Tutorial: AKVIS Enhancer

Enhancer Mode in Standalone edition

In Enhancer mode the program increases detail on an image, brings out details on one single shot by intensifying color transition. Enhancer strengthens the difference between adjacent pixels having different color gradations and therefore not only reveals details in shadows but even details in the overexposed and mid tone areas.

A comparison of Enhancer and Smart Correction Modes can be found here.

Follow the instructions below to improve detail in shadows and in highlights:

Step 1. Launch AKVIS Enhancer.
Step 2. Open the original image. Do this by clicking on the button in the Control panel and select the required file in the Open dialog box. AKVIS Enhancer supports the following formats: BMP, JPEG, TIFF and PNG.
Step 3. Select the Enhancer mode in the Settings panel, and adjust the value of the Preview Size parameter.
The parameter Preview Size sets the image size at the preliminary processing stage and can have the following values: 1, ½, ¼, and ¹/8. At value = 1, the size of the original image (its width and height) do not change. At value = ½, it is reduced twice, at value = ¼, it is reduced by 4 times, at value = ¹/8. - by 8 times. The processing time is reduced accordingly.
The Preview Size parameter is an auxiliary tool, it does not influence the real size of the image. The original image will stay the same and all details of the original image will be kept.
This parameter speeds up the pre-processing stage when one tries different settings to obtain the best result. It is useful on photos that do not require close attention to every detail and it is enough to see the general outcome (for example, when processing photos for printing in the standard size).
Step 4. There are four sliders that influence the outcome: Shadows, Highlights, Level of Detail and Lightness.
- The Shadows parameter reveals details in the underexposed parts of the image. The values vary between 0 and 100. As the value increases, the dark parts of the image get lighter and the level of detail in these parts increases. But it does not cause loss of details in the light areas.
- The Highlights parameter reveals details in the light areas of the image. The values vary between 0 and 100. When you move the slider to the right, the parameter value increases, the light parts of the image get darker and the level of detail in these parts increases. If you set a high value for this parameter it can cause loss of mid-tones on some images and reduce the image depth.
- The Level of Detail parameter defines the amount of details detected. It accepts values between 0 and 15 with the default value of 5. The higher the parameter value, the sharper the color transition and the more detail is visible. On underexposed images a high value for this parameter may cause noise.
- The Lightness parameter is used to change the overall lightness of the image - to make it darker or lighter. It accepts values between 0 and 100. By default it is set to 50. As you move the slider to the right, the image gets lighter; as you move the slider to the left - it gets darker.
Step 5. If needed, you can correct the image further in the Post Processing tab.
Step 6. If you like the settings of both tabs, you can save them as a preset and use later. To save the settings, enter a name for the preset into the Presets field and press the button Save.

Next time you launch the program, these settings will be used by default. To return to the initial settings of the program, click on Reset.

To process the image with a certain preset, select this preset from the fall-out list to start the process.

To delete a preset, select it from the list and click on the button Delete.
Step 7. Save the processed image to a file. Click on in the Control panel to open the Save As dialog box. Enter a name for the file, define its format (JPEG, BMP, TIFF or PNG) and select the destination folder.
Step 8. It is possible to print the image.
Step 9. Close AKVIS Enhancer by clicking on .