Articles always advise that sharpening [with Unsharp Mask] should be the last thing you do to a picture. So, I've made a range of adjustments on 6 or 7 layers and am happy with the result.All of the layers are still open on the monitor: now I want to sharpen. I am told that I should first crop to the required print size and then sharpen.What precisely is the correct sequence of steps now?

Yes crop before sharpening but if you sharpen while you still have layers then only the active layer (usally the top one) will be sharpened and if any parts of this one has a mask or has been erased then the part underneath will not recieve any sharpening. So if you do not want to flatten the layers then the thing to do is to create a composite layer on top of all the adjustments done..so activate the top layer and on the keyboard hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift  together at the same time and then press E, this will put a composite layer of all your adjustments at the top of your stack and you can apply sharpening to this layer.

 This is no bad thing to do as you can then erase any sharpening on this layer where you do not want it, for example a plain grainy sky.

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Paul
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Great advice which works beautifully. I have never read anywhere before how to create such a composite layer. Many thanks

Yes, thanks from me also Paul. I didn't know that, although there's lots of things I don't know of course .  Also I couldn't find any reference to it in either of the indexes of Elements books by Scott Kelby or that Galer chap. It's in the index now of course.

That trick/short cut is not actually documented by Adobe but I've found it very useful for a few years now.

If your using pre CS you need to add N& E to the final key strokes instead of just E.

Alway nice to know you have taught somebody something new.

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Paul
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Yes, thank you from me as well.
Nancy

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