When it comes to image sharpening, there are more that just one set of conditions which results in images that need the benefit. The most common is not getting the subject in focus. This can be tricky when working wide open at f/0.95. Secondly, the subject is in motion and I did not use a fast enough shutter speed. Thirdly, I did not hold the camera sufficiently steady for the shutter speed used.
For each of these conditions, the most important solution is to learn from my mistakes and improve my photographic skills. In the case of missed focus, either more carefully set focus or work at a higher f/stop to cover the depth of field needed - generally multiple subjects at differing distances. For motion or lack of holding the camera steady conditions, I need to work with a faster shutter speed.
That said, from time to time, I produce important images that need to be sharpened. When the degree of sharpening is relatively minor and the basic image quality is otherwise good, then I can sometimes get enough improvement using the standard sharpening tool in Lightroom. If the image also suffers from noise then I begin by using Lightroom's new AI Denoise tool followed by Lightroom's standard sharpening tool.
If major sharpening is needed, then I need to turn to one of the 3rd party plugins as Lightroom does not (yet) have an AI basd offering. I've tested ON1's NoNoise AI with Tack Sharp AI and Topaz's Sharpen AI. As with other ON1's AI tools, I have not been satisfied with the results. Topaz's Sharpen AI is benefited because it offers several different sharpening algorithms to correspond with miss-focused as well as motion blur. Sharpen AI also has less of a processed signature for a given level of recovery with it's sharpening technology
At this point, standard Lightroom sharpening is my default tool when only minor sharpening is needed, otherwise Topaz is my preferred solution.
With large sensors and 14-bits of analog to digital conversion, most raw images are good processing latitude so that it is relatively straight forward to recover needed details and color from highlights and shadows in our images. This can be achieved with either the highlight and shadow sliders in Lightroom's Basic tab or by using curves in the Tone Curve tab.
Of course there are also times when the our images contain lighting situations that go well beyond what a single exposure can capture. This can easily be addressed by taking the same picture multiple times at different exposure settings to ensure that there is an optimized image taken that covers the wide range of exposure needed. Most cameras allow the photographer to set how many images and under what conditions these multiple exposures are taken from a single press of the shutter release.
Lightroom includes the function to merge multiple files to produce and output a HDR (high dynamic range) image (right click on the selected images and then choose Photo Merge / HDR), I have not used this capability very often, so have not pursued the search for alternatives. At this point I it works and meets my needs.
My wide angle lens has a focal length of 28mm. There are times, however, when this is not wide enough to capture the image. I've found that by taking two, three or even more images, rotating to capture more of the scene each time gives me the raw files I need. Then in Lightroom, I'm able to recombine the images using the panorama function (right click on the selected images and then choose Photo Merge / Panorama).
There are some limitations which can be mitigated by how you take the images that you will merge. First, it is best to keep the exposure constant. You can best achieve this by setting your exposure to manual mode. Second, vignetting is not well handled and can result in vignette bands at merge points. This can be reduced/corrected by working at a smaller lens aperture. I have also has some results by treating the vignetting of each image - exporting a set of corrected intermediate images and then merging these images.
Lightroom also offers the option to operate with both HDR and Panorama merging for a given set of images simultaneously.
There are times (an example can be found with close-up macro photography, or when trying to capture close in and far-off landscapes) that is impossible to achieve the depth of field needed. In part this is because we may want to have the sharpest image possible and wish to work at an f/stop of 5.6 or 8 to avoid diffraction limit dispersion. As with HRD and Panorama shooting, multiple images can be taken, in this case with shifted focusing, and then subsequently merged. While this is not directly supported in Lightroom (as of 12.3) it is possible to export the set of images into Photoshop. For details on how this is done please see the reference below.
Historically Lightroom has had little support for custom treatment of facial features and portraits. Third party plugins such as ON1 Portrait AI have provided automatic detection of facial features together with advance editing of these features. Recent Lightroom releases with significant improvements in AI based masking and the editing each masked selection now make this time of custom editing possible. Lightroom release 12.3 now includes the auto AI detection of facial hair and clothing. Masked selections can now also be edited with Tone curves in addition to the previously supported editing capabilities.
With the current AI based support, Lightroom is my preferred solution for portrait editing.
For those who use their digital cameras for digitizing film and in particular negatives, Negative Lab Pro provides a plugin that does a very good job of converting the color tone curves from negative to positive. I have purchased and lightly tested this capability in advance of digitizing a large library of color negatives.
Noise reduction references. For background and technical details see https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2023/04/18/denoise-demystified. For a comparison to other noise reduction tools see https://fstoppers.com/lightroom/can-lightrooms-new-denoise-ai-replace-dxo-pureraw-topaz-denoise-ai-and-on1-630696
Enhanced resolution references: For background and technical details see https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2021/03/10/from-the-acr-team-super-resolution.
Focus stacking reference: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/focus-stacking.html
