The Unsharp Mask filter has parameters that allow it to affect only the edges in the image, and to exclude the smoother low-contrast areas. It is NOT a simple on/off choice. And it is these parameters that make the USM so powerful and useful for photographic images.
Radius controls
how wide the edge rims become, and Radius = 1.0 is about the right
ballpark, with 0.6 to 2.0 often being useful. Higher Radius values
can cause halos at the edges, a detectable faint light rim around
objects. Radius units are not the same as pixels, the units step
in tenths, but the Radius width is usually at least 4 pixels overall,
you will see various effects. Radius is a very important parameter,
and the easiest way to ruin a good scan is with too much Radius.
Inanimate objects can
use the most radius, human faces can tolerate the least, and landscapes
fall in between. But it really depends on the size of the details.
Fine detail needs a smaller Radius, or else you may obliterate
tiny detail of the same size as the Radius width. Large images
have larger detail (more pixels involved) and can use more Radius,
so therefore printing at higher resolution can support the larger
radius. Radius and Amount interact, reducing one allows more of
the other.
Threshold specifies
how far apart adjacent tonal values have to be (values of 0..255)
before the filter does anything to the edges, before it is judged
to be an edge at all. This lack of action is important to prevent
smooth areas from becoming speckled. Low values should sharpen
more because fewer areas are excluded. Higher threshold values
exclude areas of lower contrast. Human faces want values greater
than 1 or 2, like perhaps 5 or more. For inanimate objects, perhaps
0 or 1 is useful.
General work, try 3 or 4. This control has little effect at high
values, but has more effect changing between low values of 0 to
5. This Threshold is not to be confused with Line art Threshold.
Amount is like a volume control, exaggerating the edge differences (how much darker and how much lighter the edge borders become). Amount interacts with Radius as to degree of sharpening, but it does not affect the width of the edge rims. Amount has a large effect, and values of 80 to 120 are normally usable if the Radius isn't too large.