Midtone Sharpening Action Set Version 8.2

These actions are designed for Photoshop CS. They are not compatible with earlier versions of Photoshop. It is recommended that these actions only be run on a single-layer file; if the image has multiple layers, performance will be sluggish. Version 8.2 has had the resizing method tweaked so that web-sized files retain a greater level of detail than previous versions.

Midtone Sharpen 16 LAB
This action works on 16-bit per channel files. It converts the image to LAB color and creates a mask to use with the USM filter. A selection is applied to the 16-bit image, using the mask as a guide, and then the USM filter is invoked. The way the mask is created, it focuses the USM filter on the midtones of the image, and keeps it away from the shadows and highlights, preventing them from being clipped. This means that the USM filter can be applied much more aggressively without causing halos or sharpening image noise in shadow areas of the image, resulting in much more micro-detail in the image without objectionable sharpening artifacts. The USM filter is then invoked 5 times. The first time, it uses a large Radius setting, and a fairly small Amount. This increases local contrast, and makes flat-looking images look punchier. Adjust the amount setting to get nice contrast without blowing out the highlights or shadows. The remaining rounds of USM are done with progressively smaller radius and larger amount settings, and are primarily intended to sharpen edges. Adjust only the amount setting to sharpen the edges without creating halos along them. As a final step, the Shadow/Highlight tool is run to enhance detail in the highlights and shadows.

Midtone Sharpen 16 LAB 2X
This action is the same as the previous one, except that it raises a dialog to downsize the image partway through the sharpening process. This is useful for upsample sharpening. Use S-Spline Pro or Genuine Fractals to upsize an image to 2x the final pixel dimensions, then run Midtone Sharpen 16 LAB 2X.

Midtone Sharpen 16 LCE Only
This action is the same as the Midtone Sharpen 16 LAB, except that it only performs the Local Contrast Enhancement step and then stops.

Midtone Sharpen 16 Gray / Gray 2X / LCE Only
These actions are exactly the same as the LAB actions above, except they are designed for grayscale images instead of color.

Web Prep Color
This action is intended for running in a batch process to resize and sharpen color JPEG images for web display.

Web Prep B&W
This action is the same as Web Prep Color, except that it outputs black and white images.

New! Web Prep Sepia
This action is the same as Web Prep B&W, except that it outputs sepia toned black and white images.

New! 4x6 Prep Color
This action is intended for running in a batch process to resize and sharpen color images for 4x6 printed proofs. Images are watermarked with the image number and a customizable copyright notice.

New! 4x6 Prep B&W
This action is the same as 4x6 Prep sRGB, except that it outputs black and white images.

New! 4x6 Prep Sepia
This action is the same as 4x6 Prep B&W, except that it outputs sepia toned black and white images.