"unsharp mask" ???

[Sean44]

Someone suggested i use 'Unsharp Mask' on one of my photos. Is this a photoshop tool? What does it do?

[adam]

Yes, it's one of the Sharpen filters in Photoshop. 'Unsharp Mask' was used by photographers even before the digital age so it predates Photoshop. It's used to sharpen photographs. For a more detailed explanation check out this usenet posting.

[mdchachi]

There's an example here: http://www.scenic-route.com/tutorial/psp/tutor/unsharp/Unsharp.htm

I find the improvement in my own photos to be much more dramatic than the one pictured here.

[mdchachi]

Found another good page about this just now:
http://www.2live4.com/sharpening.htm

[Sean44]

Thanks for your advice. I tried unsharp mask in photoshop, and improved the color (i think). Take a look at the new picture and let me know what you think.

[adam]

I like it much better but there are some serious jpeg artifacts in the sky area. You might try saving at a higher quality setting.

Can you try out the new 'Re-post' feature I added today? Clicking on 'Re-Post' for the original image will let you load the new one in, and will display link when viewing new image. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Adam

[adam]

I made that image a 'Re-Post' so it's linked to your original image. You can view the original by clicking on the 'Original Image' link when viewing the new photo.

[Sean44]

Thanks, that's a nice feature being able to link between the original and final so easily.

I noticed the problem in the sky too. Im kind of an idiot when it comes to Photoshop so i haven't quite figured out how to get rid of that yet. Thanks again for your help, this is a great site.

[adam]

I'm not sure what version of Photoshop you're using, but if you have a 'Save for Web' option, you can preview different quality settings to see whether artifacts will exist.