nik Sharpener Pro Complete

[shenwood]

:?: I am tempted to shell out the $300+ for this sharpening plug-in, but want to find out if any users could comment first. Is it really worth the $$$? Does it really do a great job? The theory behind it is that sharpening on screen looks different in Print, & varies depending on whether you print out on inkjet, continuous tone (laser, photographic), or offset. I could see this for offset, but does sharpening on screen using Photoshop's unsharp mask really look that diferent when the image is printed out on a continuous tone phtographic, laser, or lambda type printer? What about inkjet?

[WalterK]

If you are serious about sharpening there is another program that just came out with an upgrade that will process 16-bit files in the new Photoshop, as a plugin. I have been searching and comparing sharpening programs, and this got rave reviews on Digital Outback and Luminous Landscape. websites. Here is the link to the program. You will also find links to the reviews there. The program is $100, much less than nikSharpener. It allows you to sharpen in 3 or more stages, and you should download the trial version and read the manual before deciding on how to use it.

http://pixelgenius.com/sharpener/

[sjms]

have you tried Fred Miranda's product. it works real well for well under $300. Nik is in my opinion way out of bounds with that price vs the results.

[Ronnie948]

Nik is $149.95 and it is great. If You use RGB and do all of Your printing on an inkjet printer You don't need the full version. Everyone I know that has it really likes the results.

[NickTrop]

Nod to Nic. Home version works fine. I use it to sharpen everything I print. Huge difference, couldn't live without it. To me it's woth the $150 for the home version if you want the best possible prints. However, I would check out some of the others, especially the less expensive ones.

[gmitchel]

My TLR Sharpening Toolkit is a free download. It is a sophisticated Photoshop action set for sharpening images. The toolkit is based on a three-pass sharpening philosophy, although it can also be used for single-pass or two-pass sharpening. I engineered this toolkit to include the best features of commercial sharpening tools, like Focal Blade and Photokit Sharpener. Features include:

• Sharpen with Highpass Filter or USM sharpening.

• Sharpen edges and surfaces separately (or either alone).

• Sharpen light and dark pixels separately.

• Generate masks using luminosity or color boundaries or a composite of the two.

• Brush in creative sharpening/blurring.

• Blend If settings protect against sharpening highlights and shadows.

• All sharpening is done non-destructively using layers.

style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000"http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/...ingToolkit.htm

It comes with illustrated instructions in PDF. I also have tutorials, tips, and a learning gallery to help you with sharpening.

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/...ningSkills.pdf

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/...ingToolkit.htm

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/.../2004OCT11.htm

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/.../2004NOV01.htm

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/.../2004NOV29.htm

Cheers,

Mitch

[Ronnie948]

Nik is great. If you always do the printing on your inkjet all you need is the inkjet edition. I bought the whole Pro-pak and never use anything except the inkjet part. It is a truly great product.