How to Sharpen Images in Lightroom Classic

How to Sharpen your images in Lightroom Classic, step-by-step.
All images need some sharpening, learn to do it fast in Lightroom Classic.
If you would like to download the images used in this tutorial, just follow the link below and use for learning purposes only, do not publish, as these are copyrighted images. Enjoy!
imagelight.com/free-downloads
You can also sign up for my mailing list if you like, or just tick the X box and go to the free downloads without signing up.
Link to Razor Sharp Nature Photography: bit.ly/3L7nP3M

[@robert-peterwestphal1064]

Terry, the sharpening in the masking is just a addon to the sharpening in the details panel. This means it just adds amount to the sharpening which is set in the main-details panel to accentuate parts of the image. In fact, you do the sharpening as usual in the details panel, but leave the amount slider to a smaller value than usual, the start masking of the main part of the image and add amount of sharpening just to the main part of the image which is selected by the masking.

[@tv510]

Thanks for that clarification Robert.

[@kirankumar-sq4yl]

Well explained to make a beginner understand . Thanks for the video Terry . Keep making videos on lightroom classic

[@tv510]

Will do, thanks for watching.

[@tooter5250]

this is a monster tutorial. Just awesome. thanks. I am a fan. Need to get your book on sharpening.

[@tv510]

Awesome, thank you!

[@jimbuch4179]

I like your approach and the way you explain things ! Thanks

[@tv510]

You are welcome Jim. Thanks for watching.

[@wallove67]

Excellent tutorial. Thanks so much!

[@tv510]

You're very welcome!

[@davidgates3044]

This was So useful. I always thought I should mask then sharpen but now I understand the opposite is better. I also learned the function of radius and masking in sharpening. Thanks so much for this really useful tutorial!

[@tv510]

You are welcome David. Thanks for watching.

[@gerhardanderson3823]

Wow !!!! I sure have learned a lot from this video. Thank you very much.

[@tv510]

Thanks for watching Gerhard.

[@MorinProductions]

Easy to follow technique with great results

[@tv510]

Thank you for watching. I appreciate it.

[@davidf9494]

Great video and some excellent comparisons. I also use the little square in the Detail panel and hover over part of the image that's important - such as the eye in your wood duck. It sometimes helps in getting the sliders set perfectly to one's liking. I also use Denoise AI before any processing so most of the noise is controlled before I start editing my images. You've got a new subscriber - from western Canada!

[@tv510]

Thanks David, I appreciate you watching and subscribing.

[@Micyunging]

This is the best video that made me understand sharpening. Thanks so much🎉

[@tv510]

Excellent, glad it's working for you.

[@gechaves2]

Very good tutorial ! thanks

[@tv510]

You are welcome!Thanks for watching.

[@noelmcc1987]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@tv510]

You're welcome, Noel.

[@kevfrets]

Thanks for the help! 👍👍

[@tv510]

No problem 👍

[@pinakas72]

Fantastic video …. Greetings from Greece

[@tv510]

Awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@byronlentz4825]

I had lost my enthusiasm for photography partly due to not understanding the post processing of my images. I stumbled across one of your videos, you explained things well and I understood. So many channels are so focused on selling their products and not really focused on teaching. I will be seeing your work and going through images I have shot before. Thanks for the help.

[@tv510]

Awesome Byron, welcome back to photography.

[@ekstrod7132]

Not all videos are focused on adverts. Sure they are irritating …In KZbin just write a question the search box and you will get a series of videos(hopefully) on what you asked. eg." how to edit in photoshop for beginners" how to...… (just write your own question). As well as this chaps tutorial, I found this instructor quite useful www.youtube.com/@phlearn

[@rayrozema5960]

Very good instruction

[@tv510]

Thanks Ray!

[@peterb.7437]

Thank you for this video

[@tv510]

My pleasure, Thanks for watching.

[@SwissNetHawk]

Great explanation, I wasn't aware, that the order cropping/sharpening makes such a difference. Apart from that, I came to the same conclusions as you do. I wish Adobe would give us the complete sharpening options on a mask. That's on my wish list for a while now.

[@tv510]

It will be awhile I'm sure. I think they will add an AI sharpening tool first, but that is just a guess.

[@AlexAlex-vd1uf]

Muy buen consejo (tutorial) 👍

[@tv510]

De nada!

[@ravindracsl]

superb very well explained

[@tv510]

Thank you Ravi.

[@mjmdo07]

Great lesson, thank you.

[@tv510]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching.

[@andredewit6424]

bedankt Terry

[@tv510]

Esti binevenit, multumesc pentru vizionare.

[@rickeyhinkle8538]

Great video.... OBG

[@tv510]

YES! Thanks for watching!

[@seanmarah6886]

Great video very helpful and informative for me a lightroom classic idiot.

[@tv510]

Hi Sean, thanks for watching. You'll get better at it the more you use it. We all had the same feeling when we started using LRC.

[@bobrutan4735]

I like your procedure Terry and it is pretty much the path that I follow. The thing I add and you did not discuss was the removal of noise. At what point in your editing do you remove the noise? I typically remove noise, if obvious, after the Basic panel adjustments and prior to sharpening.

[@tv510]

I have learned to do my noise reduction last. But if all goes well, I'll do a video on Noise Reduction soon and why I do it last.

[@bobrutan4735]

@@tv510 Thanks Terry......

[@keithspangler4814]

Terry thank you for taking my skills to a next level. Can you tell me when you would use the Denoise in your workflow? I have been making minor adjustments then using the AI denoise .... Thank you again.

[@tv510]

I will Keith, I have a DeNoise video coming soon.

[@williammcdonnell3539]

These are nice refinements. I thought noise should be removed first so I will be interested in your video. Also, have you determined that this approach is equivalent to options available in PS, such as unsharp mask?

[@tv510]

I am planning a comparison with the PS techniques, since I do most of my sharpening in Photoshop. Stay tuned and thanks for watching.

[@thierryhoornaert9950]

Thanks Terry for this very interesting subject. I never quite understood how to use sharpening before, but I constantly had issues with denoising and sharpening (APS-C!!!) wildlife photographs. I know about noise in shadows and sharpness in the subject, so it is a pity that you can't use the Alt-key to fine tune while masking. I had better results using Topaz products (Denoise AI & Sharpen AI/Photo AI) anyway, but it's so easy to oversharpen, or having denoise in the way of sharpening without artifacts. What is your opinion here? Is it important to remove default sharpening prior to do cropping and 'Basic' changes? Then a Preset might help. To crop towards the center of the image, you should use the Alt key to save time and accuracy.

[@tv510]

I also use Topaz for both sharpening and Denoise, but I do things a bit different. I plan to create a video on how I go about that soon. Thanks for watching.

[@alanm.6096]

Thanks Terry. Do you see any instances where visiting PS and using, say Hi-Pass, provides any further benefits??

[@tv510]

No, not further benefits. That was the "old school" way of sharpening. The the new processes are much easier and faster and I think better results.

[@ekstrod7132]

It's a great tutorial, If using this sharpening method would you denoise afterwards.

[@tv510]

Yes, it's a back and forth thing. If you sharpen first it makes noise more prominent. If you DeNoise first, you may have to do it again.

[@gashead2]

Great thanks, I too wonder when and if you apply noise reduction?

[@tv510]

Absolutely, I’ll talk about noise in an upcoming video. I do noise last.

[@JohanLR22]

Terry what denoise programme do you use? Would you also do denoise last using DXO?

[@tv510]

⁠@@JohanLR22I use DeNoise in Lightroom Classic but for more detail work I use Topaz AI as a photoshop plug in. I’ve never used DXO.

[@tv510]

@@JohanLR22 it should be 1 1/2 stops light loss on a typical Circular polarizer.

[@gordonneedham7014]

Quick question .... (being new I have lots of them) ... once you get the head and eyes sharpened, would you continue to do the body? or will that effect the eyes and head? Thanks ... Great Lesson.

[@tv510]

HI Gordon, on this process, I would sharpen the details that are important. I start at the eyes and work my way out for the final sharpening work, but the overall sharpening is done already in the first steps. In most cases, I wouldn't do more sharpening on the rest of the body.

[@gordonneedham7014]

@@tv510 Thanks and Great Job.

[@rodneytopor1846]

Photoshop allows you to resize your image and then sharpen the image at the size you wish to present it.. I wish Lightroom Classic would do the same.

[@tv510]

HA, you have hit on one of the big differences of using LRC vs PS for sharpening. You can sharpen upon export but it's done blind so you don't see the results until after the export is done.

[@rodneytopor1846]

@@tv510 Exactly! Why isn't this limitation of LRC more widely recognised?

[@rodneytopor1846]

@@tv510 And thanks, I did learn more about the four sharpness sliders in LRC. Surprised that Radius > 1 can improve the sharpness of the image.

[@tv510]

@@rodneytopor1846 I think LRC is "available" for some sharpening, but in the long run, there are some better ways. There are a ton of people that just want to do everything in LRC without venturing out.

[@poche660]

So tired of sales pitches.

[@tv510]

Thanks for watching though. I appreciate you sitting through the ads.