Unsharp masking is a digital image processing technique used to 
enhance small scale structure. The technique has long been used in the 
digital domain (Rosenfeld & Weszka 1976) to bring out high spatial 
frequency detail in 2-D array data (c.f. Benedict 1982).  For this application, 
no attempts have been made to preserve the photometric content of the 
resulting frames. They are useful only for enhancing smaller scale structure. 
For these  CCD frames, either a 17x17 pixel boxcar or a 1-s = 3 arcsec 
(extending 4s) kernel was used to produce the low-pass map. To further 
reduce the chances of enhancing noise, we averaged together the B, V, and I 
images to make a new full CCD frame and then applied the masking 
technique.
	One approach often used when dissecting a galaxy is to first model the 
geometrically simple components (i.e., the bulge, disk, and bar) and then 
subtract these from the galaxy. By doing so, unmodelled components, such 
as spiral arms and rings, can be more easily studied. Unsharp masking is a 
'dime-store' version of this approach in the sense of reduced computing 
facilities and time.
	The figure shows the results of unsharp masking NGC 4314. We note 
that the enhancement process has increased the visibility of the outer dust 
lanes in the bar, especially to the northwest.  The spiral nature of the material 
just outside the nuclear ring is easily seen. The nuclear spiral arms end 
abruptly just before they would have crossed the dust lanes in the bar. Their 
inner ends coincide with the ring. Possible dust arcs can be seen just exterior 
to the inner spiral at PA = 120° and 300°.  
	Note the multiple concentrations within the bar, which, with the 
exception of the "blobs" at the ends of the bar, were unexpected.  We also 
detect shells of relative excess stellar material in the lens, especially strong 
to the N (RA = 12h 22m 34s, DEC = +29° 54" 30").  The shells are similar, 
in shape and location, to the supposed inner arms seen in a low contrast print 
of NGC 5101 (Laustsen et al. 1987). They are also similar to the inner ring 
of NGC 1433 (Buta 1986). Finally, note a band of relative stellar deficiency 
outlining the bulge and bar. 
	The only structures in this map which are solely a result of the 
sharpening process are the halos around the foreground stars. These halos 
change size as we vary the smoothing used to produce the low-pass map. 
None of the other structures change shape, size, or location as the 
characteristics of the low-pass map are varied.