Explain sharpening in post-processing and the difference between capture sharpening and output sharpening.

• A. Capture sharpening is applied after export; output sharpening is done during RAW conversion.
• B. Capture sharpening enhances details during RAW-to-RGB conversion; output sharpening is applied for final medium (screen or print); radius/amount tuned to output size.
• C. Both capture and output sharpening have the same purpose and interchangeable.
• D. Capture sharpening reduces noise; output sharpening increases color saturation.

Answer: (B)

Sharpening in post-processing has two practical stages, each serving a different goal. First, capture sharpening is applied during the RAW-to-RGB conversion to compensate for softening introduced by the sensor, demosaicing, and lens performance. This stage happens early, while the image is still being converted from raw data into a viewable image, and the adjustments are kept subtle with a small radius so real detail is recovered without creating halos.

Second, output sharpening is applied at the end of the workflow to suit the final medium—the screen or the printed page. This adjustment is tailored to how the image will be displayed or printed, so the radius and amount are chosen based on the final size and viewing distance. For a screen, you use a smaller radius and gentler amount; for print, you often need a larger radius and stronger sharpening to counteract the softening that occurs during printing and viewing at typical distances.

In short, capture sharpening recovers detail during RAW conversion, while output sharpening fine-tunes sharpness for the final display or print size.