Professional unsharp mask sharpening
Unsharp mask is the same technique used by professional photo editing software. It works by creating a blurred copy of the image, comparing the original with the blurred version to find edges, then enhancing those edges. The result is a sharper, more detailed image without the artifacts of simple sharpening filters.
Three controls for perfect results
Amount controls the intensity of sharpening — higher values create more pronounced edges. Radius determines the width of edges affected — use small values (0.5-1.5) for fine details, larger values (2-5) for broader sharpening. Threshold protects smooth areas like skies and skin from becoming noisy — only pixels that differ from their neighbors by more than the threshold are sharpened.