A Smarter Way to High Pass Sharpen in Photoshop

Photography Tips

High pass sharpening has been one of Photoshop’s most commonly used filters by professional photographers. But Michael Woloszynowicz noticed some problems with the traditional method—namely, an unnatural white outline and awkward lighting around the eyes, where colors contrast. Here’s his solution:

Woloszynowicz’s video is very technical and may be confusing for some, but professionals and semi-professionals will recognize it as the kind of tip that distinguishes them from amateur digital editors.

The kind of haloing created by Photoshop‘s high pass filter creates an unnatural look around the eyes and around the shoulders of a subject, looking like a subtler version of this application:

While the manual process is a little complicated, involving multiple layers and jiggling around the opacity, Woloszynowicz’s method becomes easier with practice or a Photoshop action.