There's not much info in Luminous Landscapes' high pass sharpening tutorial, but it does walk you through the steps. However, it suggests using Hard Light, not Soft Light. I'd be interested to see the difference between the two and if I have time, I'll try it out myself (and post findings).
Whereas I think USM can give you generally good results with the same settings no matter the composition, I've found that HPS often needs adjustment on a shot-by-shot basis (though I have an action to start me off at 45% opacity). Thankfully, there's just the one setting to adjust. HPS is a much less mysterious sharpening technique than USM and I find the results more pleasing and easier to tweak.
It's probably time for a new sharpness tutorial, showing the differences between standard USM, lab mode lightness channel USM, soft light HPS, and hard light HPS.
HPS is not a (standard) legal DPC technique, so it might not be particularly useful for challenges. What are the chances it would ever be an allowable technique? |
