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Laurence-Baker
Known Participant
May 16, 2020
Question

Do you need to re-sharpen after "Export As"

  • May 16, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 1360 views

I can remember way back in 1990s that we used Unsharp mask after resizing quite a lot.

 

Someone asked me recently if we need to another sharpen if we use "Export As" if it resizes the image.

 

Does any think in todays high resolution images that sharpening after export on a JPG would be bad idea as it would lead to re-saving the JPEG again. That's what I feel anyway.

 

The guy who asked me was a photographer and was concerned that Automatic Interpolation was ruining his sharpening on export with "Export As".

 

He had heard a rumour that you had to sharpen again after export.

 

I said you don't need do as Automatic Resample would do little damage especially if downsampling. 

 

Thoughts anyone.

 

Thanks 

Laurence

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3 replies

D Fosse
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 16, 2020

Oh - obviously you wouldn't reopen an already saved jpeg to sharpen it. You downsample, sharpen, and then Export to jpeg.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 16, 2020

»Does any think in todays high resolution images that sharpening after export on a JPG would be bad idea as it would lead to re-saving the JPEG again.«

Also you would be sharpening a JPG-damaged image, so possibly aggravating the artefacts. 

Lossy compression should, if used at all, be the last step. 

 

In principle one could speak of three »kinds« of sharpening in image editing: 

• Input Sharpening (usually in RAW development)

• Creative Sharpening (whatever you feel like improves the image basically)

• Output Sharpening (at final output with consideration of the actual process, not necessarily up to the photographer)

But how much time and energy you invest in either is up to you. 

D Fosse
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 16, 2020

Downsampling softens all edges, so I always sharpen after resizing. Not a lot, just enough to bring back the crisp edges.

 

Bicubic Automatic/Sharper is supposed to take care of it by including automatic sharpening in the algorithm. The problem is that a lot of us feel it's overdoing it, giving the result a coarse, oversharpened look. I consistently use Bicubic Smoother, which doesn't sharpen, and then run the ACR filter for sharpening afterwards. I find this superior to the old Unsharp Mask (or High Pass/Overlay which it's built on). You can use the Detail slider in the ACR filter to control halos.