Question about NIK Sharpener Pro

[cnhoff]

Hi,

 

i am currently using the NIK Sharpener Pro demo version because of

Moose Pettersons recommendation.

 

One thing i don't understand:

 

What autoscan setting should i use? I am sending my scanned slide

files of to a digital lab, is this offset? I don't think so...

 

Do you think this software is as good as the above mentioned reviewer

says or do you prefer any other

 

Thanks

[lex_jenkins]

I've tried the demo version for my Nikon D2H files and it works very well.

 

However nik is very expensive. PhotoZoom Pro from shortcutpublishing.com is, IMO, just as good and much less expensive. It's mainly a resampling utility for upscaling photos but the sharpening tools are excellent.

 

See:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00C4Y2&unified_p=1

[kirk_thompson]

You'd better make a test sheet using a variety of settings to send to the lab, lest you get

some disturbing results.

 

My experience is that the Autoscan mode can oversharpen pretty seriously. You can either

(a) after sharpening, click Edit, & Fade the filter to a lower percentage (also changing

blending mode from Normal to Luminosity, to prevent artifacts); or (b) use the manual

settings (my choice).

 

I couldn't agree with Moose Peterson in recommending this sharpener. It's a rather old

program that's 'up past its bedtime' in terms of features & especially price. I use it

because I've had it a long time (with upgrade) & am familiar with just what it'll do, but for

much of my work I use Photokit Sharpener. I'd definitely give it a higher recommendation.

[lex_jenkins]

I haven't tried Photokit but I'd agree with Kirk regarding nik being limited.

 

The advantage is the presets save time.

 

The disadvantage is that there are relatively few presets that are appropriate for a given situation and some of them overdo the sharpening.

 

One thing I like about PhotoZoom's sharpening tool (in S-Spline mode) is that in addition to the presets everything can be tweaked to sharpen things to your tastes. Yet the process is easier than most USM settings and the results are, IMO, better.

[jack paradise]

Nik Sharpener PRo came with plug ins for Inkjet, Color Laser printer and Offset printer. For inkjet printing, you only need the two inkjet plugins, one auto and the other manual.

 

Today, it comes in two editions: Full as above or only for Inkjet Printing. Here's some info from the Nik Multimedia website:

 

Even on auto you can modifiy several parameters.

 

http://www.nikmultimedia.com/sharpenerpro/fr/entry.php?view=features

[lex_jenkins]

Thanks for the clarification, Jack. It isn't clear in the demo version of nik that presets can be modified. (Of course, it might be if I read the directions but...)