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The Tool Chest — Unsharp Mask

Unsharp Mask

Increasing Sharpness

Using Unsharp Mask, the user can increase the sharpness

of images by making edges more dis tinct. Unsharp Mask

works by increasing the contrast of edges in the image while

leaving other areas untouched. The amount of sharpness

is determined by three factors: in ten si ty, halo width, and

threshold.

The “Unsharp Mask” Palette

The “Unsharp Mask” palette can be used in both the scan window and

in image windows.

The “Apply” Button

Changes to Unsharp Mask only apply when the button at the top left

corner of the “Unsharp Mask” palette is checked. When this button is

checked, changes to settings will be reﬂ ected in the image in the active

window. The box can be checked and unchecked for a quick “before-

and-after” comparison to determine whether changes to settings are

having the desired effect.

Apply button

Intensity

Halo width

Threshold

Unsharp Mask can be applied to all the colors in the image

or selectively to areas of the image in which red, green, blue,

cyan, magenta, or yellow predominate, as determined by the

color values for each pixel. The brightness (luminosity) of the

affected pixels is adjusted to sharpen edges without affect-

ing color balance. The controls in the Unsharp Mask palette

can be used to create multiple masks, one for each color or

for all colors.

Unsharp Mask

Unsharp Mask sharpens edges without affecting color balance by ad-

justing only luminosity (brightness). The effect is the same as perform-

ing Unsharp Mask with the Luminosity channel selected in the Adobe

Photoshop Lab color model.

Image Size and Resolution

The amount of Unsharp Mask required depends on the size and resolu-

tion of the ﬁ nal image. The more pixels in the image, the greater the

amount of Unsharp Mask required to achieve the same degree of appar-

ent sharpness. Before applying a mask, scale the image to the desired

size and resolution.

Nikon Color Management (

78)

Unsharp Mask is only available when the Nikon Color Management Sys-

tem (CMS) is on. If Nikon CMS is off, the tools in the “Unsharp Mask”

palette will be disabled.