Sharpen an Image in Photoshop (High Pass + Smart Sharpen)
This tutorial walks you through a proven sharpening workflow in Photoshop. You’ll start with a High Pass layer blended with Hard Light, then add a Smart Sharpen pass for precise control and a crisp result.
Step-by-step instructions
Duplicate the image layer
Select your image layer in the Layers panel.
Create a duplicate (Layer → Duplicate Layer…).
Ensure the duplicate (upper) layer is selected.
Apply High Pass sharpening
Go to Filter → Other → High Pass….
Set Radius to 3 (adjust based on image resolution/quality) and click OK.
Change the layer’s Blend Mode to Hard Light.
Lower the layer Opacity to taste to fine-tune the sharpening strength.
Create a merged copy for final sharpening
Press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Option+E (Mac) to create a stamped visible layer on top.
Select the new merged layer.
Refine with Smart Sharpen
Go to Filter → Sharpen → Smart Sharpen….
Check Preview and choose Basic.
Increase Amount as needed for your image; adjust to taste.
Set Remove to Gaussian Blur and check More Accurate.
Click OK to apply.
Organize and compare results
Select the two sharpening layers and group them (Layer → Group Layers or Ctrl/Cmd+G).
Toggle the group’s visibility to see a before/after comparison.
