Best Software for up resing images

bgarlandbgarland Registered Users Posts: 761 Major grins
edited January 19, 2012 in Finishing School
I recently was asked by a client to provide a couple 40X60 canvas wrap prints. After doing some research I downloaded and used the demo version of Perfect Resize 7 (previously called Genuine Fractals) to up res my images before sending them to Bayphoto for printing.

They came out great and the client was very happy with the quality.

My question comes from discussing this with other photographer friends and many of them have had great results just using either Lightroom or CS5 to up the resolution for large prints.

Other threads I have seen make it sound like the Perfect Resize software is much better.

What say all you experienced folks out there? Should I buy my demo of Perfect Resize 7 or just use what I already have in LR and CS5?

Thanks.
Brad

http://bgarland.smugmug.com/

Comments

  • arodneyarodney Registered Users Posts: 2,005 Major grins
    edited January 12, 2012
    Proper capture sharpening is key here and when done so, LR does the best job based on my testing. LR does of course support this necessary capture sharpening and can resize up. IF you export out a capture sharpened TIFF for example, I saw little difference between Perfect Resize and Photosho although the later was vastly faster. So yeah, I don’t see what these 3rd party products bring to the table. And in my testing, I output a small section to the output device (Epson 3880). Forget trying to evaluate this stuff on screen! The proof is in the print which is after all what you are ending up with. Even with a printer that can’t make a huge print, you can output a section from the various software products to an 8x10 and examine them up close and viewing distance.
    Andrew Rodney
    Author "Color Management for Photographers"
    http://www.digitaldog.net/
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited January 13, 2012
    Andrew, Can't one uprez in Genuine Fractals/Perfect Resize and then capture sharpen upon printing in Lightroom3?

    I do not want to argue with Andrew, but several images that I have uprezzed in CS5 and GF6, looked slightly more detailed via GF6 on a direct side by side comparison. I doubt anyone would notice unless the prints were directly compared side by side. I find it is basically a trade off between speed of the two modes, and LR3 is much much faster on my 4 year old MacPro. And it may be that this difference is image specific; some images may render better in one, and some images render better in the other.

    Now there are so many bells and whistles for each software ( especially GF6/7 ) that the difference may relate more to the sliders settings for each, than the basic underlying software.

    My GF 6 was originally GF5 and I do not plan on any further upgrades, as LR3 does a fine job also, and is much, much faster.

    If the uprezzing is for canvas prints, you will not be able to discern any difference in details, due to to the nature of canvas surfaces and their effect on very fine image detail.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • arodneyarodney Registered Users Posts: 2,005 Major grins
    edited January 13, 2012
    pathfinder wrote: »
    Andrew, Can't one uprez in Genuine Fractals/Perfect Resize and then capture sharpen upon printing in Lightroom3?

    Not using raw data. GF/PF require a rendered image.

    The optimal workflow would be capture sharpen THEN upsize, then output sharpen.
    Andrew Rodney
    Author "Color Management for Photographers"
    http://www.digitaldog.net/
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited January 13, 2012
    arodney wrote: »
    Not using raw data. GF/PF require a rendered image.

    The optimal workflow would be capture sharpen THEN upsize, then output sharpen.


    My mistake, I confused output sharpening after uprezzing, with capture sharpening as you so correctly pointed out.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited January 14, 2012
    i personally have never gotten a decent uprez from any Adobe product....butthen I got spoiled with Genuine Fractals years and years ago....
    I still prefer uprezing in genuine Fractals (GF6, I have not moved up to the new name of Perfect resize yet) ...
    I would suggest using the trial version of Perfect Resize (new name for Genuine Fractals)...The trials have alsways been the full working software no watermarks on images like some software does and also the save command fully works...Genuine Fractrals / Perfect Resize has been the winner for years on end for uprezing software...

    see Versace quote in siggy line below.....
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited January 15, 2012
    Brad,

    When, and it's been awhile, I tested Genuine Fractals against CS4 or maybe it was CS5 GF won out. But Photoshop does a darn nice job and the results can depend on the image and settings used.

    Since you have the trial version do the tests for yourself.

    I do think GF / Perfect Resize is better but only you can decide if the additional quality is worth the money for you.

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • BinaryFxBinaryFx Registered Users Posts: 707 Major grins
    edited January 16, 2012
    I personally have liked the results from the free "SmillaEnlarger" -

    http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/31807/smillaenlarger (Mac OS)
    http://smillaenlarger.en.softonic.com/ (MS Win OS)

    As Sam mentions above, results from any resizing software will depend on the source image content and the software settings. Sometimes one may blend two different enlargement methods together using opacity or perhaps layer mask elements from one resize method into another.

    Sometimes adding some "smart noise" to an image can help it look more "organic" and not so "clinical"... Other times one wishes a clean, clinical resize. The software mentioned above has the built-in option to add some noise to the resized image.

    Some resize methods and image content may work better with images with no sharpening applied before the resize, while others may not. Some images may need noise reduction or JPEG compression cleaning before resizing.

    It is the final print output that matters if print is the final destination - so it can be hard to evaluate things on the screen when comparing different methods or software.


    Regards,

    Stephen Marsh
    http://binaryfx.customer.netspace.net.au/
    http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
    http://prepression.blogspot.com/
  • Dan7312Dan7312 Registered Users Posts: 1,330 Major grins
    edited January 16, 2012
    I bet it would do a particularly good job enlarging images of footprints in the snowwings.gif
    BinaryFx wrote: »
    I personally have liked the results from the free "SmillaEnlarger" -

    http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/31807/smillaenlarger (Mac OS)
    http://smillaenlarger.en.softonic.com/ (MS Win OS)
    Dan

    http://www.danalphotos.com

    http://www.pluralsight.com

    http://twitter.com/d114
  • wayne861wayne861 Registered Users Posts: 96 Big grins
    edited January 16, 2012
    Perfect Resize / Genuine Fractrals does watermark the trial images, making them unusable unless you purchase the product. This is good though, the only way I could tell the difference between Perfect Risize and Photoshop CS5 was the watermarks. And Photoshop was far faster.

    Download the trial and try for yourself, rather than listen to what others think.

    Wayne
    Art Scott wrote: »
    i personally have never gotten a decent uprez from any Adobe product....butthen I got spoiled with Genuine Fractals years and years ago....
    I still prefer uprezing in genuine Fractals (GF6, I have not moved up to the new name of Perfect resize yet) ...
    I would suggest using the trial version of Perfect Resize (new name for Genuine Fractals)...The trials have alsways been the full working software no watermarks on images like some software does and also the save command fully works...Genuine Fractrals / Perfect Resize has been the winner for years on end for uprezing software...

    see Versace quote in siggy line below.....
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited January 19, 2012
    wayne861 wrote: »
    Perfect Resize / Genuine Fractrals does watermark the trial images, making them unusable unless you purchase the product. This is good though, the only way I could tell the difference between Perfect Risize and Photoshop CS5 was the watermarks. And Photoshop was far faster.

    Download the trial and try for yourself, rather than listen to what others think.

    Wayne

    That is new ... ... ... i downloaded a trial last year ( late April) for a friend was got 20 saved images with no watermark...
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

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