Here is my contribution to the QU flower show.  I don't normally shoot flowers, but when I got my D600 (with which I have already developed a love/hate relationship) - I had to go out immediately and shoot something! And there were lots of flowers and orange and yellow leaves.  Anyway, I patzkied around (that's a technical term meaning I didn't know exactly what I was doing) with the DFS settings on this - taken at f5.6 and a similar one at f11 - and think this works the best, radius 3, 250%, saturated colors.  Would like to hear perhaps some other ideas.  Mel W, Columbia, Md.

Terry - 

Thanks for the suggestions - yes I will fool with it some more - I think you are right.  I was paying so much attention to sharpening, that I didn't look at some of the other basics - like exposure for example.

Mel

I would like to add two pence to Terry's post.
I get many emails asking what is a good number to start in Radius or how do I know when I have enough in the strength box?
Good Questions, but there are no precise answers because of factors like: The lighting in the image, the subject, foreground, background, a face.... old or young, wrinkles keep or minimize... on and on....

Next there's the approach!
Terry and I looked at an image we got from a forum member, and used the exact same settings in the REFINE screen and the CURVES in the Editor, and at first the exact same approach to the DFS too.
It was uncanny!
The picture was a beautiful woman(portrait style) sitting.... I woudl guess about 45 years old with the laugh wrinkles around the mouth and the eyes.
The photographer wanted to minimize the wrinkles. I took the approach os using Target Selected Tone and selected the skin color at the wrinkles, and then used a minus strength adding a request to Qimage to sharpen everything unselected which meant, everything except the face skin.

Where to start?
So I knew what I wanted to do, I put a -150 in the strength....   now what?
I clicked a 1 in the Raduis, and with the preview box open (it opens automatically), I held the yellow button to see With/Without the DFS.
I couldn't see any change, so I clicked a 2. Repeat the yellow button test. Barely see any change.
Clicked a 3. Now I can see just enough....
STOPPED THERE!
Do Not over sharpen...

My results were such that the wrinkles softened, but the eyes; the lashes and the irises and the eyeliner make up improved dramatically!
It was a good result.

I hope when Terry reads this, he will take a few moments to give you his approach...

There is no right or wrong!

Remember when I was showing the cat's face with DFS and how very high I could push teh numbers and still no halos or artifacts... ? I hope you all realized those very tall numbers like a 12/350 on that cat were for effect.
In my own cat picture I put them back to a nice level.
Just wanted to clarify....  I get emails, "But you used a 12 radius"... I was making a point! I don't sharpen my real pictures like that.

Questions and thoughts appreciated ...
Fred

I've seen some portrait photographers say that for a formal sitting portrait such as you describe, ONLY the eyes should be in sharp focus.  But have you seen the prices on those f1.2 lenses?

Good post.  Got to try your techniques on some informal portraits in my files.