Adjustment layer for unsharp mask, clone stamp

Dr. J wrote:

I am in process of scanning and restoring some old photographs. I will be doing some level and color adjustmensts and some clone stamping. My goal is to keep the original scan, as is, as the background image and perform each type of adjustment on its own separtate adjustment layer.

My understanding is to apply the unsharp mask as the last step of the process after performing other adjustments. Is there an adjustment layer to be placed on top of all other layers and then apply the unsharp mask to that layer to affect the layers below it?

This would be great, however it is not possible given the internal limitations of Photoshop’s adjustment layers – pixel data from adjacent pixels may not be used to calculate an adjustment layer. My guess is we’ll see this feature in a future version of Photoshop, and it will be the same release that supports filter layers.

There is a trick to provide something very close to USM via a layer. First dup the layer, then apply Filter>Other>High Pass, and give it the same radius setting you would use for USM – 1.3 or so. Change the mode of this "sharpen" layer to Overlay, and you’ve got unsharp mask on a layer. (Put this all into an action or you won’t bother using it more than once or twice)

Once created, you may adjust the transparency of the sharpen layer to get the equivalent of the USM percent parameter. Threshold is not available, but this is made up for by the layer blending modes, and the ability to erase areas that you do not want sharpened.

Also, is there an adjustment (or any other type of layer) to be used for

clone

stamping?

Not specifically. You may get this fucntionality by creating a new transparent layer, setting your clone source to the background layer, and cloning onto the transparent layer.

So far I simply duplicate the background layer and then apply clone stamping and unsharp masking to this layer but the disadvangate I see is that the unsharp mask is applied below other layers. Is this correct method of applying the unsharp mask and clone stamping?

Nothing wrong with this. Clone stamping will soften some of the sharpening, and this is the reason USM is usually done as the last step, as you describe.

If you use the transparent clone layer trick, you may give it its own sharpen layer, as discussed. That, together with the sharpen layer of the background will give you very close to a correctly USM’ed final image, but retain the flexibility of changing your mind later about the cloning or sharpening. I’m not sure the extra flexibility is worth the added complexity, but it is available.
—

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net

Dr. J wrote:

I am in process of scanning and restoring some old photographs. I will be doing some level and color adjustmensts and some clone stamping. My goal is to keep the original scan, as is, as the background image and perform each type of adjustment on its own separtate adjustment layer.
My understanding is to apply the unsharp mask as the last step of the process after performing other adjustments. Is there an adjustment layer to be placed on top of all other layers and then apply the unsharp mask to that layer to affect the layers below it? Also, is there an adjustment (or any other type of layer) to be used for clone stamping?

So far I simply duplicate the background layer and then apply clone stamping and unsharp masking to this layer but the disadvangate I see is that the unsharp mask is applied below other layers. Is this correct method of applying the unsharp mask and clone stamping?

Adjustment layers do not contain any pixels, so there should be no difference in sharpening the duplicate layer or have a theoretical unsharp mask adjustment layer on top of everything.

—
Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

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Dr. J wrote:

I am in process of scanning and restoring some old photographs. I will be doing some level and color adjustmensts and some clone stamping. My goal is to keep the original scan, as is, as the background image and perform each type of adjustment on its own separtate adjustment layer.

My understanding is to apply the unsharp mask as the last step of the process after performing other adjustments. Is there an adjustment layer to be placed on top of all other layers and then apply the unsharp mask to that layer to affect the layers below it?

This would be great, however it is not possible given the internal limitations of Photoshop’s adjustment layers – pixel data from adjacent pixels may not be used to calculate an adjustment layer. My guess is we’ll see this feature in a future version of Photoshop, and it will be the same release that supports filter layers.

There is a trick to provide something very close to USM via a layer. First dup the layer, then apply Filter>Other>High Pass, and give it the same radius setting you would use for USM – 1.3 or so. Change the mode of this "sharpen" layer to Overlay, and you’ve got unsharp mask on a layer. (Put this all into an action or you won’t bother using it more than once or twice)

Once created, you may adjust the transparency of the sharpen layer to get the equivalent of the USM percent parameter. Threshold is not available, but this is made up for by the layer blending modes, and the ability to erase areas that you do not want sharpened.

Also, is there an adjustment (or any other type of layer) to be used for

clone

stamping?

Not specifically. You may get this fucntionality by creating a new transparent layer, setting your clone source to the background layer, and cloning onto the transparent layer.

So far I simply duplicate the background layer and then apply clone stamping and unsharp masking to this layer but the disadvangate I see is that the unsharp mask is applied below other layers. Is this correct method of applying the unsharp mask and clone stamping?

Nothing wrong with this. Clone stamping will soften some of the sharpening, and this is the reason USM is usually done as the last step, as you describe.

If you use the transparent clone layer trick, you may give it its own sharpen layer, as discussed. That, together with the sharpen layer of the background will give you very close to a correctly USM’ed final image, but retain the flexibility of changing your mind later about the cloning or sharpening. I’m not sure the extra flexibility is worth the added complexity, but it is available.
—

Mike Russell

Mike, thanks for the High Pass trick – one can never say that they know all there is to know with PS!

I also agree with the Clone action on a transparent Layer, as it offers the ability to do it all over again, if things don’t work out.

Lastly, in my workflow, the same image might be reproduced via several methods in different media, so USM is often at different settings depending on the final output, i.e. in CMYK, the K Channel might get the USM, or maybe more than CM&Y. For this reason, I’ll do it on the "final," just before I hand it off.

As always, good responses, thanks,
Hunt