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How to sharpen an image in Photoshop
In This Article
Sharpening a photo is one of the easiest ways to bring out more detail and ensure your photos look crisp and clear. Here’s how to do it.
There are a number of options when it comes to sharpening photos in Photoshop from the basic Sharpen tool to Sharpen Edges, Sharpen More and Smart Sharpen. However, we’ll be using the Unsharp Mask to bring detail out in an Adobe Stock photo, as this is the method Adobe recommends using on its website.
One of the benefits of using a mask is that you can toggle the effect on and off and adjust the settings even after you’ve hit OK. You can also use the mask to single out areas of the image you want to sharpen and the bits you want to be left alone.
Here’s how to sharpen an image in Photoshop using the Unsharp Mask tool.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version
Step1
Zoom in on your image to 100%
This isn’t necessary but it does make it a lot easier to see what you’re doing.
Step2
Click Filter
You can find this option in the menu bar at the top of Photoshop.
Step3
Select Convert For Smart Filters
If you receive a pop-up about converting the layer to a Smart Object, click OK.
Step4
Click Filter again
Again, you’ll find this option in the menu bar at the top of your screen.
Step5
Hover over Sharpen
This will bring up more options.
Step6
Click Unsharp Mask
This is the tool we’re going to use to sharpen the image.
Step7
Adjust the settings and hit OK
You can play around with the amount of sharpening, the radius and the threshold until you’re happy with the results.
Troubleshooting
You can take a closer look at different parts of your image as you sharpen it by clicking anywhere on the image with the Unsharp Mask tool open.You can also tick the Preview box here to view your edits in real time or leave it unticked to only see them in the pop-up.
If you find you’ve oversharpened the image, just double-click on the Unsharp Mask effect in your layers and pull the sliders back until you’re happy with the result.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
