Optimal Image Sharpening in a Photoshop Plug-In

Sharpener Pro 3.0 is the most advanced and powerful sharpening solution eliminating the guesswork typically required for achieving superior and consistent results.

New adaptive sharpening algorithms and award-winning U Point® technology for selective sharpening ensure desired sharpness or creative softening of details are easily accomplished. The Sharpening Soft Proof that lets you accurately inspect results before printing saving money in costly test prints, improved handling of new output devices, and new output presets provide repeatable, professional results. Sharpener Pro 3.0 is the only tool that provides controls for both output and creative detail sharpening of different objects quickly and easily without the need to make different adjustment layers for each object or area.

A recognized leader in digital imaging technology, Nik Software has developed class-leading solutions to specific challenges photographers face when sharpening images throughout the photographic workflow and packaged them in one convenient toolset. Use Sharpener Pro 3.0 to regain clarity in digital images, draw the viewer’s attention to the focal point of an image and achieve professional, high quality sharpened images every time.

Click on the Features tab above to learn more about Sharpener Pro 3.0, download a free Trial version to use Sharpener Pro 3.0 on your own images for 15-days, or click here to see the software in action.

All registered customers of Sharpener Pro 3.0 are eligible for a free download of Sharpener Pro 3.0 for Lightroom 2. To receive the free update, download the Sharpener Pro 3.0 for Lightroom 2 installer, and then use your Sharpener Pro 3.0 for Photoshop product key to activate the software.

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Sharpener Pro 3.0 provides professional power and control over the complete sharpening workflow, from RAW pre-sharpening and creative detail enhancements to superior output sharpening based on the output device.

Simply the most unique and powerful image editing technology available today, U Point powered controls allow you to precisely control sharpness and detail selectively within an image without the need for complicated selections or layer masks. Enhancements are automatically and naturally blended throughout your image for spectacular results.

Powerful new creative sharpening tools enable you to enhance subtle details and textures that are hidden with an image. When selectively applied using Control Points these tools enable you to draw attention to key areas within your images.

The updated RAW Presharpener feature retains and enhances sharp details within images without amplifying noise and artifacts. RAW Presharpener compensates for the potential loss of clarity and detail caused through digital capture or digital noise reduction techniques.

Designed to sharpen based on proven loss of detail caused by different output methods and devices, the Output Sharpener filter provides the optimum controls for creating perfectly sharpened images for such devices as display, inkjet, continuous tone, half tone, and hybrid print devices.

Saves time in the photographic workflow by saving custom settings in the Output Sharpener for repeatable, professional results.

The Selective Tool allows you to brush any Sharpener Pro 3.0 filter enhancement into your image using Photoshop’s brush tools. Layers and masks are created automatically, enabling you to quickly and easily apply any filter with painterly precision.

The completely updated and reworked interface in Sharpener Pro 3.0 feature key controls placed conveniently on the right side of your image workspace for fast and consistent access. Also a Navigator Loupe provides a quick 100% view and navigation view, saved settings, and a resizable user interface help speed your workflow.

Sharpener Pro 3.0 is compatible with Adobe Photoshop Smart Objects which permits you to fine-tune enhancements even after they’ve been applied.

Sharpener Pro 3.0 is compatible with Lightroom & Aperture’s ability to work on multiple images at once. When more than one image is opened, "Previous" and "Next" buttons appear that allow photographers to easily sharpen several images quickly.

Adobe Photoshop

View a quick overview demonstrating the power of Sharpener Pro 3.0.

Adobe Photoshop

Learn how to launch and see an overview of the Sharpener Pro 3.0 interface running in Adobe Photoshop

Apple Aperture

Learn how to launch and see an overview of the Sharpener Pro 3.0 interface running in Apple Aperture.

Discover the streamlined, professional setup for sharpening images for specific output devices, ensuring the highest quality image sharpening every time.

Find out how to setup Output Sharpening presets to save time in the photographic workflow.

Learn about the new creative sharpening tools inside of the Output Sharpener filter, providing the ultimate creative sharpening for enhancing details and textures in photographs.

Adobe Photoshop

Learn how to use Sharpener Pro 3.0 as a Smart Filter within Adobe Photoshop CS3, allowing you to go back and fine-tune your edits at any time

Apple Aperture

Learn how Sharpener Pro 3.0 supports the ability to sharpen multiple images in one editing session in Apple Aperture.

Windows

32-bit version of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 and Windows Vista
(64-bit operating systems with 32-bit host application)
Pentium III 1GHz or better
1 GB RAM
Adobe Photoshop 7 through CS4, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 through 7.0; other Adobe Photoshop plug-in compatible application**
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 or later

Macintosh

Mac OS 10.4 and later
G4, G5, Intel® Core™ Solo, Intel Core Duo, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Xeon®
1 GB RAM
Adobe® Photoshop® CS2 through CS4, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 and 6.0; other Adobe Photoshop plug-ins compatible applications**
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 or later
Apple® Aperture™ 2.1 or later

** Nik Software product filters are developed to integrate seamlessly into many popular image editing applications that support the Adobe plug-in architecture and there are numerous software applications that accept Adobe plug-in compatible filters. Please consult your image editing application’s documentation for compatibility and installation instructions for 3rd-party plug-ins.

"Getting that razor-sharp look can make all the difference for those who earn their living as photographers. Some plug-ins fall short of this task because they create something too edgy and harsh, or simply apply a global effect to your entire image, but Nik Sharpener Pro 3 is a huge leap forward in image enhancement. It’s my favorite sharpening plug-in to date and the results prove my point.”

~~ Daniel M. East, Nat’l Association of Photoshop Professionals

"I tested Sharpener Pro 3.0 on a wide variety of image types, and in every instance I was able to produce better results than I could using Unsharp Mask alone. I also compared the results to Photokit Sharpener, which I find to be a very good tool. The results were similar, but I had much better control over the sharpening process, and more visual feedback to what was happening with Sharpener Pro 3.0. If you're looking for a tool to assist with creating the sharpest, natural looking image possible, Sharpener Pro 3.0 is impossible to beat.”

~~ Jon Canfield, Technology Writer and Photographer

"Sharpener Pro will pay for itself many times over. If you want to sharpen your images and feel intimidated by all the work and effort it takes to accomplish the same tasks using Photoshop, then I highly recommend Sharpener Pro 3.0 from Nik Software.”

~~ T. Michael Testi, The Enlightened Image

"I’m a photographer, not a computer technician. That’s why I appreciate what the folks at Nik Software have been doing. Their plug-ins are amazing...and their latest version of Sharpener is completely intuitive. It allows me to decide exactly where, and to what degree, the sharpening amounts are. This is the final link in the chain, which now brings digital printing up to the quality we had in the conventional darkroom.”

~~ Don Gale

"After experimenting with Sharpener Pro I was able to accomplish EXACTLY what I was hoping. The end results were superior to everything else I had tried."

~~ John Sexton

To view how other professional photographers integrate Nik Software products within their workflow, visit our Team Nik section.

View Team Nik