Photoshop isn't quite a one-stop deal yet

Surprising, perhaps, but Adobe Photoshop, the premier photo-editing software, can't do all photo-editing tasks better than some specialized software.

In areas such as sharpening and creating super enlargements, for instance, there's supplementary software available that can do those jobs better. They're actually Photoshop Plug-ins, and they work along with Photoshop (and some other image-editing programs) to accomplish the tasks.

Today we'll look at two of these specialized programs: Nik Multimedia's nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Inkjet Edition ($170, Mac/Windows, www.niksoftware.com) and Alien Skin's Blow Up ($199, Mac/Windows, www.alienskin.com).

Nik Sharpener does just that — it sharpens photos that lack the crisp quality an image should have to grab the viewer's attention. Don't bother using this or any sharpener on images that are actually blurry, but often an intriguing image just lacks that little edge that would make it truly great. Nik Sharpener can create the edge. It's subtle, but definite.

This supplementary software works with photo-editing software that can run Photoshop plug-ins, including Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Digital Image Pro, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, and Ulead PhotoImpact, among others.

Once Nik Sharpener is installed, the Basic interface is located under Photoshop's Filter menu, and its special Selective sharpening tool is located under the File>Automate menu.

The Basic interface is where I enter the final print's dimensions, viewing distance, paper type and printer resolution. Then I can click on the Advanced tab to set the amount of sharpening in different color areas of the image.

However, I prefer to make sharpening adjustments with the Selective tool, which can sharpen selected parts of an image as well as the entire photo. (The Selective tool reportedly works only with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.) To sharpen parts, I use a paintbrush to cover (or erase) the areas I want sharpened, or a bucket to fill (or clear) an area.

I select the type of inkjet printer I'll be using, or choose RAW pre-sharpening. And, I adjust sliders to indicate the approximate size of the paper I'll be using for the print, type of paper, printer resolution, and estimated viewing distance.

I'm eager to see the results in print, so I print both the original and the sharpened image side by side on an 8 ½ x 11-inch sheet of photo paper. The difference is subtle, but the sharpened image does look sharper.

I sharpen parts of several more images — mainly to bring the main human subjects into sharp focus while leaving the rest in softer focus. The results look good.

Still, I'm curious to find out what others think of this software, so I search Google for reviews and discover that most share my view, that nik Sharpener Pro can make images, and parts of images, look sharper.

There are times when I have a particularly good photo, and think it would be perfect as a poster for my daughter's bedroom wall, for example, or framed and hung in the living room.

So, when I hear about Alien Skin's Blow Up software, I decide to try it. The program is a Photoshop and Photoshop Elements plug-in designed to retain photo quality while enlarging an image up to 300 percent or more (illustrations reportedly can be enlarged up to 3,600 percent).

When the software arrives, I install it, open Photoshop and pull up one of my favorite images of my daughter doing karate. Then, under Photoshop's File menu, I select Automate, locate Alien Skin Blow Up listed there, and click to it.

The User screen that comes up displays the image and the controls, which are easy to understand and use. Pixel Dimensions and Document Size are set to the current size, so I change the Document Size to fit the large matte photo paper I'll use for this project. The Pixel Dimensions View automatically adjusts. I check the Constrain Proportions box and the Duplicate Image Before Resizing box, and then adjust the Sharpen Amount and the Add Grain sliders.

I experiment with the Sharpening slider to keep edges sharp, and finally leave it set a little higher than the halfway point.

Now for the grain slider. I don't want a grainy finished photo, but the manual advises that if a greatly enlarged image is too smooth, it may look like plastic, and suggests that little grain can make it look more realistic. Still, I don't add grain because there's already a little noise in the image. (Noise in a digital image is a little like grain in a film camera's image.)

Finally, it's time to print. I load up my printer with 13 x 19-inch photo paper and cross my fingers.

The results look good. The amount of sharpening I applied was just right to articulate the edges. And the printed image doesn't look too smooth or plastic, so my hunch was right that I didn't need to add grain.

All in all, I've been won over by these third-party Photoshop plug-ins. Of course, after paying a bundle for Photoshop, one would expect not to have to pay more for specific tools that do a better job than Photoshop's tools, but sometimes that's the way it is. Sigh.

Write Linda Knapp at lknapp@seattletimes.com; to read other Getting Started columns, go to: www.seattletimes.com/gettingstarted