What does Lightroom's Sharpening Masking preview show, and can I recreate that look?
Asked 7/22/2020
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2 answers
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When adjusting the Detail panel in Lightroom, holding Alt/Option while dragging the Sharpening > Masking slider shows a high-contrast grayscale preview. On an image of comet NEOWISE, that preview revealed striking structure in the comet tail that wasn't obvious in the normal processed photo.
What exactly is Lightroom showing in that Masking preview? Is it just an edge mask for sharpening, or some other process? Can a similar effect be recreated in Lightroom or Photoshop to produce a final image that looks like that preview?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
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Masking is masking, it limits where the sharpening will occur.
Your question is therefore not as simple as it looks as there are at least three steps:
- the algorithm producing the mask
- the sharpening algorithm
- the algorithm using the mask to limit the sharpened area
The artifacts in the image could be the result of the interaction between these three stages.
It is also possible that that these three steps are combined into one, but the resulting algorithm must be complex to say the least.
Personally, I would first try to work with Photoshop in the following way:
- layer duplication
- application on the top layer of a sharpening filter
- on this top layer masking out of the comet with full opacity (black)
Then, as long as the result is not satisfactory or for the fun of it, you would search for a sharpen algorithm for the comet on its layer, as far as one exists because trying to enhance sharpness in blurred areas is rarely a good idea.
This process would limit complexity by avoiding the above-mentioned interaction of different algorithms.
Originally by user10648. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user10648
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Lightroom’s Masking preview is primarily showing the sharpening mask: a grayscale map of where sharpening will be applied and where it will be suppressed. In general, white areas are affected more, black areas less. It’s not meant as a final rendering effect by itself.
What you saw is likely the result of several interacting steps: the mask-generation algorithm, the sharpening algorithm, and how Lightroom uses that mask to limit sharpening. The dramatic tail detail may be an artifact or enhancement caused by that interaction rather than a standalone editable effect.
You can approximate it in Photoshop by building the process manually:
- duplicate the layer
- apply sharpening to the top layer
- add a mask so sharpening affects only the comet/tail or other desired structures
- refine the mask until the result looks right
In short: the preview is a sharpening mask visualization, not a dedicated “comet detail” effect. Lightroom doesn’t expose that preview directly as a final output, but Photoshop gives you more control to mimic the look with a sharpened layer plus masking.
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