Photoshop: Mask out of focus - simply explained

Photoshop gives you several ways to sharpen your images. You have precise setting options in the "Unsharp Mask" filter. In this article we explain what this filter can do.

What can the Photoshop Unsharp Mask filter do?

The "Unsharp Mask" filter improves image sharpness. You can get good results with this filter.

• Photoshop usually sharpens an image by increasing the contrast at the edges.
• The "Unsharp Mask" filter works with pixels instead of edges.
• Pixels are searched that differ from the neighboring pixels by a threshold value that you have specified.
• The contrast of these pixels is then increased by a desired value. That is, the lighter pixels become lighter and the darker pixels darker.
• With the radius you define the area with which each pixel is to be compared. The larger the radius, the stronger the effects.

Here's how to apply Unsharp Mask

This filter provides you with three setting options. The correct values ​​always depend on the size of your photo.

• Navigate to Filters> Sharpening Filters> Unsharp Mask.
• At the beginning, set the strength to 100%. If the result is not to your satisfaction, you can adjust the value at any time.
• Before you set the radius, navigate to "Image"> "Image size" and find out what the resolution of your image is. The radius can then be calculated.
• Estimate 1 pixel per 150 dpi. However, this is just a rule of thumb. If the result is not optimal, experiment here too.
• The threshold is a tolerance limit.
• This limit is required if not all edges are to be sharpened.
• If you set a value of 10 here, for example, this means that the contrast difference between the nearest pixels must be at least 10 levels so that this area is sharpened.
• First you can set the threshold to 0 and then approach the result.