How does Lightroom's export output sharpening differ for screen vs print?
Asked 12/13/2011
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Lightroom’s Export dialog offers output sharpening for screen and for print. What’s the practical difference between these options, and why would you use them instead of relying only on sharpening in Develop?
I’m especially interested in whether Lightroom’s output sharpening is based on image size, resolution, or output medium, and whether print sharpening differs for matte vs glossy paper. If the exact internal values aren’t published, an explanation of what the feature is designed to do would still be helpful.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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As for the actual settings Lightroom uses I do not know and you may want to ask over on the Adobe Lightroom Forums.
However I did come across this bit of information and thought it might be useful to others if not yourself:
Output Sharpening: this is size and medium dependent, and is accomplished in the Print, Slideshow and Web modules, and in the Export dialog where you create jpeg and other copies. A large print needs significantly more sharpening than a small image to be viewed on the web; an image printed on matte paper needs more sharpening than one on glossy paper because the ink soaks into the former. Output sharpening takes into account size, resolution and medium.
Originally by user7438. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user7438
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Lightroom’s export/print sharpening is generally understood as output sharpening, which is different from the capture/detail sharpening you do in Develop.
The key difference is that output sharpening is tailored to the final use of the image: size, resolution, and medium. A web image viewed on screen needs different sharpening than a large print, and prints on matte paper usually need more sharpening than glossy prints because ink spread softens detail more on matte surfaces.
So in practice:
- screen sharpening is intended for resized images viewed digitally
- print sharpening is intended for the final print size/resolution
- matte print output typically needs more sharpening than glossy
The benefit over doing everything in Develop is that Develop sharpening is not specific to the final output. Output sharpening compensates for softening introduced by resizing and by the display/print medium.
As for the exact algorithm or numeric values Lightroom uses internally, the provided information does not specify them. Adobe has not exposed those exact settings here, so if you need precise values to reproduce manually, the available answer does not provide them.
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