The three settings are described below.
Amount determines how much to increase the contrast between the light and dark sides of the edges.
A larger value increases the contrast.
Radius determines how many pixels to change on each side the edge.
Selecting the radius value is sort of like adjusting the brush size of the filter that will paint along the edges.
Let's say you set the radius to 2.
Sharpening may occur two pixels deep on each side of the edge.
Threshold determines whether an edge exists.
| If You: | Then: |
| Enter 0 | All of the pixels in the photograph will be sharpened. |
| Enter 10 | Two adjacent pixels must be more than 10 brightness levels apart for sharpening to occur. |
| Enter 20 | Two adjacent pixels must be more than 20 brightness levels apart for sharpening to occur. |
Here are the typical values for the three settings.
| Amount | Radius | Threshold | |
| What It Does | If the value ↑, sharpening ↑. | If the value ↑, sharpening ↑. | If the value ↑, sharpening ↓. |
| Typical Values | 50% - 300% | .5 - 3 | 0 - 20 |
In the Unsharp Mask window, Amount is first, followed by Radius and Threshold.
However, Radius is the most important value.
So set it first based on the amount of detail in your photograph.
Use a small radius for photographs with fine detail, such as .5 to 1.
Use a larger value for photographs with less detail, such as 2 to 3.
Here are some suggested values.
| Subject | Radius |
| General | 1 |
| Subjects with expanses of tone & color | 1 |
| People (Use 1 for headshots) | 2 |
| Interiors, exteriors, & landscapes | .5 |
| Out-of-focus photographs | 4 |
When using a small Radius value, use a higher Amount value, such as 200% and 300%.
When using a higher Radius value, use a lower Amount value, such as 50% and 100%.
Remember, a lower Threshold value increases its effect.
For photographs with detail, use a small value, such as 0 to 4.
The small value means all of the edges in your photograph will be sharpened.
For photographs with little detail, use a higher value, such as 8 to 12.
The higher value means not all of the edges in your photograph will be sharpened.
| Amount (%) | Radius (Pixels) | Threshold (Levels) | |
| What It Does | If the value ↑, sharpening ↑. | If the value �����, sharpening ↑. | If the value ↑, sharpening ↓. |
| Typical Values | 50% - 300% | .5 - 3 | 0 - 20 |
| General | 85 | 1 | 4 |
| Subjects with expanses of tone & color | 150 | 1 | 10 |
| People | 75 | 2 (Use 1 for headshots) | 3 |
| Interiors, exteriors, & landscapes | 225 | .5 | 0 |
| Out-of-focus photographs | 65 | 4 | 3 |
The next section discusses selective sharpening.
You can apply sharpening only to parts of a photograph.
| 2 |