Local Contrast

This is a quick and effective way to add a bit of punch to an image. Using Curves or Levels only changes the overall contrast of an image, what we want to achieve is a way to add contrast where it is needed, not to the whole tonal range of the image. Fortunately the Unsharp Mask tool offers a way to do this – but using it in an unsual way.

Pro Tip – Save this process as an Action and assign a hot key for a one key 'add punch' solution.

Photoshop : Filters > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask

1. Open an image in Photoshop and select Filters > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. The dialog will still show the settings you made last time you used this filter.

2. Change the settings as follows: Amount 25, Radius 25 and Threshold 0. This 'sharpens' the image by a small amount but over a much wider radius. This exaggerates contrast near edges and adds the snap you see.

3. Adjust to siut your preference and click OK. You should see an immediate increase in the snap of the image, indeed if you go back (ctrl-Z) the image that you might have been happy with before looks decidedly muddy.

Before



After