Using Unsharp Mask in Photoshop

[PhotoGeek1]

Should I be using the Unsharp Mask in Photoshop on my photos for print?
What settings should I use.
My old Photoshop manual indicates that my photos should look overly sharp on the screen, to look their best in print. The setting suggested are:
Amount: 150% - 200%
Radius between 1 and 2
Threshold between 2 and 20, to minimize noise
Does MyPublisher have built in sharpening or take into account what photos need to print correctly for the average person?
Is this considered a neccessary step?
Have people used the added sharpening and found it to turn out well?

[hampton32]

I use Photoshop CS3, but I believe my advice applies to other versions of Photoshop.

Unsharp Mask is an excellent filter and I use it quite often -- but DON'T oversharpen! (Seriously one of my pet peeves! Looks terrible.)

Here's how to use it:
1. Create a duplicate layer
2. Go to filter, sharpen, unsharp mask
3. Amount = 40%, Radius = 10.0

Run the filter. Turn the layer on and off to see how it changes your image. This improves the majority of images. If you still want it sharper, step backward and change the Amount to 50% and radius to 20.0.

Hope this helps.

[smuddlepuddle]

definitely agree with hampton on the value of the unsharp mask. there's 2 different ways i find you can utilize it though. the above method is what i've seen called local contrast enhancement before, with a large radius relative to amount and works well i find when adjusting the levels still leaves the image looking a tad too grey or flat.

the other method is to flip the 2 values round a bit so your amount is around the 100% mark with a quite small radius of 1-2 (so about the same as what you said). I use this adjustment on all my photos as it's very good at picking up detail on areas of fine but concentrated lines like grass, dense forests etc. Of course your resolution will also play a factor as a radius of 1 will have the same effect as that of 2 on a picture with twice the pixels (assuming they're being printed at the same physical size that is).

threshold? tend to keep it at 2 but i'll be honest and admit i don't pay too much attention to that one :).

i usually aim for a bit oversharpened but nothing that makes the picture look bad on the screen (at 100%). haven't used this company (yet) so can't offer advice about mypublisher specifically. as far as i'm aware they don't touch your images unless you press the dreaded red button (i think i read somewhere it blurs everything not in the centre of your photo!).

there's a lot of good info online on this (do a search at luminous landscape, cambridge in colour etc) and its always worth reading if you have the time to know the logic behind the numbers.

good luck

(oh, and hampton's idea of creating a duplicate layer is spot on. i always keep an unadjusted copy of my image at the bottom layer, saves a lot of bother if i need to re-edit later)