Bottom line, if your shot isn't sharp, then nothing else matters…delete, delete, delete.  I spend countless hours working on my images after a shoot, and sharpening is one of the most important parts of my workflow.  Sharpening takes some time to master since not all images are created equal.  What setttigs work for one image won't look good when applied to another image.  A few sharpening plug-ins became available, basically offering a set action for a specific image type.  But most of these programs were a one click wonder, with little or no control on the sharpening process.  That all changes when you sharpen using Topaz Detail 3.

Topaz Detail 3 breaks the image into three levels of internal detail separation and three levels of tone separation.  What this means for the photographer is there is precise control of what part of the image gets sharpened so you can avoid halos and other artifacts typical of over sharpening.  I use Detail 3 as a plug-in to CS6.  I simply open Detail 3 when I have an image I want to sharpen, and decide what folder and preset to choose to best sharpen the image.  There are five folders and over 50 presets to choose from; I often use the 'overall detail' actions in the  'creative detail collection' folder.  Once I apply the sharpening, I then do further adjustments using the Detail and Tone sliders on the right.  You also can adjust color temperature, and use a mask feature to apply sharpening where you want it.  The beauty of this program is the amazing control you have over the sharpening process.  Detail 3 works on a duplicate layer, so you can also reduce opacity of this layer if you want to reduce your sharpening.

I just returned from photographing tulip fields in the Netherlands.  Lots of fine details in those flowers, a perfect job for Detail 3.  Cost is  $39.99.