ACR and PhotoKit Sharpener

[alexramsay]

Not having used PK sharpener for some years, I thought I would give it a try again. However since I last used PK, sharpening in ACR has been enormously improved. My question is, since I now do all capture sharpening in ACR as a matter of course, do I need to apply further capture sharpening with PK, or do I simply proceed straight to output sharpening (or creative sharpening first if required)? Can anyone advise? I use CS3 and not Lightroom.

Thanks, Alex

[KeithR]

Not having used PK sharpener for some years, I thought I would give it a try again. However since I last used PK, sharpening in ACR has been enormously improved. My question is, since I now do all capture sharpening in ACR as a matter of course, do I need to apply further capture sharpening with PK, or do I simply proceed straight to output sharpening (or creative sharpening first if required)? Can anyone advise? I use CS3 and not Lightroom.

Thanks, Alex

The ACR sharpening IS the PK Sharpener that you've used in the past, so a short answer is that you would NOT need any additional capture sharpening via PKS. Since you don't have LR, you would still need to output sharpen(and creative sharpen if desired) with PKS.

[Schewe]

The ACR sharpening IS the PK Sharpener that you've used in the past...

Actually no...the capture sharpening in Camera Raw and Lightroom is designed with the CONCEPT of PhotoKit Sharpener's capture sharpening but it's not directly based on it. The output sharpening in Lightroom (and Camera Raw) is however directly based on (and improved on by Eric Chan) PKS output sharpening...

Sadly, Bruce Fraser had passed away before he got to work with Thomas Knoll consulting on the improved sharpening in ACR 4.1. However, I followed up and worked in his place to substantially improve the old sharpening.

The big difference is I think ACR is a better place to do capture sharpening (and noise reduction) than later in Photoshop. Note, Neither ACR nor Lightroom have really good creative sharpening (which I still do in Photoshop with PKS).

PixelGenius is working on PhotoKit Sharpener 2.0. More info on that when it's available...

[alexramsay]

Thanks to both - looking forward to Sharpener 2.0

[Ellis Vener]

PixelGenius is working on PhotoKit Sharpener 2.0. More info on that when it's available...

That's great news Jeff! I look forward to it. Is Mac Holbert is now part of the PixelGenius team?

[Kirk Gittings]

That's great news Jeff! I look forward to it. Is Mac Holbert is now part of the PixelGenius team?

Long time no see Ellis.......

[Schewe]

Is Mac Holbert is now part of the PixelGenius team?

Yep...he's the product manager of PhotoKit Sharpener 2.0...
(course, I had to teach him to write actions :~)

[bradleygibson]

PixelGenius is working on PhotoKit Sharpener 2.0. More info on that when it's available...

Count me as a customer when it's ready.  PKS delivers the best results of any sharpening tool I've used and I've even shipped one or two myself! (Admittedly to a different target market, but still, it's intended as high praise.)

Looking forward to it, Jeff!

[Chris_Brown]

I've been using PKS for several years now find it works really well in many situations. Recently, though I've been using Photoshop's Smart Sharpen (on a separate layer) and am really pleased with its results. It's also worth a look.

[Carl Harsch]

As a long time PKS user, I look forward to the new version.