Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] Focus magic beta now available for the mac

Subject: Re: [OM] Focus magic beta now available for the mac
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 00:35:39 -0700
On 8/22/2013 8:13 AM, Brian Swale wrote:
> Nathan wrote:
>> I was anyway doubtful as to whether this software complies with my
>> self-imposed Digital Code of Conduct, and I don't think it does.

I would suggest that it might not be a violation. ALL digitization of analog 
images softens fine detail, be it a digital 
sensor capturing the image directly from a lens or scanning an analog piece of 
film or print.

I explained this, with a simple example, and no math, on Zone-10 long ago. 
<http://zone-10.com/cmsm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=1>

A couple of quotes:

"So the unfortunate truth is that ALLdigitally captured images, including 
scanned film, require some sort of enhancement 
to reveal to the human eye all the details they contain."

"If I haven’t lost you on the journey, perhaps you will now agree that 
sharpening is a natural part of the process of 
creating a digital image. And further, that knowledgeable, appropriate 
sharpening is needed for the best final image. 
Once you learn all that, you will be free and have the proper skills for the 
final step, deciding how sharp you want 
your image to be for its end use."

As Chuck has pointed out, more than once, there are two places in work flow 
where sharpening is usually appropriate. The 
first is 'capture sharpening', to recover visible detail lost in the original 
digital capture. If using a camera with 
lots of MPs, and intending only to display the image uncropped or only slightly 
cropped at web sizes, this is superfluous.

The second point is after downsampling for display. This sampling has the same 
effect of losing detail as digital 
capture, and the detail that's there, but not visible because of lost edge 
contrast. Modest, careful USM sharpening or 
de-convolution, as in Focus Magic, can restore the missing detail.

Technically, deconvolution is quite different from USM. It mathematically 
corrects for lens aberrations. In practice, 
with a general purpose application like FM, it mostly acts like a better means 
of recovering fine detail than USM.

As something only used to recover what was coming from the lens, but lost in 
digitization, it might pass muster.

> I think you might find that it runs as a stand-alone program Nathan, AND you
> get only 10 images out of the trial version before it stops co-operating.
> I have the windows version from a similar notification some months ago and
> now I have 8 uses left before it dies and i will remove it from my computer,
> in all probability.
>
> I remember now; Moose was grumbling at me about something, and
> mentioned Focus Magic as a tool he uses.

I believe it must have been post downsizing resharpening.

> So I tracked it down and tried it.
>
> Not impressed from the first two uses on my machine.. It runs on Windows
> versions from W'95 onwards. I'm using XP on this machine.

Two tries is not a trail at all. It is a powerful and useful tool, with several 
options, that requires some time and 
practice to use well.

De Con Moose

-- 
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
-- 
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz