On 2014-09-13 07:23:17 +0000, Alfred Molon said:

Sometimes a soft lens can be very effectively compensated by some
unsharp mask in post processing and you get a sharp, natural looking
image.

But sometimes no matter how much sharpening you apply or what parameters
you choose, you get that unnatural, "sharpened" look.

It probably depends on the unsharpness of the lens, its (spatial)
frequency response or whether the sharpness is caused by the lens glass
itself (i.e. lens not being sharp enough), inaccurate focus or some
motion blur.

For instance I have a 70-300 lens which at the tele end generates a bit
soft images, which however respond well to unsharp masking in post-
processing. But that's not the case for the another lens I have (a mid-
range one).

Has somebody analysed this (i.e. how to best sharpen an image, what
unsharpness can be eliminated in post-processing)? Is there perhaps some
web page with details?


First are we talking sharpening in general, sharpening to overcome
softness due to exposure settings, or issues with a particular lens?

Next, if it is a particular lens which lens? If you are talking about
the 70-300mm, what brand and model, and mounted on which camera?

Is the softness you are experiencing over the entire image, or edge softness?

What post processing tools/software are you using?

Are these RAW image files or JPEG?

When in your workflow do you usually apply any particular sharpening method?

--
Regards,

Savageduck