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What LR3 sharpening settings for D7000 files?

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jonikon

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D7000 RAW shooters:

What sharpening radius size and detail settings do you typically use as a default for D7000 RAW files when using LR3 ? I seem to get slightly better detail and less artifacts with ViewNX2 than I do with LR3. I would like to get similar results with LR3 as easily as ViewNX2, but unfortunately, the sharpening radius and edge sharpness used in ViewNX2 is hidden.

Best regards,
Jon
 
Sharpness settings vary greatly with the scene. There is no default setting that I find effective. LR3 has significantly more control over sharpening than the Nikon software but rather than give you advice that won't work, I suggest you do a little online research.
--
OK, not so purely a hobby.
 
It's going to depend on what the subject is, whethere there's a lot of fine detail or large areas of colour gradients such as sky or skin.

Generally I use:
  • Amount: 25-40
  • radius: 0.8-1.4
  • Detail 0-50 (depeinding on noise)
  • Mask 0-60
I'm not sure if you're aware, but holding down the ALT key will give you a mono view of the effect which is much easier to see.

You should have presets called "Sharpening - Narrown Edges" and "Sharpening - Wide Edges", you can start with those.

Matt Kloskowski has an excellent sharpening tutorial on Kelbytraining.com called "TACK SHARP! Sharpening in Adobe CS5 & Lightroom 3". I believe the site has a free 24hr trial if you don't have a memebership.

I will use the adjustment brush to selectively sharpen things like eyes, hair, clothing, jewelry if that's required. I almost always sharpen the eyes if they're prominent and use a small radius brush to burn the edge of the Iris.

The one thing that LR is missing is the ability to do selective output sharpening as the sharpening is applied to the whole image on export and you only have a few choices. For images that really matter, I prefer to sharpen in CS5 where I have more options and the ability to mask sharpening out of water, skin, sky etc. and I can also apply some selective NR if that's required too.
jonikon said:
D7000 RAW shooters:

What sharpening radius size and detail settings do you typically use as a default for D7000 RAW files when using LR3 ? I seem to get slightly better detail and less artifacts with ViewNX2 than I do with LR3. I would like to get similar results with LR3 as easily as ViewNX2, but unfortunately, the sharpening radius and edge sharpness used in ViewNX2 is hidden.

Best regards,
Jon
Click to expand...
 
jonikon said:
D7000 RAW shooters:

What sharpening radius size and detail settings do you typically use as a default for D7000 RAW files when using LR3 ? I seem to get slightly better detail and less artifacts with ViewNX2 than I do with LR3. I would like to get similar results with LR3 as easily as ViewNX2, but unfortunately, the sharpening radius and edge sharpness used in ViewNX2 is hidden.

Best regards,
Jon
Click to expand...
While there is no single answer, I tend to use a radius of .5 and slide the sharpness to about 40 to enhance small detail. Depending on the subject, I also might increase the clarity slider which should enhance the perception of sharpness. I also apply just a bit of luminance noise reduction, maybe 10-20. If you have Photoshop, you can also increase perceived sharpness by using the unsharp mask with a radius of 20 and a strength of 20%. A lot of time sharpness isn't about actual edge sharpness, but about local contrast and levels adjustments. I've seen plenty of photos that "pop", but when you look at them at 100%, they aren't anything special with regard to sharpness.
 
sshoihet said:
It's going to depend on what the subject is, whethere there's a lot of fine detail or large areas of colour gradients such as sky or skin.

Generally I use:
  • Amount: 25-40
  • radius: 0.8-1.4
  • Detail 0-50 (depeinding on noise)
  • Mask 0-60
I'm not sure if you're aware, but holding down the ALT key will give you a mono view of the effect which is much easier to see.

You should have presets called "Sharpening - Narrown Edges" and "Sharpening - Wide Edges", you can start with those.

Matt Kloskowski has an excellent sharpening tutorial on Kelbytraining.com called "TACK SHARP! Sharpening in Adobe CS5 & Lightroom 3". I believe the site has a free 24hr trial if you don't have a memebership.

I will use the adjustment brush to selectively sharpen things like eyes, hair, clothing, jewelry if that's required. I almost always sharpen the eyes if they're prominent and use a small radius brush to burn the edge of the Iris.

The one thing that LR is missing is the ability to do selective output sharpening as the sharpening is applied to the whole image on export and you only have a few choices. For images that really matter, I prefer to sharpen in CS5 where I have more options and the ability to mask sharpening out of water, skin, sky etc. and I can also apply some selective NR if that's required too.
jonikon said:
D7000 RAW shooters:

What sharpening radius size and detail settings do you typically use as a default for D7000 RAW files when using LR3 ? I seem to get slightly better detail and less artifacts with ViewNX2 than I do with LR3. I would like to get similar results with LR3 as easily as ViewNX2, but unfortunately, the sharpening radius and edge sharpness used in ViewNX2 is hidden.

Best regards,
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Thanks for your information. I was playing around with sharpening in LR3 last night and I agree with your Radius setting to retain fine detail. However, I am much more heavy handed at high ISOs with the Amount and Detail settings, and have had good results with Detail in the 50-100 range. It appears to me that Mask only really kicks in around 50-100 when using a small sharpening Radius.

In any event, I know I have to do more research on this subject and get in more practical experience until I am confident that I am doing more good than harm with my sharpening settings in LR3!

Best regards,
Jon
 
I'm mostly in agreement with these settings but I prefer sharpening to be 10-20, which avoids any overetched look on my stuff. High pass in Photoshop is great as well.
 
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