1
Select the image that you want to sharpen and open it in
the Develop module. To get a really close look at it, go to
the view options on the Navigator panel at the top of the left
sidebar and select the 1:1 view ratio, to see the image at 100
per cent size. If you want, you can zoom in even further with
the expanded view options, but 1:1 should be enough.3
Many digital SLRs have something called a low-pass filter
that slightly blurs the image to prevent Moiré effects. By
default, Lightroom applies a small amount of sharpening to all
images to counteract this filter. Once an Amount is entered,
Radius is 1.0 and Detail is 25 by default. If your DSLR doesn’t
have this filter you can keep this at zero for maximum detail.2 Open the Detail panel, which you can find in the right-
hand sidebar. We’ve already looked at the noise reduction
functions but the Sharpening functions are in the top half of the
panel. There is also a detail view available but to be honest it’s
far too small to be much use. You’re better off checking your
progress by zooming the main image.4 Like many adjustments, judging the correct level of
sharpness is very subjective. To see what too much looks
like, drag the Amount slider all the way to the right, to a value
of 150. You can see that the high-contrast lines in the image
now look harsh and jagged and the grain of the image has
been emphasised, making it look noisy.Image Sharpening
with the Detail Panel
Image sharpening works by increasing the contrast between edges
in the detail of your shots, while concealing blur and softness.
Careful use of Sharpening controls can improve the appearance of
your images, but the key to success is subtlety.
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GOING DEEPER: ADVANCED IMAGE EDITING
BDM’s Made Easy Series | Volume 22