Different sharpening for different print sizes?

[number8]

Do I need to take the print size in consideration when I sharpen my images? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

[Tim Gray]

Yes.  When you sharpen for output.

Download the trial version of PKS http://www.pixelgenius.com/sharpener/index.html and you can test out the differences.  

You also need to capture sharpen as one of the first steps of any workflow.

[number8]

Hi Tim! Thanks for the quick reply. This forum is really great!

I'm comfortable with capture sharpening and output sharpening.

Actually I've tried to try the PKsharpen. It does install but it won't run for me on CS3?

[rdonson]

Hi Tim! Thanks for the quick reply. This forum is really great!

I'm comfortable with capture sharpening and output sharpening.

Actually I've tried to try the PKsharpen. It does install but it won't run for me on CS3?
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Get the version that's specific to CS3 [a href=\"http://www.pixelgenius.com/CS3BETA.html]here.[/url]

If you're uprezzing and printing from Photoshop then this is a great solution.  A lot of people find Qimage does this much easier for them.

[fike]

I am a devoted qimage user.  I do some initial sharpening in raw and then let qimage do the rest.

[Schewe]

Do I need to take the print size in consideration when I sharpen my images? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=159066\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Not size but you DO need to factor in the image resolution and the media. Sharpening for an image at 240 will be different than an image at 360 or 480 PPI. Also, sharpening for a glossy print will need to be different than a matte paper print.

But the size of the print really is not a factor when determining sharpening.

[number8]

Not size but you DO need to factor in the image resolution and the media. Sharpening for an image at 240 will be different than an image at 360 or 480 PPI. Also, sharpening for a glossy print will need to be different than a matte paper print.

But the size of the print really is not a factor when determining sharpening.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=159134\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks Jeff! I watched C2P before I bought my printer and it's a good resource for sure.

And how do I sharpen a 240 ppi vs a 480 ppi. Should I be more aggressive with the sharpening at 480 ppi to get the same result? I'm thinking in the same way as when sharpening for web.

[Bob Walters]

Thanks Jeff! I watched C2P before I bought my printer and it's a good resource for sure.

And how do I sharpen a 240 ppi vs a 480 ppi. Should I be more aggressive with the sharpening at 480 ppi to get the same result? I'm thinking in the same way as when sharpening for web.
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I think this is a great book and it really taught me a lot about sharpening.  I was guessing before.  Now I sharpen with much greater confidence and I get significantly improved results.

[a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/World-Image-Sharpening-Adobe-Photoshop/dp/0321449916]http://www.amazon.com/World-Image-Sharpeni...p/dp/0321449916[/url]

 

[Schewe]

And how do I sharpen a 240 ppi vs a 480 ppi.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=159203\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Well, that's the problem, huh?

In addition to Bob's suggestion of reading Bruce's RWIS book the only other thing I can offer to you is to check out PhotoKit Sharpener as it will help make the distinction between pixel densities.

Trying to do final output sharpening by eye is going to be a major problem since you are evaluating the applied sharpening on a low resolution display that can NEVER give an accurate rendering of high resolution image data intended for print. The amount of sharpening you need to apply for the print will make the image look way over-sharpened on the display.

[Malcolm Payne]

Not size but you DO need to factor in the image resolution and the media. Sharpening for an image at 240 will be different than an image at 360 or 480 PPI. Also, sharpening for a glossy print will need to be different than a matte paper print.

But the size of the print really is not a factor when determining sharpening.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=159134\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

For commercial pay-for-print work, I use a professional large-format RIP which automatically resizes the input file to the required output size and resolution for the designated printer. The results are generally excellent, but I'm looking at PKS with a view to optimising the sharpening process with my own files. However, I'm somewhat confused as to what should be the correct resolution to select for the PKS output sharpening step. Should this be the resolution of the input file at the original size supplied to the RIP, or the resolution of the output file at its final size as processed by the RIP and sent to the printer, or is neither correct? I would have thought the former, if anything, but I'm not sure that either is actually correct for this workflow.

If Jeff or anyone else who knows PKS could offer any further advice or clarification, I would be very grateful.