software question

kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
edited March 2, 2015 in Digital Darkroom
http://usa.novadevelopment.com/photofocus/?rs4=NO_US_EM_PF_STD_0115_BUY

Has anyone tried this? Is this even possible?
Kate
www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain

Comments

  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,076 moderator
    edited March 2, 2015
    kdotaylor wrote: »

    No, I have not tried this software. It looks to be mostly a deconvolution filter, probably similar to the "Smart Sharpen" filter in Photoshop and Focus Magic. (Focus Magic is arguably perhaps the gold standard deconvolution engine for photography.)

    If you want to try some open source/freeware, I strongly suggest Raw Therapee and their "RL Deconvolution" sharpening. This advanced version of a "Richardson–Lucy deconvolution" algorithm works nicely on a modern multi-core, 64 bit computer with lots of RAM. Raw Therapee is also a great RAW processing software (which also processes other raster images) with some really awesome features like their noise reduction and sharpening suite and frequency based contrast capabilities.


    A common example of a "convolution" filter would be a "Gaussian Blur". A "deconvolution" filter attempts to undue or reverse a Gaussian blur.

    Unfortunately, photographic images are 2-dimension representations and lack a spacial element (depth). Until camera manufacturers incorporate 3-dimensional data for the image (a "bump map", for instance), deconvolution filters will only work correctly with two dimensional subjects which fill the frame.


    The Lytro Light Field Digital Cameras are an exception in that they "do" record depth information and can literally refocus to any plane, or zone of planes, within the image data field. Unfortunately the Lytro cameras have not been well received (IMO) and they appear to be in financial difficulty with some sources claiming that Lytro will abandon still image products and possibly produce video acquisition products instead.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • kdotaylorkdotaylor Registered Users Posts: 1,280 Major grins
    edited March 2, 2015
    Thanks, Ziggy.
    I really had no idea that this sort of thing was available. Nice!
    Kate
    www.katetaylor.smugmug.com
    "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
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