Adobe 8bf Unsharp Mask Stopped Working

[cycletourist]

I have been using the Adobe 8bf unsharp mask in Irfanview for at least a year or two. I love it when Irfanview lets me avoid having to open Photoshop. Tonight when I tried to apply the Unsharp mask to an image (jpg), clicking on the on "Start Selected filter" does nothing. The Unsharp Mask filter is listed in the Adobe 8bf filters window, but it does nothing.

How do I get this functionality back?

I've already downloaded and installed the MSVCRT and plugins.dll from 8bf_tools.zip, although I had done it before - and I have been using this filter for a long time now; so long, in fact that I don't remember how I installed it, or got it working in the first place.

I can't for the life of me figure out why this has stopped working. What do I need to do?

Chuck

I almost forgot: Irfanview 4.25 - Windows XP SP2

[WellOiledPC]

Welcome to the Forum, cycletourist. I've faced a slightly different problem a few times - found that the 8BF filters are not shown in the Help/ Installed plugins window! Reinstalling the plugins worked the trick. Do your 8BF filters show up under the Help/ Installed plugins window? If yes, try "Remove all filters" and re-installing, if, like me, you do not like to get into .ini files!

[Mij]

You will not find Adobe 8bf filters listed under Help/ Installed plugins. Find the file 8BF_filters.ini in your Irfanview program folder and open that in Notepad.
Find the path and file name listed against your Unsharp filter and check if that file still exists in that folder.
If it is still where it should be then it has probably been corrupted somehow. If so download a new copy.

[cycletourist]

Thanks for both of the quick responses. I really had forgotten how I originally installed, or got that filter to work, but thanks to your help I was able to get it figured out. The folder containing the 8bf filters (... Photoshop/plugins) had actually been emptied by accident. The confusing thing was that the 8bf filters window in Image -> Effects -> Adobe 8bf filters made it appear that they were still there. I get it now, though ... and in fact ... I found a folder I created back in 2002 named Program Files/Plugins where I had placed a whole slew of plugins that I had since forgotten (I was using Paint Shop Pro back then). When I point "Add 8bf filters" there I have more plugins than I know what to do with - including Unsharp mask.

Thanks for the help (and sorry for the delay).

Probably not the best to ask this right here ... but while I was poking around in there I found a levels filter, but, alas, it doesn't work in Irfanview. Is there a levels filter that you (anyone?) knows of that works in Irfanview?

[Sam_Zen]

What do you mean with a 'levels filter ?'

[cycletourist]

Like the Levels adjust in Photoshop. You view a histogram and then adjust sliders to define the white point (highlights), black (shadows), and mid tones.

[WellOiledPC]

Attaching screenshot of my Installed Plugins - it shows Adobe 8BF plugins right on top of the list!

Anyways glad your problem is sorted out, cycletourist. It happens all the time, so much 'junk' gets into one's machine and then one forgets it is there!

I am not aware of any 'Levels' filter for IrfanView. You do have a Histogram, but it's static. I think GIMP too does not have an 'Adjustable Histogram', the way Photoshop has...!

[Mij]

Like the Levels adjust in Photoshop. You view a histogram and then adjust sliders to define the white point (highlights), black (shadows), and mid tones.

There are several that allow you to Reduce highlights or Lighten shadows but I do not know of one that displays a histogram or allows midtone adjustment also. Perhaps you would do better by asking in the Forum thread that is specifically about 8bf filters though.