As an experienced photographer I have to say that you have probably provided the most intelligible but correct explanation on how sharpening works. Kudos to you sir.
Rob Trek at his absolute best 👍. Great to have a detailed explanation of what the tool is actually doing, followed by a step-by-step explanation or how to use it. Now we need a similar explanation of saturation, luminance, and hew (looking at what those tools are actually doing). Hopefully, Rob, you're going to produce a whole series of these videos, covering the various post editing tools in detail. Thank you, Rick
Excellent description of what the various sliders actually do. I never knew the free Olympus Workspace was so powerful. But, your tutorials also provide insight to how tools work in other editing programs too. I never stop learning when I watch your channel. Thank you for all the time and effort - and for the relaxed style!
Thanks a lot Rob. Never knew how those sliders worked and were always curios about them. This was excelent tutorial for me. Keep going and may Olympus stay strong.
This is incredibly helpful. No other video explains the differences of unsharp mask as easy as you do. Thank you so much for your explanation. You are very good at teaching people.
Rob's strength is that he goes, in beginners videos, at the beginners pace. Most presenters seem to assume a skill set that beginners are seeking to acquire. Another excellent tutorial.
That's just it. In the beginners videos, Rob carefully and simply explains the basics. Once grasped, viewers can then move onto the more complex, technical issues.
Excellent video Rob. Thanks a bunch for this in depth detail of the sharpness function. I've struggled with this for quite a while now... You video has given me a good understanding of how this function works, especially that 'Threshold' option. I have a much better understanding how I should be using it now....
Thank you Rob. Unsharp mask is very powerful but does take some time to learn how to use for most people. As you said, sharpening need to be applied sympathetically, otherwise the whole image will look terrible, like many of the Windows 10 images!
Interesting to compare the Unsharp Mask feature in Olympus Workspace with that in a more notionally high-end image manipulation software such as GIMP. I'll have to try it in both and see what happens. Thanks, Rob.
This was really helpful, thank you. I knew I was doing something wrong but was having trouble trying to fix it. Is it poss to show which photo in a pro cap selection, which is the best focus.
I don't use Workspace often, but I think the programs I use regularly have these settings. I'm typically in Linux, using RawTherapee and darktable for RAW work. I might be rebooting to Win10 for a while and using Workspace. Great video, never really looked so deep for some of these settings before.
By the end of you video, you started to lose it on the chin part of the dog's white hair. But still, it did a great (you did) a great job on the eyes. This remains very touchy, to play and try to improve things on an image. But, hey, I do love that you do these videos to help and inspire people like myself. Thank you Sir!
Havent compared this to unsharp mask in photoshop as yet...seems to work the same with strength, radius and threshold but will be interesting to compare results.
Good night Rob. I follow your channel assiduously and despite my limited English I am enjoying your knowledge. I have a question that I wanted to consult you. When I edit a RAW (.ORF) photograph, it does not let me enter Color Adjustment, the box simply remains opaque and is not selectable. In this video I see that you can enter and make the adjustments without any problem and I see that the photograph of your dog is a RAW file. Could you clarify this question for me? Thank you. By the way, if the photo is JPEG, I can go in and vary those settings without any problem.
Hi. Some features won't work in Workspace based on the camera used. For example, will work on the em1ii but not on the em10ii. The best way workaround is to export your .orf raw image as a .tiff (exif). Then you can edit using color adjustment.
Hi. When you were adjusting the unsharp mask on your dog you still had the Sharpness slider set at +2.0 was that deliberate or would you normally switch the Sharpness slider off when using the mask? Thanks
Great presentation. Why is both sharpening and unsharp mask applied to your dog image? Does Sharpening filter also increase image noise? Where can the standard color chart be found. Would like to practice your technique on my PC. Thank you, Rob.
Yes, the unsharp mask hides "noise" caused by sharpening globally. I made my own color charts for this video but you should be able to find standard ones online free.
Hi Rob. Thanks for video, I’ll have to go back to the start of your Workspace tutorials though,re the downloading, organising etc. as I’ve seem to have jumped in at the sharp end!😂 Seriously though, I’ve just shot my first few photos in raw and trying to process them, the only thing was I’ve processed my first image ,cropped it but can’t see how to save it? Enjoying the channel👍👍
Thanks. You don't need to save them. The edits you do are "non-destructive" so you can always undo them. It's when you export them as jpg that the images are "saved" with all the settings baked in.
Hi Rob. I have been following you tutorial on sharpening, My question is when i don't have a photo up to edit i can see the noise filter box but no filter tab. When i open the photo to edit neither the noise filter box or standard filter are there. So below the the strength , radius and threshold there is nothing at all? I am using emi markii. Thanks for the fantastic clear and precise videos, Dawn.
Hello Rob, thank you for your video, this is the best explanation of sharpness that I have seen or heard! I believe you do not mention anything about JPG pictures. When I shoot with my EM5-ii a JPG with picture mode Natural, is there any need to sharpen this picture? Or is is it in the camera already sharpened? And also when I apply in Workspace picture mode Natural to a RAW file, is it sharpened through this picture mode?
I'll have to do a video on this topic to explain in more detail. However, basically whatever sharpening you applied in the camera settings is transferred to Workspace. Some noise reduction is also applied by default.
You may be able to find Olympus Viewer, which was the previous version to Workspace. Unfortunately I've deleted my copy but I bet someone will have it.
Rob, thank you I have dabbled a few times with the sharpening facility and I was using Sharpness and Unsharp Mask as separate entities, I didn't appreciate the correct method was to use both simultaneously was this a jpeg? . If sharpening a raw file would you just use Sharpen or as you demonstrated? I quite liked the finished image but I felt it was a little too colourful, the eyes looked enhanced and the purple in the background looked a little too evident - but that is me, I think in UK we tend to go for slightly less saturation than you do in US. Thanks again a very beneficial video.
Every image is different, so use all the tools to get the best results. I was using a raw image in this video. Yes, the colors were a bit strong and I would normally spend a little more time working that out in real life.
That was fantastic! Now I need to go back are re-edit a lot of my photos. I noticed that your computer was way, way faster than mine as I have quite a delay after moving any slider. Does your computer have a separate graphics card or is it integrated into the CPU? Thanks!
@@RobTrek Thank you. I am in the process of shopping for a new laptop and am looking for something to better support workspace vs what I currently have and also lightroom. It looks like yours is more than enough for both. Thanks again.
Only thing not left clear here was do the sharpen and unsharp mask settings work in conjuction or does activating the unsharp mask override the sharpen setting? Does anyone know?
Thanks for a very good tutorial, but what does "unsharp mask" mean, unless I missed it. Can see what it does but the name does not make sense to me. :) Could you do another video on the differences between Clarity, Structure and Sharpen. This question could relate to any software They all seem similar but different and I cant work them out.
Yes, I plan on doing more videos. As for Unsharp Mask, think of a mask on a face with cutouts for the eyes and mouth. You are trying to sharpen the ares of the cutouts and leave the rest unsharpened. Hope that helps. Thanks -Rob
Thanks a lot Rob for another great video. One question... What is the equivalent of the sharpness on Lightroom Classic. My Mac doesn't support Olympus Workspace. It's too old. 2009 !!!! Thanks again...
Thanks. In LR, under the Detail box, you'll see "Masking". That is the same as threshold. If you hold the alt key down while sliding it, you'll see what is being sharpened.
@@RobTrek Thanks for your kind reply. I tried and everything were perfect. I suppose that the sharpness and detail will work the same way you told on the video.
I don't understand why sharpness is automatically applied where there is contrast, ie red/grey. Better yet, why doesn't it just reduce the edge density of the gray instead of adding a color?
There are probably other photo editors that will do a more competent job at sharpening in the way that you mentioned. I'll have to compare Lightroom and see if it does the same thing or not. Thanks.
As an experienced photographer I have to say that you have probably provided the most intelligible but correct explanation on how sharpening works. Kudos to you sir.
Thanks you!
Even when the video is meant for beginners, I still learn something! Another good one!
Thanks, John.
Brilliant Rob, so helpful. More tutorials with Workspace please.
Thanks, Peter. Okay, I will make some more.
Rob Trek at his absolute best 👍.
Great to have a detailed explanation of what the tool is actually doing, followed by a step-by-step explanation or how to use it.
Now we need a similar explanation of saturation, luminance, and hew (looking at what those tools are actually doing).
Hopefully, Rob, you're going to produce a whole series of these videos, covering the various post editing tools in detail.
Thank you,
Rick
Thanks, Rick.
Excellent description of what the various sliders actually do. I never knew the free Olympus Workspace was so powerful. But, your tutorials also provide insight to how tools work in other editing programs too. I never stop learning when I watch your channel. Thank you for all the time and effort - and for the relaxed style!
Thanks, Tim.
That's really helpful. I have had to watch it 3-4 times as I keep forgetting how it works despite writing notes. Bob
Thank you!
Thanks a lot Rob. Never knew how those sliders worked and were always curios about them. This was excelent tutorial for me. Keep going and may Olympus stay strong.
Thanks, Leon.
This is incredibly helpful. No other video explains the differences of unsharp mask as easy as you do. Thank you so much for your explanation. You are very good at teaching people.
Glad it was helpful!
Wow. Now I know what those mysteriously named unsharp mask sliders are for! Excellent video, Rob. Time to go practice.
You are the best. No competition. Thanks, Rob.
Thanks.
Best photo editing tutorial I have seen in a long time, Rob! Thanks. Will switch over to Olympic Workspace.
You ARE a very good teacher!
Thank you for your support!
Rob's strength is that he goes, in beginners videos, at the beginners pace. Most presenters seem to assume a skill set that beginners are seeking to acquire.
Another excellent tutorial.
That is the first really clear explanation of threshold, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks Rob. Can't be explained better. Love the way you make things so easy to understand.
Glad to help!
That was an incredibly useful tip. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and its helped to improve a stack of old shots.
Glad it helped!
Wow, that was an excellent explanation. No one can take you on technical stuff!
Thanks, Amir. I try.
That's just it.
In the beginners videos, Rob carefully and simply explains the basics.
Once grasped, viewers can then move onto the more complex, technical issues.
Excellent video Rob. Thanks a bunch for this in depth detail of the sharpness function. I've struggled with this for quite a while now... You video has given me a good understanding of how this function works, especially that 'Threshold' option. I have a much better understanding how I should be using it now....
Glad to help.
Very good information, clearly explained. Thanks Rob.
Glad to help!
Precise, concise, very nice
You do you make great informational videos.
Thanks again Rob.
Thanks, Bob. I try.
Great one Rob. Thanks. This is also helpful for sharpening up the images taken in good light of a kit lens so that it can compete with a pro lens.
Glad to help. Thanks.
First class explanation/demonstration Rob. Thx
Thanks!
Cheers Rob, very well explained and illustrated. Workspace is a great tool for Olympus users. Thanks 😊
Thanks, Jeff.
Excellent demo. Thanks!
Thank you kindly!
Really appreciated this tutorial. 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you Rob. Unsharp mask is very powerful but does take some time to learn how to use for most people. As you said, sharpening need to be applied sympathetically, otherwise the whole image will look terrible, like many of the Windows 10 images!
I know what you mean. Thanks.
Interesting to compare the Unsharp Mask feature in Olympus Workspace with that in a more notionally high-end image manipulation software such as GIMP. I'll have to try it in both and see what happens. Thanks, Rob.
I haven't used gimp in a long time. Let me know what you discover. Thanks.
This was really helpful, thank you. I knew I was doing something wrong but was having trouble trying to fix it. Is it poss to show which photo in a pro cap selection, which is the best focus.
Very useful video, well explained
Thanks!
This is brilliant! Thank you so much!
You're very welcome!
Superb Rob !!
Thanks, Terry.
I don't use Workspace often, but I think the programs I use regularly have these settings. I'm typically in Linux, using RawTherapee and darktable for RAW work. I might be rebooting to Win10 for a while and using Workspace. Great video, never really looked so deep for some of these settings before.
Thanks, Alex. Darktable comes highly recommended for Windows too.
Yes, I did find this helpful. Thank you :)
So glad!
That’s a very good tutorial. Thanks Rob.
Thanks, Howard.
By the end of you video, you started to lose it on the chin part of the dog's white hair. But still, it did a great (you did) a great job on the eyes. This remains very touchy, to play and try to improve things on an image. But, hey, I do love that you do these videos to help and inspire people like myself. Thank you Sir!
Thanks! I try.
Nice tutorial Rob
Thanks, Roy.
Fabulous video, Rob. Thanks very much 👍👊👏
Thanks, Craig!
Another great video Rob. You just need to persuade Olympus to add dodging and burning tools.
I doubt they will do anymore with this software.
Das war sehr gut und klar! Vielen lieben Dank 👍
Your welcome!
Great video...Thanks Rob🙏🏻
Very welcome!
Havent compared this to unsharp mask in photoshop as yet...seems to work the same with strength, radius and threshold but will be interesting to compare results.
It should be fundamentally the same function.
Good night Rob. I follow your channel assiduously and despite my limited English I am enjoying your knowledge. I have a question that I wanted to consult you. When I edit a RAW (.ORF) photograph, it does not let me enter Color Adjustment, the box simply remains opaque and is not selectable. In this video I see that you can enter and make the adjustments without any problem and I see that the photograph of your dog is a RAW file. Could you clarify this question for me? Thank you. By the way, if the photo is JPEG, I can go in and vary those settings without any problem.
Hi. Some features won't work in Workspace based on the camera used. For example, will work on the em1ii but not on the em10ii. The best way workaround is to export your .orf raw image as a .tiff (exif). Then you can edit using color adjustment.
Hi. When you were adjusting the unsharp mask on your dog you still had the Sharpness slider set at +2.0 was that deliberate or would you normally switch the Sharpness slider off when using the mask? Thanks
It was deliberate. I generally will start with the sharpness slider and then go to masking if I want additional sharpness.
Thanks Rob! This is very helpful
Glad to help.
Great presentation. Why is both sharpening and unsharp mask applied to your dog image? Does Sharpening filter also increase image noise? Where can the standard color chart be found. Would like to practice your technique on my PC. Thank you, Rob.
Yes, the unsharp mask hides "noise" caused by sharpening globally. I made my own color charts for this video but you should be able to find standard ones online free.
Hi Rob. Thanks for video, I’ll have to go back to the start of your Workspace tutorials though,re the downloading, organising etc. as I’ve seem to have jumped in at the sharp end!😂
Seriously though, I’ve just shot my first few photos in raw and trying to process them, the only thing was I’ve processed my first image ,cropped it but can’t see how to save it?
Enjoying the channel👍👍
Thanks. You don't need to save them. The edits you do are "non-destructive" so you can always undo them. It's when you export them as jpg that the images are "saved" with all the settings baked in.
@@RobTrek ah, brilliant. Thanks mate. I seem to have just found out how to get reasonably sharp bird images with the 75-300👍
Hi Rob. I have been following you tutorial on sharpening, My question is when i don't have a photo up to edit i can see the noise filter box but no filter tab. When i open the photo to edit neither the noise filter box or standard filter are there. So below the the strength , radius and threshold there is nothing at all? I am using emi markii. Thanks for the fantastic clear and precise videos, Dawn.
Hi. Those features only work with raw files, not jpg.
Great,i am beginner in workspace. Thanks
Thanks!
Fantastic!
Many thanks!
excellent - Thank You
You are welcome!
Good video!
Thanks!
Hello Rob, thank you for your video, this is the best explanation of sharpness that I have seen or heard! I believe you do not mention anything about JPG pictures. When I shoot with my EM5-ii a JPG with picture mode Natural, is there any need to sharpen this picture? Or is is it in the camera already sharpened?
And also when I apply in Workspace picture mode Natural to a RAW file, is it sharpened through this picture mode?
I'll have to do a video on this topic to explain in more detail. However, basically whatever sharpening you applied in the camera settings is transferred to Workspace. Some noise reduction is also applied by default.
Hey Rob, does workspace have a version for older computers because it only works with the last generation equipments.
You may be able to find Olympus Viewer, which was the previous version to Workspace. Unfortunately I've deleted my copy but I bet someone will have it.
@@RobTrek Thank you Rob. Maybe I have it on one of my backups. I let you know. Lightroom & Capture One works perfect but not Olympus.
Rob, thank you I have dabbled a few times with the sharpening facility and I was using Sharpness and Unsharp Mask as separate entities, I didn't appreciate the correct method was to use both simultaneously was this a jpeg? . If sharpening a raw file would you just use Sharpen or as you demonstrated?
I quite liked the finished image but I felt it was a little too colourful, the eyes looked enhanced and the purple in the background looked a little too evident - but that is me, I think in UK we tend to go for slightly less saturation than you do in US. Thanks again a very beneficial video.
Every image is different, so use all the tools to get the best results. I was using a raw image in this video. Yes, the colors were a bit strong and I would normally spend a little more time working that out in real life.
That was fantastic! Now I need to go back are re-edit a lot of my photos. I noticed that your computer was way, way faster than mine as I have quite a delay after moving any slider. Does your computer have a separate graphics card or is it integrated into the CPU? Thanks!
I use an Asus G14, with AMD 8-core Ryzen processor and dedicated Nvidia 2060mq graphics card. Also, 40gig of ram installed with 1tb ssd.
@@RobTrek Thank you. I am in the process of shopping for a new laptop and am looking for something to better support workspace vs what I currently have and also lightroom. It looks like yours is more than enough for both. Thanks again.
One question. Why so much ram? Do you do video editing?
@@robertl.1177 Yes, exactly!
Only thing not left clear here was do the sharpen and unsharp mask settings work in conjuction or does activating the unsharp mask override the sharpen setting? Does anyone know?
They work together.
Thanks.@@RobTrek
Thanks for a very good tutorial, but what does "unsharp mask" mean, unless I missed it. Can see what it does but the name does not make sense to me. :)
Could you do another video on the differences between Clarity, Structure and Sharpen. This question could relate to any software
They all seem similar but different and I cant work them out.
Yes, I plan on doing more videos. As for Unsharp Mask, think of a mask on a face with cutouts for the eyes and mouth. You are trying to sharpen the ares of the cutouts and leave the rest unsharpened. Hope that helps. Thanks -Rob
Thanks a lot Rob for another great video. One question... What is the equivalent of the sharpness on Lightroom Classic. My Mac doesn't support Olympus Workspace. It's too old. 2009 !!!! Thanks again...
Thanks. In LR, under the Detail box, you'll see "Masking". That is the same as threshold. If you hold the alt key down while sliding it, you'll see what is being sharpened.
@@RobTrek Thanks for your kind reply. I tried and everything were perfect. I suppose that the sharpness and detail will work the same way you told on the video.
@@RobTrek I took my first picture of the moon yesterday. It was a full moon. I did it according your video. Sharp , clean and perfect. Thanks a lot.
Super!
Thank you very much!
Serious question... are you promoting Workspace because it's superior to other options or just because it's free?
Mostly because it's free. Still, it is a very competent editor designed specifically for Olympus/OMSystems cameras.
Super!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
I don't understand why sharpness is automatically applied where there is contrast, ie red/grey. Better yet, why doesn't it just reduce the edge density of the gray instead of adding a color?
There are probably other photo editors that will do a more competent job at sharpening in the way that you mentioned. I'll have to compare Lightroom and see if it does the same thing or not. Thanks.