Photkit Sharpener and Layers

[mcmorrison]

Hello,

I use, and love, photokit sharpener. I understand that it works only on a true background layer. I find that there are times when I want to sharpen (or smooth, or haze-cut, or . . . ) a layer, rather than the background, and must create a new file, with a new name, and so on.

I wonder why this is so, and imagine I would be happier about creating new files if I knew.

Also, I will often import from LR, apply capture sharpen, make color corrections and other edits in layers, and then want to add output sharpening. Typically, I will make a new flattened file on which to perform output sharpening. Most of the time, this makes sense for other reasons. I wonder whether PKS "sees" the other layers when it does the sharpening, or if it simply does the sharpening on the background as though the other layers weren't there?

I have hunted around here and at Pixel Genius forums for insight on this, without luck. I apologize if it is there and I have missed it, and would appreciate a link to it!

Many thanks,

Michael Morrison

[Schewe]

To make PK Sharpener as error proof as possible, we kill any active selection and we build the sharpening layers literally from the Background layer up....it will use all currently visible layers when running.

We may revisit that in the future-issues such as Lightroom we're around when Bruce Fraser first designed PKS...but we'll always return layers & groups rather than work directly on your base pixels.

[mcmorrison]

Hello Jeff,

Thanks for the reply—

If I understand correctly, PKS works exactly as I would like! Returning layers and groups, ignoring ("killing") any active selection, and then performing the sharpening on the image that results from the whole, currently visible, layer stack. If I understand, performing sharpening on a file with several, visible adjustment layers is equivalent to doing a "save as" to a flattened file and performing the sharpening on the flattened file.

Thanks for the great product, I look forward to a LR version, which seems like it may be in the works!

Many thanks,

Michael Morrison

[jule]

To make PK Sharpener as error proof as possible, we kill any active selection and we build the sharpening layers literally from the Background layer up....it will use all currently visible layers when running.

We may revisit that in the future-issues such as Lightroom we're around when Bruce Fraser first designed PKS...but we'll always return layers & groups rather than work directly on your base pixels.
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Jeff, If I use PK Output shapener, thinking my image is done, but after printing, realise an adjustment needs to be made in say the colour or saturation, therefore I add another layer underneath the sharpening stack; will it automatically re-calibrate, or do I need to ditch the Sharpening stack and do another one for the new added layer?

Julie

[Schewe]

do I need to ditch the Sharpening stack and do another one for the new added layer?
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Well, it really depends on how critical you may be....you can prolly run and adjustment layer on the top most layer and make small tweaks, but if you do ny substantial work you are better off killing off the old stuff and redoing it with the new.

[jule]

Well, it really depends on how critical you may be....you can prolly run and adjustment layer on the top most layer and make small tweaks, but if you do ny substantial work you are better off killing off the old stuff and redoing it with the new.
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Thanks Jeff