By Joan T. Sherwood
Years ago, when nik multimedia first released nik Sharpener Pro, it quickly became the highly recommended third-party sharpener of choice for digital imagers who wanted to bring more to the table than just what was possible in Photoshop with Unsharp Mask. Users of nik Sharpener Pro found a great way to sharpen an image for the right output device and the proper viewing distance, without having to do all the math.
Other software companies got into the sharpening game, like PixelGenius with its PhotoKit Sharpener, now in version 1.2.3 (released 05/2005) and compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Now welcome nik Sharpener Pro 2.0, which goes on sale June 13.
New to Sharpener Pro:
• Works with 16-bit images
• Sharpen with selective brush strokes
• Advanced panel allows you to select a color range (or several) in
your image to sharpen more or less. Or, you can change each slider in
the advanced panel equally to increase or decrease the sharpening
overall. A simple right-click or control-click lets you move all
sliders simultaneously.
• Raw Presharpening — not to be confused with sharpening for print. Use
this when you shoot in RAW format instead of using in-camera
sharpening—here you'll have more control.
• Larger preview window in the interface, which helps you see how much sharpening you're asking for before you apply it.
• Analysis modes give you a chance to see a graphic representation of
how much sharpening will be applied to a particular area of your image.