Fixing a Blurry Photo

I hate it when I take (what I think is) a really good picture, and then when I download it and take a closer look, it's blurry - or even just not as sharp as I'd like.

Here's a super simple way to sharpen up your photos. Since this technique takes advantage of Lab Color, this is best used on color photos.

Open an image (in this case RGB mode)
Image > Mode > Lab Color
In the Channels pallet Click the "Lightness" layer. (This shows only grayscale.)

Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp mask
-- You may need to adjust, but keep the Amount between 50 and 150%, the Radius between 1.5 and 4 pixels, and start with the Threshold at 1.
Click the preview box on and off to see the effect.
Click OK when done.

In the Channels pallet click "Lab Color" layer to restore color portion
Image > Mode > RGB (put pack to original mode)

Here's an example....
Here's a picture of Wesley with his Daddy's work hat on. I took this shot as Wesley ran by and it turned out very blurry. The final result is far from perfect - but improved. I used Amount: 140, Radius 3.5, and Threshold at 2. I then ran the Smart Sharpen filter, converted to black and white, and played around with the curves a little.


Like I said, not perfect - but it saves this photo from the Recycle Bin.