ACR (adobe camera raw) module. I have used the unsharp mask filter in the past but moved away from that tool when I began shooting in RAW mode. I was aware there are other sharpening tools but did not take the time to learn how to use them. A few weeks ago I decided to learn how to use the high pass filter for sharpening. At first it seemed like a lot of steps. But like most things in Photoshop, after using it a few times it started to go pretty fast and I like the more subtle results it seems I can achieve. Now I plan to learn how to use the "smart sharpen" tool to see what that does for my images. All this has led me to wonder how others approach image sharpening. What tool(s) give you the best result and do you always sharpen as a last step in your workflow? No need to reply to this question if you don't sharpen your images. I really don't want to hear from you folks.

If you use Photoshop CC and shoot in RAW mode chances are you see a need to add some sharpening to your images. Being a rather lazy guy, I have, until recently, simply used the sharpening slider in the ACR (adobe camera raw) module. I have used the unsharp mask filter in the past but moved away from that tool when I began shooting in RAW mode. I was aware there are other sharpening tools but did not take the time to learn how to use them. A few weeks ago I decided to learn how to use the high pass filter for sharpening. At first it seemed like a lot of steps. But like most things in Photoshop, after using it a few times it started to go pretty fast and I like the more subtle results it seems I can achieve. Now I plan to learn how to use the "smart sharpen" tool to see what that does for my images. All this has led me to wonder how others approach image sharpening. What tool(s) give you the best result and do you always sharpen as a last step in your workflow? No need to reply to this question if you don't sharpen your images. I really don't want to hear from you folks.