ultrasharpe vs nik sharpe plugins

[mollydog]

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to 13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about 275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[John Davis]

I bought the full version of Ultra Sharpen and I think it is excellent. The CD has 2 video tutorials and those alone more than justify the price of admission. I heard users of nik sharpen state that Ultra Sharpen is actually better and gives the user more control.

Their site is http://www.ultrasharpen.com

John

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[Bill Harris]

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control.

It is an excellent plug-in and well worth the small expenditure.

I was about to buy the nik sharping

plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

The difference between Nik Sharpener and Nik Sharpener-pro is like night and day. The pro version utilizes autoscan features, maintains the image integrity, fence and foliage protection, hue protection.....etc. I don't remember them all at the top of my head.

While both versions are geared toward mainly printing, the Pro version has an internet autoscan feature that works as well as anything I've used.

I shoot with the E10 also and print to the Oly P-400. Using the Offset printer engine in Nik Pro and adjusting the silder options to match the E10 resolution and the P-400 resolution cababilities the result is oustanding. It will look overshapened on your screen, but the prints will blow you away!

My .02cents

Bill H

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[Mike Flaherty]

Hi. I had been using UltraSharpenPro for quite awhile and liked it. Still do. I have discovered, however, something I like better and is easier to use. It's the sharpening action sold at Fred Miranda's website. This action (for both 8-bit and 16-bit images) can work fully automated or with user input - your choice. They cost $8.50. Another thing. Unlike UltrasharpenPro, you don't have to flatten your images after the action. It does it automatically. Try it. I think you'll like it. http://www.fredmiranda.com

Mike Flaherty

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[John Davis]

Hi Mike:

Actually Fred's EdgeSharpen actions are free. However, Photoshop Elements users cannot use them, as only PS runs actions.

Have you compared Fred's EdgeSharpen against Ultrasharpen? Does EdgeSharpen give you the same/better/worse results? and what about control?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

John

Mike Flaherty

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[Fred Miranda]

This is one of my articles about EdgeSharpening:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/article_3/index.html

There you can find a step-by-step tutorial.
Best,
FRED
http://www.fredmiranda.com

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[kbelloise42680]

Hey Fred,

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little more subtle without having to play with the settings.

Karen

There you can find a step-by-step tutorial.
Best,
FRED
http://www.fredmiranda.com

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[Mike Flaherty]

Hi, John. You're absolutely right! I must've had my head in my A-- when I responded to that thread. Of course actions can't be used on PS Elements and of course Fred's EdgeSharpen actions are free. I feel bad that I provided bum information and thank you for correcting it. The $8.50 I paid Fred was for each of a couple of ISO noise reducing actions for the D30 (800 and 1600). I also bought his Digital Velvia action for $8.50. Anyhow, back to your question...I find that I have more control (read that "more pleasing results") with Fred's EdgeSharpen actions, although I occasionally have to run my images through twice. First time I increase the sharpening level from the default and 2nd time I leave it at the default. I don't have to do this all the time, however. Most times it works perfectly the first time. I have found his Digital Velvia action to be wonderful. Takes the guesswork out of color saturation decisions. Good luck to you and thanks again.

The image below which I took today incorporates Fred's EdgeSharpen action used only once. The re-sized image truly doesn't do the image justice. Blown up 8X10 from my Epson 1280 on Matte paper it is awesome and tack-sharp.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1785256&a=13833688&p=55498766

Mike Flaherty

Actually Fred's EdgeSharpen actions are free. However, Photoshop
Elements users cannot use them, as only PS runs actions.

Have you compared Fred's EdgeSharpen against Ultrasharpen? Does
EdgeSharpen give you the same/better/worse results? and what about
control?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

John

Mike Flaherty

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[Fred Miranda]

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love
it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little
more subtle without having to play with the settings.

It's subtle because of the anti-halo step. (your prints will have a very natural look).

If you need more sharpening intensity you can run the action twice with no side-effects as far as excessive halo or artifacts.
If your digital camera has a 16-bit output options also try Edgesharpen 16-bit.

Best,
Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com

 

[Paul F Caldwell]

The real key to these is the selective nature of their sharpening. I realize that ultrasharpen pro works off the same premise, however after using it for 6 months then trying Fred's, I find that Fred's tool works much better. The sharpening is subtitle, however I like this and like Fred mentioned, you can run the tool again and still not oversharpen.

As for Nik, I have never seen the justifiation for 279.00. I have run the pro demo software many many times, trying to find why its so popular. I still can't see it. I find its not selective and works more like a traditional USM tool, i.e. increase noise in sky, water, and clouds.

With my images, which are now off a D1x, I will use the sharpening of the conversion software, i.e. Bibble, Qimage or Capture 2 as my first pass, then I use Fred's tool as a final pass after resizing. Very effective.

Paul

The image below which I took today incorporates Fred's EdgeSharpen
action used only once. The re-sized image truly doesn't do the
image justice. Blown up 8X10 from my Epson 1280 on Matte paper it
is awesome and tack-sharp.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1785256&a=13833688&p=55498766

Mike Flaherty

Actually Fred's EdgeSharpen actions are free. However, Photoshop
Elements users cannot use them, as only PS runs actions.

Have you compared Fred's EdgeSharpen against Ultrasharpen? Does
EdgeSharpen give you the same/better/worse results? and what about
control?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

John

Mike Flaherty

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[Bill Harris]

The real key to these is the selective nature of their sharpening.
I realize that ultrasharpen pro works off the same premise, however
after using it for 6 months then trying Fred's, I find that Fred's
tool works much better. The sharpening is subtitle, however I like
this and like Fred mentioned, you can run the tool again and still
not oversharpen.

As for Nik, I have never seen the justifiation for 279.00. I have
run the pro demo software many many times, trying to find why its
so popular. I still can't see it. I find its not selective and
works more like a traditional USM tool, i.e. increase noise in sky,
water, and clouds.

Nik is geared toward printing. As is stated quite clearly in the manual, the image will look oversharpened on your screen, way oversharpened....send that oversharpened image to your printer and the noise that you see on screen is nowhere to be seen.....all you get are super sharp and detailed prints.

Now as for the Nik internet autoscan for presenting images to the web, I'll agree that other methods are superior. In this case I use Fred Mirandas 16 bit edge sharpen all the time combined with his isox noise reduction action.

My .02 cents

Bill H

With my images, which are now off a D1x, I will use the sharpening
of the conversion software, i.e. Bibble, Qimage or Capture 2 as my
first pass, then I use Fred's tool as a final pass after resizing.
Very effective.

Paul

The image below which I took today incorporates Fred's EdgeSharpen
action used only once. The re-sized image truly doesn't do the
image justice. Blown up 8X10 from my Epson 1280 on Matte paper it
is awesome and tack-sharp.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1785256&a=13833688&p=55498766

Mike Flaherty

Actually Fred's EdgeSharpen actions are free. However, Photoshop
Elements users cannot use them, as only PS runs actions.

Have you compared Fred's EdgeSharpen against Ultrasharpen? Does
EdgeSharpen give you the same/better/worse results? and what about
control?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

John

Mike Flaherty

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[Bill Harris]

Well, I just read my first post here and would like to rescind my comment about the Nik internet autoscan feature working as well as anything I have used.........I can do that. Right?.......damn I wish you could edit out portions of your old posts where you contradict yourself........;> )

Bill H

 

[Paul Caldwell]

I agree with you on the theory on how Nik is supposed to work in that an image will appear sharper on the screen. The real issue I had with Nik is that most of my work involves sky, waterfalls, etc things I don't want sharpened period. Nik claims that they are selective in their sharpening, however I could never get nik to not sharpen my sky, and water, thus I moved to the ultrasharpen pro, then Fred's tools.

I am printing 100% on a Epson 1280, mainly at 1440 or sometimes 2880.

Paul

Well, I just read my first post here and would like to rescind my
comment about the Nik internet autoscan feature working as well as
anything I have used.........I can do that. Right?.......damn I
wish you could edit out portions of your old posts where you
contradict yourself........;> )

Bill H

 

[Oliver Lim]

Hi Fred

Am testing out your actions now. But how do I know if I have a 16-bit or 8-bit colour file? I am using a Pentax Optio 330. All I can see from the sepcs is that it is a 10-bit DAC.

May I know if your sharpening action is optimised for display on screen or for printing in a photo shop (agfa/Kodak/Fuji paper) ?

Cheers
Oliver

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love
it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little
more subtle without having to play with the settings.

It's subtle because of the anti-halo step. (your prints will have a
very natural look).
If you need more sharpening intensity you can run the action twice
with no side-effects as far as excessive halo or artifacts.
If your digital camera has a 16-bit output options also try
Edgesharpen 16-bit.

Best,
Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com

 

[Martin Stefanus Tedjawardhana]

Your camera produces 8 bit file.

Am testing out your actions now. But how do I know if I have a
16-bit or 8-bit colour file? I am using a Pentax Optio 330. All I
can see from the sepcs is that it is a 10-bit DAC.

May I know if your sharpening action is optimised for display on
screen or for printing in a photo shop (agfa/Kodak/Fuji paper) ?

Cheers
Oliver

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love
it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little
more subtle without having to play with the settings.

It's subtle because of the anti-halo step. (your prints will have a
very natural look).
If you need more sharpening intensity you can run the action twice
with no side-effects as far as excessive halo or artifacts.
If your digital camera has a 16-bit output options also try
Edgesharpen 16-bit.

Best,
Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com

 

[Fred Miranda]

EdgeSharpen 8-bit V3.0 has just being released. The new version features a new global sharpening option, which will aid edge sharpening without causing any noise increase. Currently it is compatible with Photoshop 6 only.

Download the new updated action from my actions & profiles page:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/Action_profilesPage/index.html

PS: Currently only compatible with Photoshop 6 or higher

Am testing out your actions now. But how do I know if I have a
16-bit or 8-bit colour file? I am using a Pentax Optio 330. All I
can see from the sepcs is that it is a 10-bit DAC.

May I know if your sharpening action is optimised for display on
screen or for printing in a photo shop (agfa/Kodak/Fuji paper) ?

Cheers
Oliver

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love
it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little
more subtle without having to play with the settings.

It's subtle because of the anti-halo step. (your prints will have a
very natural look).
If you need more sharpening intensity you can run the action twice
with no side-effects as far as excessive halo or artifacts.
If your digital camera has a 16-bit output options also try
Edgesharpen 16-bit.

Best,
Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com

 

[syklab01]

You should try Fred's Sharpen action, it is also free and works very well.

http://www.fredmiranda.com

Their site is http://www.ultrasharpen.com

John

does anyone have any experience with ultrasharpe plug in that is a
free download, i am using it and it appears to work well , you can
buy the more extended version for twenty dollars which they say you
get a little more control. I was about to buy the nik sharping
plug in and found this one, most of my images are printed up to
13X19 after using gunine facturals, I also use the oly E10, I must
say I get stunning images, but I always want more, so what about
nik sharping is it worth 79$ to the pro version which cost about
275$ or more..

If anyone needs the website for ultra sharping I have it on my home
computer and can post it later tonight. thanks mike

 

[WODIN]

Thank you, FRED,

Many plug-ins are PS compatible "only", yet will function also with PaintShopPro 6. What think you whether EdgeShrp V30 do that too?
Geo Paris/FR

Download the new updated action from my actions & profiles page:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/Action_profilesPage/index.html

PS: Currently only compatible with Photoshop 6 or higher

Am testing out your actions now. But how do I know if I have a
16-bit or 8-bit colour file? I am using a Pentax Optio 330. All I
can see from the sepcs is that it is a 10-bit DAC.

May I know if your sharpening action is optimised for display on
screen or for printing in a photo shop (agfa/Kodak/Fuji paper) ?

Cheers
Oliver

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love
it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little
more subtle without having to play with the settings.

It's subtle because of the anti-halo step. (your prints will have a
very natural look).
If you need more sharpening intensity you can run the action twice
with no side-effects as far as excessive halo or artifacts.
If your digital camera has a 16-bit output options also try
Edgesharpen 16-bit.

Best,
Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com

 

[mhwarner]

Fred's Edge Sharpen is a Photoshop ACTION, not a PLUGIN. Thus, it only works with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. PaintshopPro unforunately does not support actions.

..mw

Many plug-ins are PS compatible "only", yet will function also with
PaintShopPro 6. What think you whether EdgeShrp V30 do that too?
Geo Paris/FR

Download the new updated action from my actions & profiles page:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/Action_profilesPage/index.html

PS: Currently only compatible with Photoshop 6 or higher

Am testing out your actions now. But how do I know if I have a
16-bit or 8-bit colour file? I am using a Pentax Optio 330. All I
can see from the sepcs is that it is a 10-bit DAC.

May I know if your sharpening action is optimised for display on
screen or for printing in a photo shop (agfa/Kodak/Fuji paper) ?

Cheers
Oliver

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love
it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little
more subtle without having to play with the settings.

It's subtle because of the anti-halo step. (your prints will have a
very natural look).
If you need more sharpening intensity you can run the action twice
with no side-effects as far as excessive halo or artifacts.
If your digital camera has a 16-bit output options also try
Edgesharpen 16-bit.

Best,
Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com

 

[Fred Miranda]

mwarner,
You are correct, actions only work with Photoshop.
The currently EdgeSharpen is compatible with Photoshop 6 only.
I am not sure if it works with Photoshop Elements.

Does Photoshop Elements support actions? My impression was that it does not features actions at all.

Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com

..mw

Many plug-ins are PS compatible "only", yet will function also with
PaintShopPro 6. What think you whether EdgeShrp V30 do that too?
Geo Paris/FR

Download the new updated action from my actions & profiles page:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/Action_profilesPage/index.html

PS: Currently only compatible with Photoshop 6 or higher

Am testing out your actions now. But how do I know if I have a
16-bit or 8-bit colour file? I am using a Pentax Optio 330. All I
can see from the sepcs is that it is a 10-bit DAC.

May I know if your sharpening action is optimised for display on
screen or for printing in a photo shop (agfa/Kodak/Fuji paper) ?

Cheers
Oliver

This works great! Thanks!

I've been using Ultra Sharpen Pro for quite a while and I do love
it, but it's nice to have another option. Yours is just a little
more subtle without having to play with the settings.

It's subtle because of the anti-halo step. (your prints will have a
very natural look).
If you need more sharpening intensity you can run the action twice
with no side-effects as far as excessive halo or artifacts.
If your digital camera has a 16-bit output options also try
Edgesharpen 16-bit.

Best,
Fred Miranda
http://www.fredmiranda.com