Last updated on October 20, 2023
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Nik 6 Sharpener is composed of two separate modules, for two different stages of image processing: Nik 6 Presharpener, for preliminary sharpening, and Nik 6 Sharpener Output, for final sharpening.

Nik Presharpener


The Nik Presharpener plugin, as its name suggests, is intended for the preliminary sharpening of RAW files, which are generally softer due to several possible factors, including the presence of a low-pass filter in front of the sensor; in-camera processing; and processing applied to a file upon its import into RAW development software.

To take full advantage of Nik Presharpener, we recommend that you disable any in-camera sharpening and sharpening in the host RAW file processing software.

Nik Sharpener Output

The second plugin, Nik Sharpener Output, is intended for sharpening after the image development and processing phase, depending on the destination and the output medium (electronic distribution or printing, which require very different settings).

Preferences (Nik Sharpener Output)

Options in the general tab are discussed in the Common Interface and Tools chapter > Preferences.

In the Sharp tab of the Preferences window, Nik Sharperner Output lets you configure the sharpening tools and calibrate the output file sharpening settings:

To save your options, click OK, otherwise click Cancel.

Special Display Modes

Nik Presharpener and Nik Sharpener Output offer specific display modes, to facilitate sharpening visualization:

  1. Sharpened Image: Normal image display with sharpening settings.
  2. <strong>Effect Overlay</strong> displays a red/orange color mask when placing a control point or working with color ranges. This mask allows you to visualize the stacking of corrections: the more stacks, the denser the color mask becomes.
  3. Effect Mask shows the effect of highlighting with control points or color ranges. White indicates a 100% application of sharpness enhancement, black indicates no sharpness enhancement, and intermediate gray values indicate more or less sharpness enhancement.
  4. Sharpening soft proof (Nik Sharpener Output): displays an sharpening preview according to the output options and physical size of the image. A scale is embedded in the lower left corner of the image to help judge the sharpness according to the size of the image. In short, it is an on-screen way of proofing sharpness.

Sharpened image (Nik Presharpener)

The Nik Presharpener module is designed to compensate for the loss of sharpness in your image during capture, due to the presence of a low-pass filter in front of the camera sensor, but it can also be used in a complete sharpening workflow, from capture to creative processing and output (the latter being dealt with by Nik Sharpener Output), when you want to keep full control over this important phase of the workflow. In this case, regardless of the original format of the file to be processed, it is advisable to disable any other sharpening tools, either in the camera or the host application, especially if it is RAW processing software.

RAW Presharpening

Once your image has been opened in Nik Presharpener, the simplest method, which suits most images, involves increasing overall sharpness using the tools you will find in the right panel, under Presharpening:

  1. Adaptive Sharpening: Set by default to 50%, this slider strengthens (to the right) or attenuates (to the left) sharpness based on algorithms capable of taking into account the presence of elements in the image such as outlines, details, and flat areas. The rule here is to sharpen the image decisively but without exaggeration. You can control this by unchecking the Preview* box in the top bar to compare the image after and before sharpening (feel free to zoom in at 100% or compare using the magnifying glass*).
  2. Balance Sharpening: this slider is centered by default; move it to the left to sharpen areas of the image, or move it to the right to flatten areas and emphasize edges. In general, however, we advise leaving the cursor as it is, and, if you need to emphasize something within the contours, use the selective methods discussed below instead.
  3. Image Quality: This function is set to Normal by default, the High ISO option (click to toggle) lets you adapt the sharpening algorithms to a higher, therefore noisier, capture sensitivity which is likely to be amplified by any heightened sharpness.
  4. Opacity slider: This slider, set at 100% by default, acts globally and can be used with selective adjustments.

When sharpening, you can  compare the image before and after correction by zooming in on the image, or by using the magnification Loupe, the Preview button, or the different display modes available in the top bar. For more information about these tools, see the <a hqid=”2781365″ href=”#”>Interface and keyboard shortcuts</a> page.

Sharpening using control points and control lines

In this paragraph, only the tools specific to Nik Presharpener are discussed. The basic operation of control points and control lines is discussed in the Common Interface and Tools chapter > Control Points and Control Lines.

Control points and control lines let you sharpen in a very precise manner, on parts of the image rather than its entirety. For example, in a portrait, you may want to sharpen the eyes and mouth but not the skin; and in a landscape, you may want to sharpen the ground, but not the sky  (especially a blue sky where noise could quickly appear).

In the Selective Sharpening palette on the right, a menu lets you choose between two metrics, Control Points and Color Ranges.

For selective adjustments, control points and lines have the following sliders:

  1. Color Selectivity :
    • Lm (Luminance).
    • Chr (Chrominance).
    • Df (Diffusion).
  2. Sharpening setting:
    • Op (Opacity).
  1. From the drop-down menu, choose Selective Adjustments.
  2. Click on one of the add control point or control line buttons.
  3. Click the place in the image where you want the control point or line to be applied.
  4. The Opacity slider in the Presharpening palette automatically switches from 100% to 0%.
  5. Set the radius of the control point or the scope of the control line.
  6. Increase the sharpness with the adaptive sharpening and/or sharpening balance sliders in the RAW presharpening palette.
  7. Adjust the sharpness as you wish using the Opacity slider on the control point or control line (defaults to 100%). You can use the 2nd Opacity slider in the Selective sharpening palette.

Using and grouping multiple control points or control lines

To correct a large area of the image, set additional control points and repeat the above steps. You can also link control points by activating the selction tool (key A) and then dragging a rectangle over several control points and/or lines. In this case, you can simply move one slider to make the emphasis apply equally to all the others.

Protecting with a negative control point or line

Left: blue sky unprotected from accentuation (100% opacity) / Right: protected blue sky (0% opacity)

Enhancing sharpness with color ranges

Alternative method of sharpening: by color range, selected in the method menu, in the selective sharpening palette. By default, Nik Presharpener offers you three ranges: red, orange, blue, represented by tiles accompanied by an eyedropper, which will allow you to select colors directly in the image.

  1. Click on an eyedropper to activate it.
  2. Place it in the image, then click.
  3. The corresponding color is sampled and indicated in the small tile.
  4. Increase sharpness with the adaptive sharpening and/or sharpening balance sliders.
  5. Adjust sharpening with the intensity slider under each color range (defaults to 100%).
  6. For another color, click on another eyedropper and repeat the previous steps.

To add a color range, click on the “+” button below the list, to display a tile (in pale violet), the eyedropper, and the associated sliders. You can add as many ranges as you wish, and you can remove them individually by clicking on their “-” (minus sign) button.

Note that the control points and/or control lines can be combined with the color ranges.

Final output sharpening (Nik Sharpener Output)

The Nik Sharpener Output plugin allows you to prepare and sharpen your image in a creative way, depending on its destination (electronic publishing, printing, circulation) and on its size and resolution. This last stage of sharpness work comes after the following steps:

Output Sharpening and Creative Sharpening in Nik Sharpener Output are closely related. Firstly, you use the Output Sharpening tools in response to the type of media you are going to put your image on, and then use the Creative Sharpening tools to enhance the final output. On this page you will find instructions for:

When working on the sharpness of your images, remember to use the comparison and verification display modes, as well as the magnification Loupe and Zoom functions, the latter being essential for checking the sharpness and the possible appearance of artifacts and sharpening halos along the edges. You will find all the essential information on the Interface and keyboard shortcuts page.

Output sharpening

In this section, you will determine the output media for your image, between on-screen display, which is the default choice, and a number of methods for printing on paper. This is the first step before moving on to creative sharpening, since for the latter you will not use the same settings for a screen and an inkjet printer. To choose the output media, click to scroll down the list (the options depend on the output type, although all types may share some settings in common):

  1. Display: Sharpens the image for display on a computer screen (electronic publishing, web gallery, etc.).
    • Adaptive Sharpening: Set to 50% by default, enhances or reduces overall sharpness (it works similarly to the same slider in Nik Presharpener).
  1. Inkjet: Enhances the sharpness of an image printed on an inkjet photo printer.

3. Continuous Tone: Sharpens prints in the photo lab (unless your lab also uses inkjet).

4. Halftone: Enhances the sharpness of images for print media (newspapers, magazines, etc.).

5. Hybrid Device: You can apply this option if you do not know whether your images will be broadcast (screen) or published (print).

* For more details, refer to the function description in section 2, Inkjet, above. Inkjet.

Creative Sharpening

Once you have established how to adjust the sharpness of your images because of their destination and output media, it is time to move on to the creative part of the sharpening process, either globally, or with selective tools (control points and color ranges), discussed in the next paragraph, which use the same sliders and algorithms.

The Creative Sharpness section in the right panel offers the following tools:

  1. Output Sharpening Strength: This overall sharpness slider allows you to modulate all other settings. The default value is 100%; you can de-emphasize the sharpness to the left, and amplify it to the right.
  2. Structure enhances or attenuates textures, without affecting the sharpness of the edges.
  3. Local Contrast: By acting on the micro-contrast of details, this slider lets you give your image more impact (towards the right) or, on the contrary, diminish the details (towards the left).
  4. Focus allows you to restore sharpness to elements of the image that are slightly out of focus by moving the slider to the right. By adjusting the slider to the left, you introduce a blur effect, as if the lens focus had been shifted.
Example of screen output sharpening with local intensity and contrast enhancement

Selective Sharpening

In this paragraph, only the tools specific to Nik Sharpener Output are discussed. The basic operation of control points and control lines is discussed in the Common Interface and Tools chapter > Control Points and Control Lines.

Nik Sharpener Output’s selective sharpening uses two methods that you can combine: with control points and control lines and/or with color ranges.

Sharpening using control points and control lines

Control points and control lines let you accurately sharpen just parts of the image rather than all of it. In the selective sharpening palette, on the right, a menu lets you choose between two methods, control points and Color ranges, the latter of which will be discussed in the next paragraph.

For selective adjustments, control points and lines have the following sliders:

  1. Color Selectivity :
    • Lm (Luminance).
    • Chr (Chrominance).
    • Df (Diffusion).
  2. Sharpening setting:
    • Output sharpening strength*.
    • Str (Structure)*.
    • LC (Local Contrast)*.
    • F (focus)*.
  1. From the drop-down menu, choose Selective Adjustments.
  2. Click the Add control point or control line button.
  3. Click the place in the image where you want the control point or line to be applied.
  4. Set the radius of the control point or the scope of the control line.
  5. Apply one of the 4 available corrections:
    • Output sharpening strength*.
    • Str (Structure)*.
    • LC (Local Contrast)*.
    • F (focus)*.

* These sliders are the same as those in the Creative sharpening palette. See the paragraph concerned to learn more about these tools.

Grouping a control point and a control line

To correct a large area of the image, set additional control points and repeat the above steps. You can also link control points and control lines: first click away to deactive the control points and control line buttons, and then drag a rectangle over the control points and/or control lines you want to link in the image. In this case, you can simply move one slider to make the emphasis apply equally to all the others.

The effect mask, where white shows enhanced areas, and black shows protected areas.

Enhancing sharpness with color ranges

In the Selective sharpening palette, from the Method menu, select Color Ranges. By default, Nik Sharpener Output offers you three ranges: red, orange, blue, represented by tiles accompanied by an eyedropper, which will allow you to select colors directly in the image:

  1. Click on an eyedropper to activate it.
  2. Place it in the image, then click.
  3. The corresponding color is sampled and indicated in the small tile.
  4. Locally accentuate or reduce the output sharpness using the Output Sharpening intensity slider, which will alter the adjustments you do in the Creative Sharpening section. For another color, click on another eyedropper and repeat the previous steps.
  5. To add a color range, click on the “+” button below the list. This will display the tile (in green), the eyedropper, and the associated sliders. You can add as many ranges as you wish, and you can remove them individually by clicking on their “-” (minus sign) button.

Note that control points and control lines of protection can be combined with sharpening by color ranges.

Creating a custom Nik Sharpener Output preset

If you have developed a sharpening method and want to use it later on future images, you do not need to redo all the settings every time you start a work session. At the top of the right panel is a section for managing presets:

  1. Adjust your settings in Nik Sharpener Output.
  2. In the right panel, click add new preset.
  3. A dialog box will prompt you to enter the name of your preset.
  4. Confirm by clicking OK.
  5. Your preset appears in the palette. When working on a new image, click on the preset to apply it.

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