What's New?

Site Reconstruction Complete

Welcome to the new and improved Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro web site. Our site reconstruction is complete and we hope you will agree that it is much cleaner and easier to navigate. We have also added an extensive selection of samples showing you what Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro can do. We have also added a demonstration video showing you the basics of how Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro works.

New Delivery System In Place

We have been thinking and working hard on how to best deliver Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro. Having to deal with the almost yearly postage increases we have decided to end the shipping of CDs all together. Instead all of Ultra-Sharpen will be delivered electronically. When you order Ultra-Sharpen you will still receive via e-mail your Ultra-Sharpen package. Inside that e-mail besides having a zip file with the bulk of the Ultra-Sharpen package there will be a web link that will take you to a place where you can view the tutorial videos. No more CD. This new method is still done manually, we like the hands on approach, so please allow 24 to 48 hours for delivery of your order.

Price Reduction

Because we no longer have to worry about the expense of CDs, paper envelopes, CD mailers, postage and time and transportation to and from the post office we have been able to reduce the cost of Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro to a flat $12.00 for new users and $10.00 for upgrades from version 7.0.

Macintosh Support Returns

Now that we don't have to worry about creating videos in two formats one for Windows and one for Macintosh we have added back support for the Macintosh platform. Each Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro package includes a new supplemental guide in PDF format that covers the very few changes to keep in mind when using Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro on the Macintosh. Basically, the only changes come during installation. Usage and all other aspects are the same between the platforms. We can thank Adobe for this cross platform compatibility.

Adobe Photoshop Elements

We looked once again at supporting Adobe Photoshop Elements however even with the version 6.0 that Adobe released Adobe Photoshop Elements simply doesn't have the features needed for Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro to work. We are sorry, but it is out of our control.

About Us

This is an easy one. We are passinate users of Adobe Photoshop, we have been since version 4.0. We are on the Windows platform, though with our upgrade to Windows Vista we are not as happy with Windows as we once were. We are semi-professional photographers and have owned both film and digital cameras. Our first digital camera was in 1990 and was a Logitech FotoMan which was black and white and was the first completely digital consumer camera sold in the United States. It stored 32 compressed images on an internal 1MB RAM. 1/3-inch, 376 x 240 pixel CCD at 256 gray levels. TIFF or PICT 2 format. 8mm fixed-focus lens. Shutter 1/30 to 1/1000 second. Built-in flash. They operated similarly to the Canon XapShot except that they included the digitizing hardware in the camera itself. The camera was attached to a PC to transfer images. MSRP $995.

We moved from that to an Olympus C300L digital camera, from there to the Olympus C2020, to the C3030, to the Canon 20D, to the Panasonic FZ20, to the Panasonic FZ30, to the Pentax K10D and now the Pentax K20D. All of the cameras we have used before the Pentax K10D and K20D were all point and shoots with the exception of the Canon 20D which we owned for less than a year. The first Canon firmware update killed the camera and required us to send it to Canon, after that we refused to have anything to do with Canon cameras. Currently we use both the Pentax K10D and the just released Pentax K20D both of which we love.

We created Ultra-Sharpen almost a decade ago as a way to provide more control and flexibility in the way we sharpened our images. Unsharp Mask is ok on its own, but there are many ways to make it work better and provide the user with far more control and that is what Ultra-Sharpen is all about. Control. We have also worked over the years to make it as easy to use as it is powerful.

So there you have it.

- Robert

Ultra-Sharpen : Info

What is Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro

Besides being the latest and the best version of Ultra-Sharpen we have released to date, Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro is an easy to use and very powerful sharpening package for Adobe Photoshop 7.0, CS, CS2, CS3 and CS3 Extended.

Leveraging the technology inside of Adobe Photoshop Ultra-Sharpen enables to you to control what parts of your image is sharpened and how much sharpening each of those sections get. This is all done in a single application of Ultra-Sharpen.

No longer do you have to worry about sharpening noise or grain in your images. No longer do you have to worry about color or contrast shifting. Now you can leave the sky alone, sharpening the persons eyes a lot and apply less sharpening to the rest of the face all in a single pass and in a way that is easy to understand.

Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro quite simply puts you in control of the sharpening of your images. And, it is affordable as well.

Features:

• Two pass sharpening with user control over both. There is one pass for course details in your images and a second pass for fine details. Two pass sharpening is done with one activation of Ultra-Sharpen.
• Control what parts of your images get sharpened and how much the various areas get. Sharpen only the areas you want to, leaving the other areas alone or if you prefer apply less sharpening to the other areas.
• Sharpen without having to worry about sharpening noise or grain or having to worry about color and contrast shifting.
• Includes Ultra-Sharpen for batch processing. Setup a simple batch process and sharpen dozens or hundreds or thousands of images without having to interact with the process.
• Ultra-Sharpen is non-destructive. You are always left with two layers a before and after Ultra-Sharpen layer (The batch versions do not leave you with these layers, the batch versions are destructive as they flatten the image in to a single background layer.) Use the layers with layer masks for further tweaking or using layer opacity and/or blend modes to further your sharpening effect.
• Like the defaults Ultra-Sharpen uses. Great use the QuickSharp versions and you can sharpen without user input but are left with the before and after layers for further adjusting and tweaking.
• Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro supports Adobe Photoshop 7.0, CS, CS2, CS3 and CS3 Extended for both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Adobe Photoshop Elements or other image editors are not supported.
• Full User's Guide in PDF format included ready for on screen viewing or printing. Includes everything you need to know to get the most from Ultra-Sharpen including tips and tracks. Step-by-Step instructions too.
• Tutorial videos available for online viewing covering everything in the user's guide just in a more visual way.
• Affordably priced. $15.00 per license. Each license is good for one desktop computer and one laptop. Now you can sharpening in the office or on the road.

What You Get for the $15

• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Main Action
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Smart Sharpen*
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 25/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 25/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 25/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 25/100
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 50/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 50/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 50/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 50/100
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 75/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 75/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 75/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 75/100
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 100/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 100/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 100/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 QuickSharp 100/100
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 25/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 25/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 25/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 25/100
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 50/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 50/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 50/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 50/100
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 75/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 75/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 75/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 75/100
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 100/25
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 100/50
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 100/75
• Ultra-Sharpen 8 Batch 100/100
• Installing Video (online)
• Using Ultra-Sharpen Video (online)
• Tweaking Video (online)
• Batch Actions Video (online)
• QuickSharp Actions Video (online)
• Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro User’s Guide in PDF format

*This action is only available for Adobe Photoshop CS2 and CS3, CS3 Extended users. Older versions of Photoshop are not supported because they do not have the SmartSharpen filter.

Free Bonus Materials

• Because we have to be concerned with web space and bandwidth we are temporarily removing the free bonus videos from the package.

Ultra-Sharpen : Samples

We have tried to include a wide range of samples so that with any luck you will see what Ultra-Sharpen can do when it comes to sharpening the types of images you shoot. The first series of images below show the image before sharpening and after sharpening with Ultra-Sharpen 8.0. The final series of images below shows what the image looks like sharpened with Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 and sharpened with the same amounts using Photoshop's unsharp mask filter.

Many of the images below were shot by me. However, some of the shots are from iStock Photo. This is a great source of affordable stock photos for whatever your project might be. If you can't shoot it yourself, iStock Photo is the place to get it.

Sharpened vs. Unsharpened Samples

These show the image sharpened by Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 and without sharpening. Also keep in mind that these are not over sharpened. We are a firm believer in keep it subtle.

Ultra-Sharpen vs. Unsharp Mask

These show the image sharpened by Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 and with Photoshop's Unsharp Mask filter. Both use the same amounts of sharpening, it is easy to see the difference.

Noisy/Grainy Images - Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 vs. Unsharp Mask

The image belows shows how you can sharpen an image and not sharpen the noise or grain in the image. Thanks to the incredible amount of control you have over the sharpening process you can quickly and easily sharpen the images details without sharpening the noise and grain.

The image above is an exageration. The original image didn't have the amount of noise you see in the Ultra-Sharpen sample. This noise was added using the Add Noise filter in Photoshop. However using the single image with the noise added you can see what happens to it when you sharpen the image using Unsharp Mask vs. Sharpening it with Ultra-Sharpen 8.0. Like with the other comparisons the same sharpening amounts were used for both Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 and Unsharp Mask.

Ultra-Sharpen : Demonstration

The demonstration video below gives you a run through of Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro.

Ultra-Sharpen : Buy Now

You can order your copy of Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro below as a full package (new user) or as an upgrade (you bought a previous version). Please note that we do require verification for upgrades. Meaning you will need to provide your registration number for your previous version of Ultra-Sharpen. Without this registration number orders will not be processed until it is provided, if you can't provide the number your purchase price will be refunded and you are then free to purchase the full package (as a new user).

Also, before ordering please read the information below carefully. It is important and covers what you should expect, what our policies are a how this will all work.

Payment Methods

We accept credit cards only and they are processed through PayPal only. We accept no other forms of payment. For an up-to-date list of supported PayPal supported countries Click Here.

International Orders

We accept orders from outside the U.S.A. But, only to countries that are supported by PayPal. For an up-to-date list of supported PayPal supported countries Click Here.

Shipping Cost

The cost of shipping is $3.00 per disc for U.S.A. or International Orders.

Platform Support

Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro is only available for the Windows Platform. The Apple Macintosh platform is not longer being supported. If you use a Macintosh and place an order you do so at your own risk. We do not give refunds or credits.

Photoshop Support

Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro supports Adobe Photoshop 7.0, Adobe Photoshop CS, Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Photoshop CS3 (including extended). No other versions of Adobe Photoshop are supported.

Adobe Photoshop Elements Support

Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro does not support Adobe Photoshop Elements at all. Features required for Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro to work are not in Adobe Photoshop Elements. If you use Adobe Photoshop Elements and place an order you do so at your own risk. We do not give refunds or credits.

Refunds, Returns and Exchanges

All sales are final. All sales are AS-IS and without warranty, guarantees or promises of any kind. If you should receive a damaged disc, please contact support.

Copy Protection

We do not copy protect our discs. We instead choose to believe in the honesty and integrity of our customers to do the right and honest thing. You will be issued a unique serial number, this number is only for technical support and upgrades. Please do not loose your serial number it will not be replaced. Please make a backup of your Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro disc. Lost discs will not be replaced.

Getting Started Packages

So that you can get started using Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro as soon as possible you will be e-mailed a Getting Started Package. It will be sent to you as an e-mail attachment. It will be a zip file that you will need to unzip. We use and recommend Corel WinZip and please make sure when you unzip the Getting Started Package that you tell your unzip utility to restore the directories in the zip file other wise files will be overwritten. Please make sure first however that any anti-virus or anti-spam software is not blocking it and check your ISP as well. We can not be held responsible for delivery issues caused by software on your or your ISP's systems. If you do not receive your Getting Started Package with in 48 hours please contact us.

Free E-mail Accounts

Free web based e-mail services (Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.) can present a major problem in getting a Getting Started Package delivered. We have had many Getting Started Packages go un-delivered because of these services aggressive stance on attachments, as well as overly strong anti-spam and anti-virus systems. We “STRONGLY” recommend that you use a real e-mail address from a real ISP. If you use a free web based e-mail service please be advised that you may not get your Getting Started Package. If you do not receive it in 48 hours, please contact us. We can make it available for download off our server for a limited time. We will not and can not be held responsible for delivery issues caused by using one of these free web based e-mail services.

Disc Shipping

All discs are shipped by First Class U.S. Mail. We do not label the disc itself, we have had issues with labels and markers and so we have decided to leave the labeling of the disc up to you. If you are in the U.S. Please allow 1 to 2 weeks for delivery of your disc. For international orders please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery. Generally, the postal system is much quicker than this, but please wait the indicated time before contacting us about non-receipt of your disc.

Delivery Delays

We work hard to ship both your disc and your Getting Started Packages within 48 hours. However, we can't ship on Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays or any other time the U.S. Post Office is closed. Should there be a shipping delay other than those caused by holidays (i.e. we are on vacation, sick, etc.) we will place a notice on the front page of our site. We will ship your disc and your Getting Started Package as soon as possible.

Before Contacting PayPal or your Credit Card Company

Should you have a problem with disc or Getting Started Package delivery or some other problem please contact support before contacting PayPal or your credit card company. We work hard to take care of our customers, you mean a great deal to us. Should you be unable to contact us by e-mail please feel free to phone us. Our phone number is (707) 526-4714, this number is not for technical support but only as a way to contact us should contacting us by e-mail fail.

E-mail Address

Because of how the PayPal seller and buyer protection policies work we can only send Getting Started Packages to the e-mail address on your PayPal account. Please do not ask us to send it to another address. We will not.

Shipping Address

Because of how the PayPal seller and buyer protection policies work we can only send your disc to the address on your PayPal account. Please do not ask us to send it to another address. We will not.

Protecting Your Purchase

Please make a backup of your Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro disc. Lost discs will not be replaced. Please keep your registration number in a safe place. Lost registration numbers will not be replaced.

Your Information and Privacy

We take our customers privacy very serious. When you place an order with us you will receive two (2) e-mails from us (not counting any sent by PayPal and/or your credit card company or other third party) one will contain your Getting Started Package with serial number and other information and a second one telling you that you should have received the one with your Getting Started Package. We do this in the hopes that if the Getting Started Package was blocked or lost it is most likely because of the zip file attachment that a second one without the attachment will get through so that you know your Getting Started Package was sent but get lost.

Upgrade Policy

All user's of previous versions of Ultra-Sharpen can upgrade to Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro for a discounted price. However, you will be required to provide your registration number. The cost of the upgrade will be set at the time of availability. Please do not loose your registration number it will not be replaced.

Technical Support

Every one that purchases the current version of Ultra-Sharpen is entitled to free technical support by e-mail. You will be required to provide your registration number, please do not loose it as it will not be replaced and you can not get support without it. For support please see the "Support" section of our site.

Ultra-Sharpen : Support

Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro FAQs

1. I am having problems with the videos on your site.
   
   You broswer needs to support and have installed the Adobe Flash Plug-in. All of the videos on this site are in Adobe Flash format. If you do not have Adobe Flash Plug-in installed you can download it from:
   
   http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&promoid=BUIGP
   
   Please make sure that if you already have the Adobe Flash Plug-in installed in to your browser that you are using the latest version. If you are uncertain go to the link above and download and install the latest plug-in.
   
   
2. I am getting weired results with Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro.
   
   Make sure and read the "Sharpening Ins and Outs" section of the user's guide. Your image needs to be flattened with no layers, layer styles, adjustment layers, layer masks, or extra channels. If you need to keep these items make a duplicate of your image (Image > Duplicate) and then remove the items and flatten the image and then run Ultra-Sharpen on the copy. Also, make sure your image is in a color space mode that Ultra-Sharpen supports, see the chart in the "Photoshop Mode Chart" in the "Sharpening Ins and Outs" section of the user's guide.
   
   
3. I can't get Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro to work with Adobe Photoshop Elements.
   
   Because of the lack of several vital features in Adobe Photoshop Elements we had to end support of Elements with Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro. Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro requires Adobe Photoshop 7.0, CS, CS2, CS3 or CS3 Extended. All other versions of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements or other image editing programs are not support.
   
   
4. Why did you end support for the Macintosh Platform.
   
   Since we ended support for the Macintosh platform we have received a large number of complaints about this. So we are pleased to annouce we are once again supporting the Macintosh platform. We have updated Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro to include installation and usaging instructions for the Macintosh platform and our tutorial videos which are now available online are in Flash format so they are viewable on the Macintosh with the Adobe Flash plug-in installed.
   
   
5. Can I sharpen a layer in my image?
   
   No Ultra-Sharpen can't sharpen just a layer in your image. The image needs to be flattened with no layers, layer styles, adjustment layers, layer masks, or extra channels. If you need to keep these items make a duplicate of your image (Image > Duplicate) and then remove the items and flatten the image and then run Ultra-Sharpen on the copy.
   
   
6. Can Ultra-Sharpen be ran standalone?
   
   No Ultra-Sharpen is a Photoshop Action (similar to a macro in something like Microsoft Word) because of this you have to run Ultra-Sharpen inside of Photoshop. You can make a copy of the Ultra-Sharpen action you choose and then go to the File > Automate menu and turn it in to a droplet. This would allow you to place it on your desktop and then drag and drop files to it for sharpening. Just keep in mind Photoshop will load before any sharpening is done. We have not tested this and so you may need to use a batch action for this to work properly.
   
   
7. What do the numbers mean for the QuickSharp and Batch Actions?
   
   In the User's Guide go to page 33, third paragraph this explains what the two numbers mean in the names of the QuickSharp and Batch actions. To put it simply the first number is the amount of sharpening applied (in percentage 75%, 50%, etc. using the combined two sharpening matrices (the one in the Pro action where you use the Fade command), the second one is the amount of sharpening for the second and final sharpening in percentage (the first slider control in the Unsharp Mask dialog box).
   
   
8. There is a save command at the end of the batch actions and it is causing my images to be saved at a location that doesn't exist on my system. Why? How to I fix this?
   
   That save command has to be there. Do not remove it. If you followed the instructions for setting up the Photoshop batch dialog box then that save command is only being used to set the save format, that is the format that your batch processed images will be saved as and any options for that format (for example in the case of JPG it controls the JPEG compression level). Without that save command and without the "Override Action "Save As" Commands" check box being checked in the batch processing dialog box the save command will indeed try to save your batch processed images to a specific folder instead of the folder you set in the batch processing dialog box. Also, without that box checked you will be prompted to set any settings the save format has (for example JPEG compression level). With this check box checked that save commnad only controls the save format and any options that format has so that you aren't prompted for these for every image you batch process. I consider this to be a flaw or bug inside of Adobe Photoshop and have commented to them many times over the years. They don't seem to feel the same way and have not fixed it. Please follow the batch processing instructions and make sure the "Override Action "Save As" Commands" is checked.

Contacting Support

Should you still have problems or questions that the FAQs above don't answer, please feel free to contact us. You can email support at:

support@[at]ultrasharpen.[dot]com

Please remove the [at] and the [dot] from the address above. If you do not the e-mail will not go through. We appologize for the trouble but we must do everything we can to prevent spam.

Please make sure to include as much information as possible about your system, Photoshop version, image and image format and the problem you are having.

Ultra-Sharpen : Tutorials

The tutorials below are in Flash video format. You will need to have the Adobe Flash plug-in installed in your browser to view them. If you do not have the Adobe Flash plug-in Click Here to download it.

Ultra-Sharpen Install Tutorial

Ultra-Sharpen Using Tutorial

Ultra-Sharpen Tweaking Tutorial

Ultra-Sharpen QuickSharp Tutorial

Ultra-Sharpen Batch Processing Tutorial

Contact Us

Sales

If you have problems with your order please contact us before you contact PayPal or your Credit Card company. Our customers are very important to us and we hard to make sure they are taken care of properly.

Keep in mind:

• Please allow up to 48 hours for delivery of your “Getting Started Package” We assemble these manually and will have it sent out to you within 48 hours. If there is a delay a notice will appear on the main page of our site explaining why there will be a delay beyond the 48 hours. Delays can be caused by natural disasters, vacation time, sickness, etc. While we can’t ship discs when the U.S. Post Office is closed we will send out the “Getting Started Packages” 7 days a week except when there is an announced delay as we mentioned above (doesn’t happen often).
• Please allow 1 to 2 weeks for delivery of your disc if you are in the U.S. Please allow 3 to 4 weeks if you are outside of the U.S. We ship all discs by First Class U.S. Mail. And barring any Post Office closers we strive to ship discs within 48 hours of receiving your order.
• If you receive a damaged disc, please contact us ASAP.
• If you have any other problems with your order, please contact us ASAP.
• If you have tried to contact us by e-mail and have gotten no response it isn’t because we don’t want to respond, it is because we haven’t gotten your message (spam filter, anti-virus, etc. can cause the loss of a message). If you have tried e-mail a couple times and have gotten no reply please feel free to phone us at (707) 526-4714. This number is not for technical support but is being offered as way to get in touch with us should e-mail fail. We will not provide technical support on this line. Technical support is only offered through e-mail.

sales@[at]ultrasharpen.[dot]com

Please remove the [at] and the [dot] from the address above. If you do not the e-mail will not go through. We appologize for the trouble but we must do everything we can to prevent spam.

Support

All purchasers of Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro get free technical support for the life of the product (life of the product means until we release a new version).

When you contact us for support please include as much information as possible, including:

1. Information about your computer (Operating System, Amount of RAM, etc,(
2. Information on the image you are trying to sharpen (pixel dimensions, bit depth (8-bit, 16-bit), resolution (75 dpi, 300 dpi, etc.), Color Space (RGB, CMYK, etc.), Source of the image (flatbed scan, film scanner, digital camera, etc.)
3. Photoshop Information (Version, Memory Setting (in the preferences).

The more information we have the easier it will be to help you. In general since Ultra-Sharpen 8.0 Ultra Pro is simply an action calling features and functions inside of Adobe Photoshop the number of possible problems is quite limited.

support@[at]ultrasharpen.[dot]com

Please remove the [at] and the [dot] from the address above. If you do not the e-mail will not go through. We appologize for the trouble but we must do everything we can to prevent spam.