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Ultra-Sharpen automates image sharpening about as much as any software could do.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
Ultra-Sharpen, Focus Magic and a few digital image techniques


July 13, 2003


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, The Post-Standard

   Questions about digital photography, scanning and printing have overwhelmed my inbox in the last few weeks. Here are answers to five of the most recent questions:
   
   Q: I can never get "sharpening" to work right. What tricks to you use?
   A: I've been a big fan of Ultra-Sharpen, a plugin for Photoshop and many other Windows programs that use Photoshop-compatible plugins (such as Photoshop Elements 2.0). There's a new version, Ultra-Sharpen 6.0 ($20), from www.ultrasharpen.com. You'll find "pro" and "lite" versions. There's no Macintosh version.
   Ultra-Sharpen automates image sharpening about as much as any software could do. It's superb when you need to sharpen many images in a short time. Robert Barnett, creator of Ultra-Sharpen and the epitome of good customer support, says Ultra-Sharpen works with Photoshop versions 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 and 7.0, or with Photoshop Elements 1.0 or 2.0. Barnett cautions that his program doesn't work with any other programs that support Photoshop plugins.
   Another program (and plugin) I can't do without is Focus Magic from www.focusmagic.com. It also automates sharpening, and does a better job in most ways than any other sharpening program. It's dreadfully slow, however, and when I use the word "slow" I realize some of you will assume that I mean "not fast." What I really mean is "abysmally and unbearably lacking any pretense of speed." Focus Magic costs $90.
   
   Q: I don't understand "dots per inch." My printer is rated at 1,200 dots per inch and my scanner is 300 dots per inch. That's clearly a mismatch. But I heard you say in a talk to a local group that this doesn't matter. Why not?
   A: Because your printer is not being honest. A color printer has to lay down at least three differently colored dots of ink to make what we see as one colored dot. So a printer rated at 1,200 dots per inch is actually only laying down 400 usable dots per inch if it's a three-color printer, 300 usable dots per inch if it's a four-color printer and, at most, 200 usable dots per inch if it's a six- or seven-color printer.
   For best quality, scan at the highest optical resolution (check your scanner's manual, help menu or Web site) and print at the printer's highest-quality setting. Ignore whatever the printer manual or print software says about dots per inch.
   
   Q: You told the group at my library (in Solvay) that JPEGs were bad because they decreased the quality of the image. But my camera saves photos as JPEGs -- I have no choice -- and I haven't been able to e-mail non-JPEG photos with any luck. My friends tell me they can't view the TIFF pictures I send. Can't I use JPEGs for e-mail if I am careful?
   A: JPEGs are perfect for sending in e-mail. Use good software (Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 is my recommendation) to make e-mailable versions that are no larger than 640 X 480 pixels -- don't touch your original photos! -- and be sure to save them as JPEGs. Then everyone will be able to view them.
   If your camera offers no choice of format (don't feel bad -- most don't), take the photos that the camera saves and immediately resave them in a non-destructive format (TIFF, BMP or PNG). Store the original JPEG versions in case you mess up the others. Always do all your cropping and image enhancement on the non-destructive versions. If you edit a JPEG and save the image as a JPEG, you damage the image irredeemably. (Friends sometimes ask why my images look so good. One reason: I don't ever edit JPEGs.)
   
   Q: The software that came with my camera doesn't have any way to save as PNG. You said PNG was a good choice because it compresses images without any loss. Is there another way I can do it?
   A: Software that comes free with scanners and digital cameras is worth what you paid for it. Get software you can respect, either good freeware (Irfan View for Windows at www.irfanview.com) or good payware (Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 for Windows or Macs from any good software store). Mac OS X users also have iPhoto, the class leader in photo-management software for any platform; it comes free with modern Macs.
   
   Q: I understand the idea of enhancing my photos, but I can never get cropping right. When I print my pictures, some parts are cut off. How do I know what I should be cropping?"
   A: For Windows users, Photoshop Elements 2.0 has an elegant method of cropping, giving you a choice of a freehand crop or a crop using specific ratios (6 by 4, 8 by 10 and so on). It also offers excellent printing choices, and you can see exactly what will print. For modern Mac users, iPhoto does this and much more. Use good software; it rewards you and frees up your time for more picture taking.