What's with all the unsharping going on?

[thatcherk1]

As I've been looking through the many photo contest submissions (especially in landscape), I'm blown away with how much "unsharp-mask"ing is going on. Holy smokes! I think it's probably the most over-used, misapplied function of photoshop, lightroom, etc. It has it's place of course. Subtle sharpening, subtle contrast enhancement. Or over-the-top extreme HDR (not my cup of tea, but still can look interesting). But it's all about moderation and subject. You can get away with bumping it up on clouds frequently. You can do some subtle work on faces or detailed objects. Or even a super detailed subject like a rusted out truck from the 40s, you can go crazy and get some nice surreal results.

An example of what I mean:

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[beardofzeus]

I really despise the halo effect noticeable around the rock in the first image. I think its from over use of the shadows/highlights feature in PS or overdoing HDR from a single image.

 

[thatcherk1]

I really despise the halo effect noticeable around the rock in the first image. I think its from over use of the shadows/highlights feature in PS or overdoing HDR from a single image.

I don't think it's because of a lack of photos. The thing is that an unsharp mask works to add contrast to areas of little contrast. But in that first shot, there is a good amount of contrast already between the rock and the background. So when you add localized contrast to it, it well...does that.