Understanding Sharpness

1995-2004 Michael Reichmann

What Are We Talking About? Photogra her! a! a grou are rett" hung-u on !har ne!!# $%m no e&ce tion# 'n(ortunatel" (or !ome !eeking the hol" grail o( ultimate image !har ne!! become! a !ub!titute (or creating intere!ting an) *orth*hile hotogra h!# +ince the conce t o( !har ne!! i! a means, not an en) it it!el(, $ thought it *orth*hile to look at *hat i! meant b" the *or) sharpness a! u!e) in hotogra h"# $t actuall" con!i!t! o( t*o !e arate conce t! - resolution an) acutance# With thi! article $ ho e to e& lain the!e t*o conce t! an) the role each la"! in our erce tion o( *hat i! !har # What .ou /et Ma" 0ot 1e What .ou +ee The tra)itional mea!ure o( image !har ne!! i! !tate) in line air! er millimeter - abbre2iate) a! lp/mm# $n other *or)! the abilit" o( the human e"e to )i!cerne) the number o( high-contra!t air! o( line! a earing in the ! ace o( a !ingle millimeter# .ou ma" ha2e rea) that !ome 2er" high re!olution 13W (ilm! can reach o2er 150 l 4mm# That's amazing# +ome reall" terri(ic len!e! can actuall" re!ol2e !ome*hat o2er 100 l 4mm# Wow# 1ut are "ou al!o a*are that e2en the 2er" be!t colour rinting a er! can re ro)uce little better than 55 l 4mm? Humm# Are "ou al!o a*are that the human e"e i!n%t able to re!ol2e an" more than bet*een 510 l 4mm un)er the mo!t o timum con)ition!? Say what? 6orgi2e me, but $%m ha2ing a bit o( (un *ith "ou b" m" e)itorial comment! becau!e !o man" hotogra her! get hung-u on theor" an) ! ec! rather than *hat the" actuall" can ercei2e *ith their o*n e"e!# Think about the 2ariable! !tan)ing bet*een a !cene in (ront o( the camera an) a rint hanging on the *all# A large number o( (actor! )etermine *hether or not the rint *ill be !har # - the len!% re!olution ca abilitie! - the (ilm%! re!olution ca abilitie! - camera an)4or !ub7ect motion - a erture u!e) an) con!e8uent )e th o( (iel) a! *ell a! u!e o( o timum a erture - (ilm (latne!! - i! the re!!ure- late )oing it! 7ob ro erl"? - (ilm thickne!! - are all la"er! in the (ilm 9colour: bringing the image into (ocu! - (ilm grain - !ometime! grain make! image! look !har er - !ometime! the o o!ite; - enlarger aralleli!m - man" aren%t, an) !har ne!! !u((er! - negati2e carrier reci!ion an) (ilm (latne!! - enlarging len! 8ualit" an) a erture u!e) - re!olution o( the rinting a er u!e) <( cour!e )igital o!t- roce!!ing ha! it! o*n i!!ue!, inclu)ing### - the (ilm (latne!! ca abilitie! o( the !canner%! carrier - the nati2e re!olution o( the !canner chi an) (irm*are - the +har ening le2el a lie) in o!t- roce!!ing - the nati2e re!olution o( the rinter - the re!olution o( the rinting a er u!e) 6or )igital camera! man" o( the !ame i!!ue! a! (or (ilm camera! a l", a! *ell a! tho!e (or )igital image roce!!ing# Remarkabl", in the (ace o( thi! a)2er!it" *e u!uall" en) u *ith cri! rint! that *e%re ha " to !ho* to other! an) hang on )i! la"# Re!olution 3 Acutance 1

Resolution i! the mo!t (amiliar o( the t*o erce tual (actor! contributing to !har ne!!# We%2e alrea)" looke) at ho* much re!olution i! nee)e)# .ou ma" !tart at 100 l 4mm 9 though typically not more than 50 lp/mm: but along the *a" i( "ou en) u *ith 10 l 4mm on a rint "ou%ll ha2e a 2er" cri! image in)ee), an) e2en 5l 4mm on a rint i! con!i)ere) criticall" !har b" man" ob!er2er!# 9 To be scientifically accurate you actually should ha e somewhat more resolution than this !maybe "0 lp/mm# on a low contrast image because of acutance effects:# Acutance i! the le!! un)er!too) characteri!tic o( !har ne!!# Acutance i!n%t about re!ol2ing )etail, it%! about the tran!ition bet*een e)ge!# $n other *or)! *hen an e)ge change! (rom one brightne!! le2el to another# Thi! i! *hat Sharpening in )igital arlance i! all about# +canning an) )igital ca ture !o(ten! acutance an) !o *e a l" a 9ill$named: roce!! calle) an Unsharp Mask to increa!e e)ge !har ne!! back to *hat it !houl) be# Remember, thi! ha! nothing to )o *ith re!olution, the other a! ect o( !har ne!!# 'n(ortunatel" !ome anti-)igital =u))ite! !till con(u!e the t*o# Theor" 3 Practice >ee in min) that ?5mm an) me)ium (ormat camera! ha2e a 2er" har) time ro)ucing the re!olution nee)e) (or ab!olutel" i)eal !har ne!!# <nl" 4@5A or larger can reall" ut )o*n on a er an image that a roache! the i)eal# A!!uming that about 25 l 4mm i! *hat%! nee)e) (or a t" ical mo)erate acutance image *ith lot! o( (ine )etail, then "ou *oul) theoreticall" nee) a 200 l 4mm image on (ilm to make thi! o!!ible# 9 Thi! i! e8ui2alent to an B@ enlargement, or about an B@10A rint:# $ kno* o( no len! 4 (ilm combination that can achie2e thi!# Me)ium (ormat camera! ha2e a lo*er magni(ication hur)le, but onl" the (ine!t len!e! ha2e re!olution ca abilit" com arable to to ?5mm len!e!# 1ut onl" *ith the be!t len!e!, the highe!t re!olution (ilm! an) the (ine!t enlarging or )igital image roce!!ing techni8ue! can thi! be achie2e)# 9 So% instead of a combined &00 lp/mm needed for "5mm you'd 'only' need (00 lp/mm from a )*)cm system + a ,* ratio#: /rain <ur erce tion o( !har ne!! )e en)! to a large e&tent on ho* much )etail an image contain!# 6re8uentl" an image *ith mo)eratel" coar!e but !har grain 9 or crisp digital noise: can a ear a! !har or e2en !har er than a (ine-graine) image# Thi! i! *h" high-acutance (ilm )e2elo er! !uch a! Rodinal ha2e hi!toricall" been re(erre) b" !ome# The" ma)e grain !ome*hat bigger, but ga2e it higher acutance an) there(ore ai)e) in creating the a earance o( a !har er image# Con2er!el" an image *ith (ine but !o(t grain 9for whate er reason: *ill )rag )o*n the general a earance o( !har ne!! that a gi2en image might other*i!e ha2e# $ntere!tingl", com letel" grain-(ree image! can a ear to be le!! !har than the re!olution number! might lea) one to belie2e# Thi! i! the ca!e *ith the ol) Panatomic-X an) Tech-Pan (ilm!# The" are !o grain-(ree than the" can a ear le!! than criticall" !har if the image )oe!n%t contain a lot o( (ine )etail# Along the !ame line!, in the )igital realm it%! m" e& erience that the Canon D30 at 100 $+< i! !o (ree o( )igital noi!e 9the e-ui alent of grain: that in !ome image! it can almo!t a ear to be le!! !har than a 400 $+< (rame (rom the !ame camera# $nk7et Print! There are !ome (olk! *ho ha2en%t "et !een *ell-ma)e high 8ualit" ink7et rint!, an) *ho there(ore mi!takenl" belie2e that the!e !omeho* can%t e8ual tra)itional chemical rint! in term! o( !har ne!!# $t%! *orth noting that a D colour 1440 ) i ink7et rinter 9 li.e the /pson (&00 / (&10 / &0002 2hoto printers : *hen (e) a ?D0 ) i out ut (ile, i! ca able o( about 1D i&el er millimeter# Thi! tran!late! to B l 4mm - right in the high-en) o( the ball ark (or meeting the limit! o( human 2i!ion%! abilit" to )i!cern ma&imum !har ne!!# Thi! al!o e& lain! *h" the late!t generation o( rinter! ! ece) at 2BB0 ) i 9like the E !on 12B041290: )on%t make rint! that look an" !har er to the nake) e"e# 'n)er a lou e, "e!, but not unai)e)# The 2

rea!on *h", *e can no* a reciate i! becau!e at about B l 4mm *e are alrea)" near the limit! o( the e"e%! abilit" to re!ol2e (ine )etail# All *e en) u *ith i! !lo*er rint ! ee)! an) greater ink u!age# Magni(ication - 1igger $! 1etter An" time "ou e&amine the i!!ue o( !har ne!! it mu!t be !een in the conte&t o( magni(ication an) 2ie*ing )i!tance# =ook at a billboar) (rom acro!! the !treet# +ee the rett" girl *ith !ilk" long hair !tan)ing on a beach, enticing "ou to (lee *inter an) 7oin her in the 1ahama!? =ook! rett" !har # $n)i2i)ual !tran)! o( hair are 2i!ible an) "ou can almo!t count the grain! o( !an)# 0o* climb u on the !ca((ol)ing an) look at the billboar) (rom a )i!tance o( 24 inche!# All that beauti(ul )etail ha! been re)uce) to hal(-tone )ot! the !iFe o( gol( ball!# The image likel" i!n%t e2en intelligible an" longer - it%! 7u!t big blob! o( coloure) )ot!# Thi! e& lain! *h" me)ium an) large (ormat image! a ear A sharperA than rint! ma)e (rom ?5mm e2en though the ?5mm len!e! ma" ha2e a! much a! t*ice the re!olution# The" !im l" )on%t nee) to be enlarge) a! much# To make an B@10A rint a ?5mm (rame nee)! to be enlarge) about B@# A D@D (rame about ?@# A! long a! rint! are !mall it )oe!n%t make much )i((erence# 1e"on) about an B@10A rint though e2en the be!t !hot ?5mm image! !tart to lo!e 8ualit", *hile a D@Dcm ba!e) image i! u!uall" (ine u to about 1D@20A# Size matters3 What Ga2e We =earne)? Go e(ull" thi! brie( )i!cu!!ion *ill ha2e !he) !ome light on a !ometime! con(u!ing an) murk" to ic# Remember, there%! more to the i!!ue o( image !har ne!! than ra* number! alone# Gone "our techni8ue an) tru!t "our e"e!#