Usm

[Catori123]

hi

can anyone tell me what USM is and how it works? ive read alot of posts with it in and am wondering.

i have photoshop cs2.

[Rhys]

hi

can anyone tell me what USM is and how it works? ive read alot of posts with it in and am wondering.

i have photoshop cs2.

I think USM is a piezzo-electric motor.

[cdifoto]

I think USM is a piezzo-electric motor.

OP is talking about Unsharp Mask, not Ultra-Sonic Motors. Note the mention of Photoshop.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-usm.shtml

[Balrog]

Heh, Rhys, considering the photoshop mention, I think he meant the UnSharp Mask, not ultrasonic motors .. which aren't piezoelectric, whatever else they may be - the piezoelectric effect is materials producint electricity due to stress; seen in some crystals.

Unsharp Masking is basically a technique to sharpen photos, by performing an edge-detection operation, enhancing the edges and adding them back to the image. The kind of effect you get is determined by the radius of the edge detection filter and the amount of strengthening you apply...
Here's (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-usm.shtml) an article about it .. there are many tutorials on how to use it effectively online; search around, you'll find 'em.

EDIT: lol, CDI, you beat me to it... and posted the same link too! :D

[DonSchap]

The Ultrasoic Motor (USM) in Canon EF lenses is the world's first lens-based motor of its type. Based on totally new technology, the motor spins by ultrasonic oscillation energy. The USM is quiet and quick. It has made EF lenses almost noiseless and autofocusing fast, precise and practical. The direct-drive construction is very simple, with no gear train. This makes it durable and efficient. It also consumes little power. Two types of USM are used: Ring-type USM and Micro USM. The former type is found in large aperture and super telephoto lenses, while the latter is used in more compact lenses.

10646


10647

This is straight from Canon literature... just to set things straight

[coldrain]

To set what straight??? It was about UnSharp Mask, explaining motors is setting things crooked again.

[Rhys]

To set what straight??? It was about UnSharp Mask, explaining motors is setting things crooked again.

The OP wasn't very clear. He mentioned USM and then as a kind of an afterthought said he was using photoshop - the kind of thing somebody does when they're not really sure what they're talking about.

[ReF]

anybody else find this thread funny? :D

[Ray Schnoor]

anybody else find this thread funny? :D
Actually, I believe a USM is a member of the United States Marine Core.

Ray.

[Catori123]

hmm well he is a she...

and i was talking about post processing.

i have a nikon d50 so i dont think i can get usm lenses.

and Rhys i dont really know wot it is which is why i was asking :D

sorry if i confused people with motors, id just read a post about post-processing. i am blonde and female after all :)

[Catori123]

ps. thanx for all the posts and i will definately read those links :D

[coldrain]

You can make the photo more "sharp" when you, when it is in the resolution you want it to be, use photoshops unsharp mask. In the menu bar: filter/sharpen:unsharp mask...
3 values, lots of options to screw up photos.

2 often used methods:

Amount at between 50 and 150 (depending on taste and photo)
Radius at 1
Threshold at 0

That is to sharpen.

Amount at 20
Radius at 50
Threshold at 0

That is to lift photos up quickly, to remove "haze".

Noise can get worse when sharpening.
To avoid most of that effect, first put the picture in Image/Mode:Lab Color
Select in Channels Lightness (menu: window/channels)
Pic will look Black and white.
Apply sharpness. Click in channels on Lab, or just convert back to RGB Color. You need to convert back to RGB color to be able to save as JPG.