Does sharpening workflow vary by photography genre?
Asked 4/21/2013
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I know most photos benefit from some sharpening, but does the sharpening approach change depending on the subject or genre? For example, are portraits, wildlife, landscapes, or long-exposure scenes typically sharpened differently, and are there any general rules of thumb for what should stay sharp versus softer-looking?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
6
The short answer is: yes, sort of.
I don't think there's a absolute rule for sharpening in any given genre, but there are some rules of thumb that may get followed from time to time. For example:
Portrait photography typically likes to focus in on the eyes and soften out skin blemishes such as scars, acne, etc. So, your sharpening technique there is probably going to want to reflect some of that. Also, portraits are often seen as more pleasing when they're a little softer (not blurry though). Except the eyes. Sharp eyes are good. :)
Nature photography has a fair amount of variance in it. Animal shots usually want to be sharp, as with general landscape. Water, though, people like seeing it blurred through long exposure, same with fog. So, in these case, the amount of sharpening depends on the main subject and, as with portrait, you might be more targeted.
Architectural and product photography usually want to show the detail and so overall sharpening is probably desirable.
However, I wouldn't probably spend a lot of time worrying about any of that too much. Like all forms of post processing, the best approach is to maximize your enjoyment of the image. Some times that may mean a lot of sharpening work, sometimes very little. I wouldn't let these ideas get in the way of making your photograph.
The question I linked to in the comments really does give you some good information that's going to apply in general. Couple that with the masking features of tools like Photoshop in order to apply your sharpening efforts to controlled areas is really what you need once you know what you want to sharpen and why.
Originally by user472. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user472
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—there’s no single sharpening recipe for every genre. The amount and placement of sharpening usually depends on what you want the viewer to notice.
General rules of thumb:
- Portraits: keep the eyes sharp, but avoid over-sharpening skin. Many portraits look better with softer skin texture while retaining detail in the eyes.
- Wildlife and many nature subjects: stronger overall sharpness is often desirable, especially on the subject.
- Landscapes: usually benefit from good detail and edge sharpness.
- Long-exposure subjects like water or fog: those areas are often meant to look smooth or soft, so heavy sharpening can work against the intended effect.
So the process is less about strict genre rules and more about selective sharpening based on the subject and creative intent. In practice, sharpen the important details, and avoid sharpening areas that should remain smooth or flattering.
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