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M8 super-resolution 20 megapixels


bradhusick

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PhotoAcute has just released a new version of their software and for the first time they are supporting the M8 (I volunteered to do the shooting for them on which the profile is based). Among other amazing feats, the software is capable of combining multiple shots (even handheld) into one super-resolution (20 megapixel) image with much lower noise.

 

Here's a quick example, handheld at ISO 320. The first image is the full frame and the second has one 100% crop on the left and the super-resolution 100% crop on the right.

 

Take a look at the detail in the fabric and the postal scale, and the lack of noise in the shadow portions of the scale. This was made from six shots taken in continuous mode. The software takes about 2 minutes to create the file on my Mac Pro 3GHz. This profile was made with a 50mm Summilux ASPH and I am working on more lens profiles. This example was shot with a 35mm Summilux ASPH and used the 50mm profile with excellent results.

 

Full disclosure: I am not employed by PhotoAcute. They did give me a license for my work. Here is a link to their site:

 

Take better photos, reduce noise, increase quality and resolution of digital photographs. Leading superresolution technology.

 

-Brad

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Brad, I continue to be interested in this software and just visited the site, following the link you posted. I am disappointed, however, that only your lens has a profile on their site.

 

But how important is the profile to the usability of the product? Was it a big hassle to create a profile?

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In my brief experience with the new release, it seems to work well on a variety of lenses from 28mm to 75mm. I can't tell if new profiles will make a huge difference.

 

The process of making a profile involves taking about 100 specific shots and pre-processing them for the company, then sending them the output where they do the magic and create a new profile. You can't just do one yourself.

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Brad,

 

Thanks for the lead on this software. I downloaded the trial and liked it so I purchased a license. Here is a 5 shot burst (handheld) with the M8 and Zeiss 50 planar, processed for "super resolution" in PhotoAcute Studio. Click the url link to see the full size image.

FULL SIZE

 

p801580074-5.jpg

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Carl,

The full size image looks like it's posterized. Could this be the result of using too much JPEG compression? Could you post a small 100% crop from the overall image before saving it as JPEG? Thanks and good luck with PhotoAcute.

 

-Brad

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Carl,

The full size image looks like it's posterized. Could this be the result of using too much JPEG compression? Could you post a small 100% crop from the overall image before saving it as JPEG? Thanks and good luck with PhotoAcute.

 

-Brad

 

I agree - difficult to tell much from this file.

 

I'm not ruling out the technology, but at first glance this looks similar to what anyone can already get just by interpolating the image 200% and then running a noise plugin. I'm looking at the structure of the bark and the snow crystals in Carl's file, which exhibit signs of heavy enlargement. Very characteristic of what I can get from Photoshop with a simple resize followed by high pass and gaussian blur.

 

The idea is interesting, and if it were to work then I'd be seriously interested. However, I'd like to see a more representative example; this one doesn't convince me yet.

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Carl,

The full size image looks like it's posterized. Could this be the result of using too much JPEG compression? Could you post a small 100% crop from the overall image before saving it as JPEG? Thanks and good luck with PhotoAcute.

 

-Brad

 

Could be jpeg artifacts and/or the interpolation routine in PhotoAcute (results look similar to Genuine Fractals). 100% crop exported from the PhotoAcute DNG file (7680x5152) as a level 100 jpeg in Lightroom:

p224490246.jpg

 

Photoshop 200% interpolation of single image file:

 

p189893574.jpg

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Sorry, I don't like these images, they remind me of a woman who's had plastic surgery...

 

I know exactly what you mean Mark. Yes there is extra detail and sharpness but do I like it - I am not sure. It has some of the artificiality of an over-sharpened image. I have downloaded the program trial and I am going to give it a go myself. There are circumstances where I can see myself using it. Like the images I took yesterday of the Brede Steam Museum, where they are essentially technical in nature and due to my using mainly the WATE, all taken at 1250 ISO. For when they are submitted to the editor of the Steam Pumpers and Sprocket Fettlers' Gazette (or whatever it is called), I can see that lower noise and extra detail could have come in handy. However, as I did not take multiple images this time, it is not going to happen. Maybe next time I take some pics for a technical publication I will submit both Photo-Acute images and straight ones to see which will get picked.

 

Wilson

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Me too am not definitely sure it's really a good tool to enhance resolution... For what I have understood from a (quick) look at their site, it needs, for good result, a static image... I wonder if, in this case, you can't achieve a better result using a longer focal (say, a 75 instead of 35) and shhoting 4 pics or so to cover the whole "frame", then stitching them with something like AutoPano... you have more "real" pixels. But the other features regarding HDR, focusing... are someway intriguing... maybe I'll take the trial and do some experiment... John is right... "special" RAW developers are playing the role of specialty formulated chemicals at the times of darkrooms...:) and playing a little can be anyway useful to understand better the beahavior of images as digital data.

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I think the posterized appearance of the example I posted above is largely an interpolation artifact created in ACR during raw conversion. I get quite good results using PhotoAcute for processing images from my IR Canon 350D with significant resolution enhancement and much improved noise reduction. Here I used two auto exposure bracketing bursts of 3 exposures each (-1.3, 0, +1.3 EV) and processed the six images in PhotoAcute for simultaneous resolution enhancement and dynamic range expansion. EI 400 f/2.8 50mm f/1.4 Canon lens.

 

p672064161-4.jpg

 

100% Crop

 

p557387941-4.jpg

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