Photoshop CS5 help

[pearson]

Does anyone know why when I sharpen an image in CS5 and then save it as a JPEG I lose the changes I have made? Once I open the sharpened image it is back to the way it originally was. I need to be able to copy my images to CD and also email them to people who don't have photoshop on their computers. Should I be saving them in a different format? Please help!!!

[flame70]

Flatten the layers and save it as a different name then check :)

[ameerat42]

Hmm! It must be like CS2. Assuming you are NOT in Bridge and working on a raw file, then...
You have an image open and you apply a sharpening filter.
Once done, select from the menu: File, Save As...
Locate where you are going to save it to.
Select the file type, here JPEG, then click OK
Now give the sharpened file a new name.
Select the quality level. (I always use maximum, but then...)
Select OK.

Otherwise, give us a stepwise description of what you're doing.
Am.

[pearson]

What I've been doing is:
Open image
CTRL-A (select entire image)
Filter - sharpen
File - Save As (I've been saving the image but not changing the file name into a different folder)
Select maximum in quality level
Select OK.

If I have the image open in photoshop as well as in the new folder I have saved it into the difference in sharpness is quite noticeable between the two. The photoshop image is always much sharper.

[ameerat42]

OK. Open Image. Q: What sort of image, like raw, tiff, jpeg? What stage of image is it? Just for interest.
There should be no need to highlight the WHOLE image. It will work on the whole image anyway.
OK, even saving the whole (original) image, using the same name but in a different folder should still keep the changes.
I can't think of anything obvious that would be producing the result you say. (And from your description you are not working in Bridge.)
(???)
Am.

[ricktas]

Where are you saving them to. My guess is you are saving them somewhere else on your computer, so when you go back and open the file, its the original cause the new version is saved elsewhere. So when you go File Save..etc. Make a note of WHERE the file is being saved. Then using explorer (PC), go to that folder and have a look.

[robz]

another thought is that if you are using the 'sharpen' command alone then there will not be a lot of visible difference.
In the 'Filters' section, try 'smart sharpen' or 'unsharp mask' to allow you to see the diffence that you are making.

Then as ricktas has suggeste, make sure you are saving the file into a folder that you are confident you can find again.

[ameerat42]

Hmm! That's what was eluding me last evening. I'd agree it's a distinct possibility, Rick.
Am.(Can't find the slap-in-the-head icon.)

[agb]

Can I ask, why is it necessary to do a Ctrl-A ( select all) before sharpening? I would have thought that this was an unnecessary step in the process. Should not file-open-filter( select the sharpening process) and ok hae been enough?

[ameerat42]

Can I ask, why is it necessary to do a Ctrl-A ( select all) before sharpening? I would have thought that this was an unnecessary step in the process. Should not file-open-filter( select the sharpening process) and ok hae been enough?

Agb. It is. Am.

[Damo77]

Are you sure you're judging the sharpness at 100%? Different programs render images differently when they're shrunk down.

[pearson]

agb, thank you for bringing it to my attention that it isn't necessary to CTRL-A before sharpening (even though it only takes a second to do it). As I'm still becoming familiar with the program all these little pointers help. After I save the image I save it into a folder on my computer that I can find so that is no problem but it's when I go back into that image I have saved it certainly doesn't look as sharp as it does when opened in photoshop. Because I email these images to people (I have had someone email them back to me) they don't seem to come across as sharp. Maybe it's just me. I save these as a jpeg normally. Should I be saving them as a different type of file or in a different folder?