Sharpening shouldn't just mean moving an Amount slider until everything looks crispy.
Ultrasharp Pro 2.5 is a Photoshop Actions-based sharpening system that gives you independent control over different scales of detail, with adjustable halo suppression built directly into the layer stack. Sharpen what you want, attenuate what you don't, and control the artifacts without simply backing off the entire effect.
Five bands. Independent control.
The core workflow separates your image into five spatial frequency bands using Gaussian based decomposition in 16-bit. Each band has its own Curves adjustment for boosting or attenuating detail, with supplied presets to make those adjustments straightforward.
Add definition to fine texture, enhance broader structure, or reduce frequencies that already look too aggressive. You're not stuck sharpening every kind of detail equally.
New in 2.5: per-band halo suppression
Sharpening can create bright and dark fringes around edges, especially when you're pushing broader detail or working with hard transitions. Ultrasharp Pro 2.5 generates a dedicated halo suppression mask for each band, giving you independent control over how much that band's adjustment is restricted around those transitions.
The masks are created automatically and start at zero density. Sharpen or attenuate a band, then increase its mask density as needed to reduce haloing. On finer bands, suppression can also help keep thin bright hairs and tiny specular details from looking overcooked.
This is halo suppression, of course, and not a promise of complete halo removal. You choose the balance between the detail response you want and the suppression that benefits the image. It also works with attenuation, making negative sharpening more useful when reducing texture or broader contrast.
Everything is right there in your Layers panel. The masks remain editable, and helper Actions let you quickly enable maximum suppression, turn it off, or reset the sharpening Curves.
More than a five-band stack.
Ultrasharp Pro also includes targeted sharpening and attenuation, custom frequency-band creation, edge enhancement, and bright/specular detail enhancement for things like water droplets, jewelry, skin sheen, glossy surfaces, and hair highlights.
The Contouring workflow works at much broader scales, letting you adjust large-scale tonal contrast and dimensionality rather than just fine sharpness.
Built for control.
Portraits, automotive, products, architecture, landscapes: different subjects need different treatment. Ultrasharp gives you access to the components so you can decide what deserves more definition, what needs less bite, and where suppression helps.
No separate plugin interface. Just Photoshop Actions, native layers, Curves, opacity, and masks you can revisit and modify.
Work in 16-bit before running the Actions. If your source file is 8-bit, an included helper Action handles the conversion so subsequent calculations take place in 16-bit.
Version 2.5 is a free update for existing Ultrasharp Pro customers.
