User manual

22 • SHARPENING AN IMAGE (UNSHARP MASKING)
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ColorQuartet 5.0 Pro
22•Sharpening an image (unsharp masking)
Unsharp masking
What it is
Unsharp masking (USM) adds visual sharpness to an image by increasing the contrast at the
edges of details in the image.
Unsharp masking in ColorQuartet
ColorQuartet’s sophisticated unsharp masking system offers fully automated USM but also
makes it possible for you to control the individual USM parameters if you want to.
• Automatic USM optimizes sharpening for each individual scan, depending on the type of
scan, the scan resolution, and other factors.
• If you create your own USM settings, you can save them for repeated use.
• You can also check the effects of various USM settings in a special feedback display before
doing the final scan.
• Unsharp masking can be applied to any scan, regardless of the file format.
• ColorQuartet remembers the last USM choice you made and continues to use it until you
make another choice.
Ways to apply unsharp masking
• To apply USM automatically, activate Sharpening in the Auto Functions section of the Magic
Touch window or choose Light (Auto), Normal (Auto) or Heavy (Auto) from the Unsharp Mask-
ing menu in the top section of the Scan Setup
window. Normal(Auto) corresponds to the
degree of unsharp masking used by Magic Touch. Heavy (Auto) means more USM and Light
(Auto) means less USM.
• To apply a previously saved customized set of USM parameters, choose the desired profile
from the Unsharp Masking menu in the top section of the Scan Setup window.
• To create a customized set of USM parameters for one-time or repeated use, choose Custom...
from the Unsharp Masking menu in the Scan Setup window. For more information, see S
etting
USM manually and viewing USM feedback.
Working with automatic USM
If you apply USM automatically, ColorQuartet will intelligently calculate an appropriate USM
profile for each individual image, based on the other settings in the Magic Touch or Scan Setup
window.