Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0

When nik Multimedia first introduced Sharpener Pro as a plug-in for Photoshop and other Photoshop plug-in-compatible image editing programs), we thought saw the best sharpening tool we’ve ever seen for producing excellent prints. True, we were a bit uneasy about the way different sharpening levels were associated with three make-believe image makers’ names in the pull-down menu.  Without being familiar with the different results produced by selecting each of the three image maker names, there was no way to really tell the outcome without printing from each one and building familiarity with the outcomes.  But, the results were spectacular – as good as any custom settings we’ve seen developed by pros and better than what we’ve seen from other software companies. So we overlooked the quirky “name” convention to select degrees of sharpening and made the most of an otherwise great product.  We didn’t think it could get much better at what it does.

With the release of nik Sharpener Pro 2.0, it has. The quirky name convention is gone, replaced by a far more meaningful pull-down menu of sharpening options based on original image resolution, printer, paper type or display/Web viewing, and viewing distance to provide optimal sharpening for each one. Most photographers and graphic artists understand these terms far better than the traditional Unsharp Mask radius/amount/threshold sliders. Think about that for a minute; has anyone you know ever really been able to explain to your satisfaction in clear terms how to set radius/amount/threshold for optimal output of each image, all different?

Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 also has a larger preview area than the original 1.0 version. That helps you observe the approximate sharpening effect on your display (keep in mind that displays are different in resolution than printer output). It has a new RAW pre-sharpening filter. In Adobe Photoshop (v5.5 and higher) and in Adobe Photoshop Elements, it allows selective sharpening (that works like the one in nik Multimedia’s highly regarded Color Efex Pro filter set). Don’t underestimate for a minute just how important that can be to you. And Sharpener Pro 2.0 handles 16-bit images. (Most good digital cameras capture 12-bit per channel image data, so editing in 8-bit mode can lose image information, particularly in subtle color/tone transitions, albeit these may be indistinguishable in many instances. Because we never know for sure what final uses may be in store for our images, we prefer to keep as much image data intact as possible unless we are forced to shift to 8-bit mode because of some limitation in hardware or software that we have to use for a given project.)

The bottom line: nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is SO good that we use it on every image that passes through our workflow on its way to final output (sharpening should be the last step in editing any image before outputting the final to minimize any chance of producing artifacts or halos).  On a scale of five stars, it easily earns a five-star rating and our “Best of Breed” designation for a sharpening tool. It really doesn’t get better than this!

Nik Multimedia Sharpener Pro 2.0 comes in two different editions, so let’s distinguish between them based on your particular needs. Sharpener Pro 2.0 Inkjet Edition ($169 SRP) covers your bases for RAW presharpening and will only be outputting to inkjet printers and displays. And it lets you select by leading printer brand (Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark and Epson) so output is optimized for each printer manufacturer’s specific inkjet technology. Don’t have one of those brands? There’s a generic inkjet-optimized choice, too. Sharpener Pro 2.0 Complete Edition ($329 SRP) expands your sharpening options to also include other forms of print output (some of which you may encounter if you use a pro lab for prints) including lab photography, Fuji Pictrography, commercial halftone, and dye sublimation. This is important because each form of printing produces images differently. And, lest we forget another important output form, nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 also offers sharpening settings for display.  Finally, there’s an upgrade path for owners of the original Sharpener 1.0 package, too.

Before you buy it, let’s try it.  We’ve set our display resolution to 1280 x 960 ppi, opened Photoshop CS2 and chosen a 16-bit RAW file (Nikon D100) that incorporates both picture and type elements: words on a sign in a garden. When we select nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 in Photoshop CS2’s pull-down Filter menu, we’re greeted with this opening screen. Depending upon your own monitor’s resolution setting as you read this you may not be able to read the following screenshot, so let’s walk through it. In screenshot #1, you should be able to discern a highly noticeable difference in sharpness between the “before” (top) and “after” (bottom) preview windows in screenshot #1. I’ve set Display sharpening to 60% using the single slider on the Sharpener Pro 2.0 Basic screen.

Screenshot #1: Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 opening screen

We can switch the Basic screen to an Advanced Settings screen and adjust sharpening for individual image colors, too. Click on the word Advanced in the upper left of the nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Basic screen (screenshot #1) and the Advanced screen appears (screenshot #2) to reveal five sliders that can each be set for a different color within the image using Sharpener Pro 2.0’s eyedropper tool. Now, that’s selective sharpening control!

Screenshot #2: Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Advanced screen with color picker for selective sharpening

Speaking of Selective Sharpening, we can also sharpen selectively by using the nifty floating nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 pull-down menu that can be positioned anywhere on your screen, collapsed top save space or closed altogether to stay out of your way. It’s fully extended in screenshot #3, a close-up of that pull-down menu area.

Screenshot #3: Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Selective pull-down menu

Click on one of the options given in the dropdown menu here to select it. Then, click on one of the four buttons about two-thirds down the menu to either paint on, erase, completely fill or completely clear selective sharpening to areas if you don’t want to sharpen the entire image in the same way. This is truly ultimate control of the sharpening function made easy!  Finally, click on one of the two bottons at the bottom to Discard or Apply your sharpening to the image in your editing software and your done.  Change your mind afterward? Just use the step-back function in your image editing software to return to where you were before you opened nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 in the first place.

For simplicity, so far we’ve shown the screens for sharpening a display.  Had we chosen optimized sharpening for an Epson inkjet instead, our selections would increase and become more specialized as seen in screenshot #4 below.  Here, the Basic window sliders allow us to make choices for…

1. image width and height (before even using this top slider in the sharpening selections sequence, an image should ideally should be resized to its final output dimensions)

2. viewing distance (clearly understood measurement ranges of up-to-2’, 2’-5’, 4’-8’, 6’-10’, and 10’+)

3. paper type (for Epson, choices are Texture & Fine Art, Canvas, Plain, Matte, Luster, and Glossy)

4. printer resolution (in Epson printer dpi resolutions including 1440x720, 1440x1440, 2880x1400, 2880x720, 5760x1440, and two user defined selections)

An additional Settings selection at the very bottom of the Sharpener Pro 2.0 screen (not shown here) brings up check boxes that choose the opening settings for the plug-in’s sliders (default inkjet setting for the number of inks (normal for four inks, photo for six-or-more inks, and Quadtone for grayscale inks), default print viewing distance, default number and configuration of nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 preview screens, default printer resolution including the two user defined selections for future or nonstandard Epson printer resolutions and default measurement units (in inches or mm).

Screenshot #4: sharpening selections for inkjet printers

The preview screens that appear in the plug-in control box are great ways to judge settings of the sliders since they instantly reflect any changes you make. You can set the previews up for what works best for you and the image you’re editing. MODE at the upper left of the top screen above let’s you choose one, two horizontal or two vertical preview screens (allowing you to compare before and after).  The OFF and ON buttons above both screens turn preview off in one and on in the other for comparison purposes.  The ratio (shown here as 1:12) can be changed; just click on the PLUS and MINUS signs to increase or decrease the magnification in each window and the ratio numbers change automatically to show you how much you’ve zoomed in or out.  By duplicating the image output size in the preview windows, you can get a fairly accurate portrayal of your sharpening efforts.