Focal Blade shapening with a brush

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Edh
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Focal Blade shapening with a brush

Post by Edh »

I have been trying to sharpen with a brush and when I go to step 5 page 12 of the manual its OK. I place the photo in Focal Blade . Step 6 tells me to click on the layer mask thumbnail but since I have Focal Blade active I cannot click on the layer mask. Where am I going wrong? Thanks Ed

HaraldHeim
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Post by HaraldHeim »

You need to apply FocalBlade to the image before you click on the layer mask icon.

refiningman
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Sharpening with a Brush

Post by refiningman »

I have followed the FocalBlade instructions for non-destructive sharpening but I cannot get things to work. :cry: I'm using a MAC OS 10.4 and CS2. After I duplicate the background layer and add the layer mask (Hide or reveal, same results), then click back to the image on the second layer, when I then try to open Focalblade it displays the mask (as a blank i.e. checkerboard) rather than the image itself.

I've reverted to sharpening the duplicate layer without the mask, then adding a layer mask after closing Focalblade, and brushing away areas I do not want sharpened.

Am I missing something, or doing something wrong in Photoshop?

Thanks for your help.

Peter

HaraldHeim
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Post by HaraldHeim »

You already found the solution yourself. You need to run FocalBlade before adding the layer mask.

If you add the layer mask before running FocalBlade, you need to switch from the mask back to the image by clicking the image icon on the layer bar in the Layers palette and after running FocalBlade you need to switch back to the mask.

So you can spare yourself these two extra steps by adding a layer mask after running FocalBlade.

refiningman
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Post by refiningman »

<<If>>

This is the part that does not work - even if I switch back to the image, Focalblade still opens up the blank checkerboard (mask?) in its preview window. This is not as it is supposed to be is it? I agree my solution works.

Peter

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Post by HaraldHeim »

Either you still have the layer mask active or you created a blank new layer and apply FocalBlade to it...

refiningman
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Post by refiningman »

I checked again last night, here's what I found:

1. This technique works only in 8 bit mode, not in 16 bit. I had been trying to use it in 16 bit. I use i-Mac G5 (Motorola), OS X10.4, PSCS2

2. It works only with a white mask, and not with a black mask (I do not understand whay, but these are the facts).

If I sharpen on the duplicate layer and add the mask later, things work OK so it's not a big deal, but maybe the manual could be revised as needed.

P

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Post by HaraldHeim »

I just did the steps that are described in the FocalBlade manual on a 16bit image in Photoshop CS2 under Windows and it worked fine. So I don't know why it doesn't work for you. It also doesn't matter if the layer mask is white or black if you use a white brush on a black mask and a black brush on a white mask.

However, I forgot that the instructions tell you to create a layer mask before applying FocalBlade. I will change the instructions to remove these extra steps. That will mean less steps and a lower risk that people will perform a step incorrectly.

Thanks for bringing my attention to it.

HaraldHeim
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Post by HaraldHeim »

Here are the new instructions, which should make things easier:

1. Open your image.

2. Choose Layer > Duplicate Layer or alternatively select "Duplicate Layer" from the menu of the Layer palette.

3. Apply Filter > PhotoWiz > FocalBlade to the image.

4. If you want to remove the sharpening effect from a few image areas, please choose Layer > (Add) Layer Mask > Reveal All. Alternatively, if you want to brush the sharpening effect only on a few image areas, please select Layer > (Add) Layer Mask > Hide All.

5. Select the brush tool and choose appropriate brush size and options.

6. To remove the sharpness effect from some areas of the image please choose a black color in the foreground color box of Photoshop's tool palette. But if you have choosen Layer > (Add) Layer Mask > Hide All in step 4, please choose a white color in the foreground color box of Photoshop's tool palette.

7. Brush over the image areas where you want the sharpness effect removed or revealed.

8. When you are done, you can flatten the image with Layer > Flatten Image.

refiningman
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Post by refiningman »

Harold:

Ok, thanks. I am using a Mac btw, maybe that might explain some differences

Peter

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