Clarity: Which slider value do you find yourself typically using?

[Paul_B_GB]

I'm asking because i got into an early habit of automatically using +10 clarity for all my Raw files, and without giving it any further thought. I've been having a bit of a play with clarity tonight and suddenly realised that may actually be a bit low. That's what got me wondering what the typical value other people find themselves using.

Thanks.

[Theresa J]

It really depends on the camera. I usually use more than +10 for my Canon 7D images. My Fuji X-T10 requires less. It also depends on the image subject and personal taste.

[Paul_B_GB]

Thank you Theresa. I have a feeling that'll probably be the correct answer, lol

[Theresa J]

Sometimes for fun I add +200 or +300 by stacking it up with a graduated filter that covers the whole image.

[Paul_B_GB]

That's a lot of fun, lol

[gary_sc]

Hi Paul,

For me it depends entirely on the subject. As has been mentioned a number of times by many people, you do not want to push Clarity on people's faces. In fact, using a mask and a negative Clarity can be a useful skin conditioner.

Overall, in my landscape images, I tend to push it a bit more and on presentation images (think advertising or product images) I tend to not use it at all--but that can vary by the subject. But the amount, like Theresa says, can vary from image to image.

Also, like setting sharpness, adjusting Clarity on 100% views is probably wise.

(However, when I'm photographing glass, I go crazy and push it a lot. Getting the nuances of glass is enhanced a lot with Clarity.0

Enjoy,

[dj_paige]

That's what got me wondering what the typical value other people find themselves using.

I can't believe that there's such a thing as a "typical" value for any of the sliders. It depends on your judgment, and the scene you have photographed, and your camera, and maybe a few other things as well.

For what it's worth, I set Clarity to 40 on many of my photos. Not all. It's judgment.

[Paul_B_GB]

Thanks Gary and Djpage too, it's valued advice.

DjPage, i think the reason i started adding a habitual clarity amount of +10 to all Raw's was simply because i knew no better in the beginning and it just became a habit. In editing lots of Raw's it just seemed like a time saver that kind of worked OK with most images. Like anything in life, a habit can end up being done automatically without even thinking about it. I even added it to a preset for my camera, which also included a crop ratio of 7x5, lens corrections & CA.

[DdeGannes]

This is very subjective, I have +15 set for my Olympus raw files in my "Default develop settings" and do not normally go beyond +30.

[john beardsworth]

I feel that it's not so much a question of what value - it's a matter of where. So rather than use the Basic panel Clarity to hype up the whole image, I increasingly apply Clarity via the Grad or Radial filters to those areas and features that I want to emphasize.

So in a scene containing a person, I might use Radial filter to draw attention to the face, or in a cloudy landscape I might add Clarity to the sky. The value can be from 10-100, and I often apply more than one local adjustment to an area.

John

[Paul_B_GB]

Sounds very specialist on special photos John. Probably not practical if have hundreds to do though (I would of thought).

[john beardsworth]

I agree. It applies to maybe the 20 images that make it out of those hundreds. For the rest, my Basic panel usually stays at 0.

[dj_paige]

john beardsworth wrote:

I feel that it's not so much a question of what value - it's a matter of where. So rather than use the Basic panel Clarity to hype up the whole image, I increasingly apply Clarity via the Grad or Radial filters to those areas and features that I want to emphasize.

So in a scene containing a person, I might use Radial filter to draw attention to the face, or in a cloudy landscape I might add Clarity to the sky. The value can be from 10-100, and I often apply more than one local adjustment to an area.

John

I have done this too, using the adjustment brush to add more clarity to certain parts of a scene. In my case, if I take a photo of a building, where the sun is (unfortunately) directly behind the building, and the front of the building is in shadow, I find that adding additional clarity on the front of the building is quite helpful.

[john beardsworth]

I do think the original question is a good discussion point. I am aware that I now use Clarity almost exclusively as a local adjustment to emphasize the important aspects of a picture. Applied globally, the whole picture can be made to SHOUT, so I prefer a series of local Clarity adjustments. But processing some recent pictures this morning, the post has made me question whether I should be adding a bit of global Clarity. And in some cases I have, but not more than 10-20.

[Paul_B_GB]

Yes, that seems to be my conclusion too, an amount between 10 and 20 seems to be what looks good to me globally on most of my photos (probably nearer 15 to 20 on the majority).

[Abambo]

Typically, the value ranges from -100 to +100 depending on the picture. I individually set the clarity for each picture and it depends really on what is the subject.

People: use subtle adjustments. - romantic views use negative values however.

Nature: A tree gets more contrasted with clarity added. I love to show the structure of the bark.

Technology/Architecture: Use higher values for highly contrasted pictures.

[Paul_B_GB]

thank you all for your replies, very interesting!