Do I need to sharpen for print?

Last night a student asked if every image needs sharpening before printing. They had been making prints without using any sharpening. 

The simple answer is yes. With proper sharpening, more detail will be revealed in your prints. There is always some sharpness lost when we use a lens to make an image. It is wrapped up in the physics of how images are made with something called circle of confusion, which sounds like a great alt rock band name. Sharpening helps overcome these losses and more accurately represents what the camera actually saw. 

When I print, I make a copy of my master file and apply sharpening to it appropriate to the use. For a quick 8x10 proof, this might be a “close enough” setting. But for a large print, think a 40x50 that will hang in a museum, it could take an hour or more. I sometimes spend as much time on the sharpening step as I do the processing/editing of color/contrast/etc.

If you want to learn more, sign up for my June 3 Sharpening class and I’ll show you how the tool works and how I apply it.