Tutorial: AKVIS Enhancer

Enhancer plugin: How it works

Watch a flash movie demonstrating the technique of image enhancement with AKVIS Enhancer PlugIn. Click here (flash-movie, 1.2 Mb)

Follow the steps below to increase the level of detail on a picture using AKVIS Enhancer PlugIn:

• Step 1. Open the image in a photo editor.
  
• Step 2. Call AKVIS Enhancer plugin. To this effect select the command Filter - AKVIS - Enhancer in Adobe Photoshop; the menu item Effects - Plugins- AKVIS - Enhancer if you work with Corel (Jasc) Paint Shop Pro; or Effects - AKVIS - Enhancer if you use Corel PHOTO-PAINT.

  The photo will be processed with the default parameter values (it can be the settings of the AKVIS Default preset or the settings saved by the user as a preset).

  The processed image is shown in the After tab. You can switch between the tabs using the Tab key. To compare the original and the resulting images, just left-click on the image in the After tab.

  
• Step 3. Select the value of the Preview Size parameter.

  The parameter 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.

  The parameter allows to speed 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 part of it and it is enough to see the general outcome (for example, when processing photos for printing in the standard size).

  Note: Once you adjusted the parameters, it is recommended to try the processing with Preview Size = 1 to make sure that the best settings are chosen.

• Step 4. Adjust the values for Shadows, Highlights, Level of Detail and Lightness.

  The Shadows parameter allows details to be revealed in the underexposed parts of the image. The values vary between 0 and 100. As the parameter 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 allows details to be revealed 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 middle 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 the high value of this parameter may cause noise.

  The Lightness parameter allows 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. It is possible to save the settings you like as a preset and use them in the future. To save a preset, enter a name for the preset into the Presets field and press the button Save. Now, as you start the program, it will use the settings of this preset. If you change the values of the parameters, you can always come back to the default settings of the preset by pressing the button Reset.

  To delete a preset, select it from the list and press Delete.

  To process an image with the settings of a certain preset, you should select it from the fall-out menu and wait a bit.

• Step 6. When the correction process is over, press the button to apply the result or the button to close the program window without applying the result.
  

Please note that you achieve the best results when you apply AKVIS Enhancer to digital photos. The matrix of digital cameras has a higher sensitivity and even despite bad light and sometimes bad focusing it keeps detailed information that can be invisible to the eye but detected by AKVIS Enhancer that uses a special algorithm.