How to add ‘Unsharp mask’ using a brush

BM
Posted By
Bo_Moeller
Jan 2, 2007
Views
732
Replies
7
Status
Closed
Hi I am new to Cs2 and wondered if it was possible to apply the ‘unsharp mask’ using a brush instead of a selection or the complete picture?

Cheers in advance

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MV
Mathias_Vejerslev
Jan 2, 2007
You’ve got at least a couple of options here. First, there is the Sharpen Tool. But it can be quite crude to use. Another option is to duplciate your layer, apply global sharpening, and then add a black layer mask to hide all – then, using a white brush, paint back in what you want sharper.
RS
Robert_Shomler
Jan 2, 2007
Another option is to duplicate your layer, apply global sharpening, and then add a black layer mask to hide all – then, using a white brush, paint back in what you want sharper.

Bruce Fraser describes this plus sharpening brushes and how to make sharpening brush actions in his book "Real world Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2." Too much to quote here.
PP
Philip_Peterson
Jan 2, 2007
You could also so it via a history brush, but Mathias’ technique is less destructive.
BM
Bo_Moeller
Jan 3, 2007
Could you describe how to use a ‘history’ brush please. Can’t see how it is done using unsharpen mask?

Thanks in advance

/Bowie
C
chrisjbirchall
Jan 3, 2007
You would sharpen the image and click the left hand box in the history palette to designate that step as the history source.

Then go back one history step to return the image to its unsharpened state. Using the History Brush you can now "paint" the areas to be sharpened.
BM
Bo_Moeller
Jan 3, 2007
Cheers man. Excellent ;O)
BL
Bill_Lamp
Jan 6, 2007
Or you can create a duplicate layer, sharpen it, and erase from it what you don’t want sharpened. You can also lower the opacity of the layer helping to fine tune the amount of sharpening applied.

I think someone once wrote that, in Photoshop, there were six different ways to do the same thing to an image. Everyone gets to use the method THEY prefer. <mumbles about how unlike Mic…..t that is>

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