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Thread: Anyone Use Nik Sharpener Plug in?

  1. #1
    Michael Pancier
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    Default Anyone Use Nik Sharpener Plug in?

    I've been using it for a while, and would be interested in your presets vis a vis birds.

    I tend to find it oversharpening so I'm obviously not doing something right

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    Michael I think Dan Brown is using it. Hope this is the correct link. ETL, his kite post from a few days ago.
    http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ded#post235748

  3. #3
    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    Michael, I have similar frustrations with this plug-in. I have not been able to find settings that don't result in serious over-sharpening. Maybe someone here can help.

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    Michael,

    I don't have the expertise as many in the forum though I'll share my experience with the plug-in. At the moment, I use Nik sharpening for output sharpening on any images put on the web.

    In converting my E-3 camera RAW files to tiffs, I have my sharpening set to -2 (as I understand it, this is "off" for my E-3). I have been experimenting with dSLR fractal sharpening as a pre-sharpener and then let my printing program (Qimage) apply the final sharpening for any prints I make. If I make a jpg for the web I use the Nik output sharpner in display mode after it is resized. I usally leave the "output strength" at 100%, structure at 0, local contrast at 0 and focus at 0 and adjust the adaptive sharpening to somewhere between 20 and 30 percent.

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    I also have this software Michael and likewise have had trouble finding the best settings.

  6. #6
    Alfred Forns
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    Hi Mike sure wish I could help here but I thin PhotoKit Sharpener is the way to go. Have tried just about everything and keep coming back.

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    BPN Member Tony Whitehead's Avatar
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    I know this doesn't help but I can only echo Al on this one.
    Tony Whitehead
    Visit my blog at WildLight Photography for latest news and images.

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    I use Nik Sharpener only for my output for printing and I find it amazing. I use the Epson inkjet setting then pick the paper and resolution and WOW does it make a difference.

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    I have found Nik Sharpener excellent for injet printer output particularly owing to its internal masking capabilities. The 100% default definitely oversharpens 800 pixel on a side images for the web display. You can just cut back on the percentage of the sharpening. An alternative is to sharpen the original large image for printer output (using the masking) and then reduce the size to 800 pixels on a side and adjust the whole image a slight bit with smart sharpen.

    Much of the lore suggests only sharpening after you have achieved the final image size, but then you have to mess with the selective sharpening for the print separately from the web display. I prefer the two step approach. [the pros & cons of sharpening a larger image before reducing the size have been discussed in educational resources/ sharpening info]

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alfred Forns View Post
    Hi Mike sure wish I could help here but I thin PhotoKit Sharpener is the way to go. Have tried just about everything and keep coming back.

    HI

    Is it safe to assume Photokit Sharpner could be used after using Nikon NX2? Based on other things that I have read the use of Photokit Sharpner is better than using USM which if fact does not actually sharpen.

    Thanks Ray

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    Hi Michael. I do use Nik and if anything, I tend to under sharpen with it. I use the selective tool for birds. I usually adjust the slider to about 30% for a forum post using the selective sharpening tool for the whole bird and maybe a branch or whatever seems to be in the same plane. Then I will sometimes go back and do it again on selected areas of the bird (eye, feather edges, etc). I have noticed that when I get the image looking sharp and then preview-post it, the post seems to have lost some of the sharpness? I haven't done much printing, but what I have done, I have sharpened with Nik with ok results.

    BTW, my smugmug posts are bigger files (1500X1500), taking a setting of about 50% and they look much better than the BPN small posts.

    I have played with pre-sharpening using Nik, Intellisharpen, USM and Smart Sharpen with varied results. It seems that each image is very different in it's requirement for good sharpening.:cool::cool:

  12. #12
    Dave Phillips
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    the beauty of Nik, is that you can change the brush opacity to vary selective sharpening.
    You might use 3-4 different opacities on one bird

  13. #13
    Robert McColley
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    I have used Nik Sharpener Pro for several years and recently upgraded to Ver. 3. On most images I use the selective setting and sharpen seleted areas with a brush. Sharpening for Display does tend to be too strong. If too strong you can just reduce it with the Opacity slider until you like what you see. I find I have so much more control with nik than with Adobe Unsharp.

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