Req: High Pass dialog with blend mode option

[photoken]

One of the important uses of the High Pass filter is to add a "Clarity" type of sharpening to an image. To do this, the blend mode of the High Pass layer needs to be set to "Overlay".

It would save a couple of steps if the High Pass settings dialog had an option to set the blend mode to "Overlay".

[bkh]

Why don't you create a "clarity" action for this purpose?

Personally, I don't think that setting a blend mode for an adjustment layer is needed frequently enough to justify a mode popup in the dialogues.

Cheers

Burkhard.

[photoken]

Why don't you create a "clarity" action for this purpose?

That does not work for me. I'm using the Adjustments Layer panel for creating adjustnents, and:

• Too many mouse movements to access the Actions panel and run the action.
• An action is not flexible enough. Sometimes I need the layer as a child layer, sometimes as an independent layer at the top of the stack, sometimes as an additional adjustment in an adjustment layer "group".

Personally, I don't think that setting a blend mode for an adjustment layer is needed frequently enough to justify a mode popup in the dialogues.

That may be true for the other adjustments, but the High Pass is the exception, for the reasons I stated. In fact, the High Pass dialog doesn't even need the full blend mode dropdown -- a simple checkbox to set the "Overlay" blend mode is enough.

[bkh]

[*]Too many mouse movements to access the Actions panel and run the action.

Assign a shortcut key.

[*]An action is not flexible enough. Sometimes I need the layer as a child layer, sometimes as an independent layer at the top of the stack, sometimes as an additional adjustment in an adjustment layer "group".[/list]

You just need an action to switch the adjustment layer to overlay mode.

a simple checkbox to set the "Overlay" blend mode is enough.

If you work in the adjustment layer panel, this doesn't work because "Overlay" would affect all the adjustments in the layer. At most, this would make sense for the modal dialogue, and there are numerous other cases where you'd just want blending mode X for panel Y.

Maybe one should consider making a proper "clarity" adjustment, preferably one which produces fewer halos than a simple high pass.

Cheers

Burkhard.

[photoken]

Burkhard,
It seems to me that creating an action to change the blend mode of a High Pass layer (after the dialog has been dismissed) and assigning a shortcut to that action are needlessly complicated and not nearly as efficient as simply having the checkbox in the dialog itself.

You make a good point about using a High Pass layer as one of the adjustments in an Adjustments layer "group". Code would be necessary to apply that "Overlay" blend mode only within the High Pass adjustment setting. This would be a Good Thing, in my opinion.... It would make using an Adjustments layer "group" very flexible.

If it would make sense to have a similar blend mode setting for other adjustment layers, then go for it. PL would gain enhanced capability, then.

[greenmorpher]

This reminds me of a discussion I initiated a while back about moving the "add transparency" to the top level of the layers palette.

People just kept telling me I could do without that faclity -- I could make the extra mouse click to open the secondary palette to add transparency.

Sure I could -- but no-one produced any sort of argument about why this simple and often used command should not be at the top level except that they didn't want it. They didn't even produce any argument about why they didn't want it.

Now again we are seeing a minor but useful interface change being opposed because you can do the thing with a couple more clicks.

When doing a lot of work, extra clicks are a peeve.

Why not make the suggested change? The high pass filter and the overlay command go together. And why not pull the add transparency command to the top level of the layers palette? It is often invoked.

And neither change would make any difference at all to the facility of PL for those who are not asking for these changes and neither change would require a massive coding effort or a blowout in the wonderfully economical size of PL.

Cheers, Geoff