.... A Major Edge Overshoot Amount Mask…
I was not going to post this as the underlying reasoning is a bit esoteric but the reality if accepted is too good to pass up. It WORKs and is easy to do!!!
In the Original Post, an image’s over-sharpened image version was “Composite-Blend”-ed as its Overlay where Input and Overlay Amount Masks were used to preferentially control the amount of blending of undershoot and overshoot to smooth/minor edges and major edges…i.e., four way control over edge contrasts which may be over kill except for extreme gallery quality ‘creative’ sharpening…
The following mask suggestion inter-actively maps a sharpening transform’s Input image’s major edges overshoot allowing the transform’s sharpening algorithms to apply differing amounts of sharpening to the smooth/minor edges and the selected major edges undershoots then to the selected major edges overshoot… …thus preventing objectionable ‘white’ overshoot sharpening at major edges while allowing a higher amount of non-objectionable sharpening to occur in the smooth/minor edges and major edge undershoot image areas.
Creating a Major Edge Overshoot Amount Mask workflow…
...1) Img0 = any PWP sharpening transform’s [Method/Operation] Input Image to be transformed…
...2) Lower-left Apply Add a Mask Tool – Texture where: Method = Maximum Difference; Neighborhood = 5x5; black slider set to a preference threshold; and white slider set to the right most histogram end… …to
Img0, then…
- step 2_major_edges_Texture_mask.jpg (43.17 KiB) Viewed 10224 times
...3) Lower-left Apply Overlay a Mask Tool – Brightness Curve Step curve [0,0], [50,0], [50,100], [100,100] to
Img0… …[OPTions Load the curve from a previously Saved curve]…
- step 3_major_edges_Overshoot_mask.jpg (46.89 KiB) Viewed 10204 times
Leave the Mask Tool ‘active’ on
Img0 allowing if preference re-selection of a major edges threshold/range with a None and repeat of
steps 2) and 3)… …if a transform’s Preview Auto is checked, Preview will update…
Open any one of PWP’s sharpening transforms/methods using
Img0 as the Input Image and the suggested mask as the Input Amount Mask… …mask black controls the amount of sharpening to occur in
Img0’s smooth/minor edges and major edges undershoots… …mask white controls the amount of sharpening to occur in
Img0’s major edges overshoots… …suggested white slider amount to be approximately 10% of the preference black slider amount while monitoring 1:1 Zoom factor Preview image areas to avoid anti-aliasing artifacts… …for example, if the black slider preference setting is 70%, then most likely the preference white setting will be near 7% or 0% to avoid objectionable white edge halos…
Explanation attempt…
...1) The suggested mask’s white/grays map the Overshoot of the selected Major Edges range and the black maps the smooth/minor edges and major edges undershoot image areas of a sharpen transform's Input Image,
Img0. Setting the black amount allows the transform's algorithms to blend its normal undershoot/overshoot to the smooth/minor edges and major edge undershoots to the amount selected. Setting the white amount allows specific overshoot blend control of the major edges.
...2) The mask seems to work better if during the Texture phase [
step 2)] for major edges if Method=Max Difference and Neighborhood=5x5 rather than Method=Ave Difference.
...3) Specific minor/major edge undershoot/overshoot do not need to be identified. The transform in effect Composite-Blends the virtual over-sharpened version of the Input image,
Img0, depending upon the Input Amount Mask’s black and white slider settings and the transform’s settings for radius, threshold, etc.
...4) Perhaps this will also help... ...when performing
steps 2) and 3), switch the Mask Tool to show Mask Only on the applied
Img0 image. Notice the subtraction of the potential undershoot image areas from the major edges when
step 3) is performed where the 50% tone step curve acts as a threshold separating major edge range undershoots and overshoots.
For High Pass - Hard or Soft Light sharpening, perform
steps 2) and 3) on the High Pass blur image of Img0 and use the resulting 'active' mask as the Composite - Hard or Soft Light blend Input Amount Mask... ...the suggested black/white setting ranges apply...
Does it work?... Will it improve your ‘creative’ sharpening post-processing game?...
The following example is a side by side 1:1 Zoom factor image area crop. On the Left is a Heavy Sharpen No Mask Amount=70 Preview and to its Right is the suggested
steps 2) and 3) Input Amount Mask where mask black=70 and mask white=7…
- HeavyShrpn_Left-NoMsk70_Right-MskBlk70-MskWht7_Qual90.jpg (84.13 KiB) Viewed 10209 times
Have fun experimenting!!!...
…den…