Must have programs?

*Rhizo* · 04-13-2009, 11:22 PM

Mainly use CS4 to touch up pictures. What are some other you'd recommend? TIA

**Marc Sabatella** · 04-14-2009, 09:01 AM

Seems CS4 should have your editing needs completely covered. But you could still use a decent organizing/cataloging program.

*Canada_Rockies* · 04-14-2009, 09:29 AM

You might want to consider, as Marc said, a good cataloguing program such as Lightroom or Aperture. Over 90% of my needs are covered by Lightroom 2.3. For spot removal and healing, I use PS Elements 6, but since you have the full blown CS, you don't need that.

I am also a vocal supporter of DxO Pro. It takes care of some things that can be done in other software, but it does it all by itself. It turns my three DA lenses into spectacular lenses by removing all traces of distortion, uneven exposure, etc. I also like the tools to remove keystoning, but could probably use something else less expensive. It's worth a trial to see if it could be of use to you. You can download a time limited trial copy.

I also have The Panorama Factory which is not terribly expensive, and does a pretty good job without excessive effort.

Photomatix covers my needs for reducing excessive dynamic range into something that can be viewed or printed. I particularly like the Highlight & Shadow option. I have used it successfully on a single RAW image by making two virtual copies in Lightroom, one at a stop less and the other at a stop more and combining the two. The image does not look at all like the HDR images that turn me off along with lots of other people. It looks natural, but you can now see the details in the shadows and highlights.

WerTicus · 04-14-2009, 11:22 AM

cs4 does panoramas very well i think. 64bit version pumps out images that are stitched together from 16 or so 14mp images just fine

not need more personally but that was hitting 4gb ram for the cs4.exe which is probably more ram than most have.

I think i might try 32images tomorrow... however then i WILL run out of ram

*Ex Finn.* · 04-14-2009, 05:01 PM

My must have program is Focus magic, does a good job with motion blur and out of focus touch up, as long as it is not way out. Works as a PS plug in also.( works better as a plug in than stand alone).
You can download a freebie that lets you try it on few images.
Recover Detail and Sharpen Your Blurred Photos

Cheers. Mike.

figmental1978 · 04-15-2009, 01:12 AM

If you have CS4 you get Bridge which is pretty good cataloger.

*Rhizo* · 04-15-2009, 01:29 AM

Thanks again for the input! I went ahead and got the trial for Lightroom a few minutes ago. Never done any panoramas, but should try to mess around with it.

Mike - Do you have any examples of Focus Magic? I could spy on my fiance

If I must add using my Pentax is a blast!

*Ex Finn.* · 04-15-2009, 04:10 AM

Did a quick, subtle, 1 pixel focus correction. mainly noticeable in copyright text.
Left image untouched.

Cheers. Mike.
P.S.
I had to look hard to find a OOF image due to Pentax`s superior, accurate, focusing system and shake reduction,

Parallax · 04-16-2009, 11:39 AM

After reading this thread I tried Focus Magic. I'M SOLD!
This shot was taken with my oh-so-tack-sharp(

) Tamron 28-75 with my K10D. I have since upgraded to the K20D and disposed of that lens as it FF so badly I couldn't tune it out with the K20.
It should be pretty obvious which version is with and which is without Focus Magic. 100% crops, and same processing applied other than FM.

*Ex Finn.* · 04-19-2009, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by Parallax

After reading this thread I tried Focus Magic. I'M SOLD!
This shot was taken with my oh-so-tack-sharp() Tamron 28-75 with my K10D. I have since upgraded to the K20D and disposed of that lens as it FF so badly I couldn't tune it out with the K20.
It should be pretty obvious which version is with and which is without Focus Magic. 100% crops, and same processing applied other than FM.

Your post is lot better than mine, in displaying the effect of focus magic.
It can make a noticeable difference, hard to show on images that are not full size.
Cheers. Mike.

*newarts* · 04-19-2009, 05:51 PM

I give another thumbs up for Focus Magic. I'm using it as a plug-in for Paint Shop Pro X.

Another must-have program for analytical work is ImageJ, a free, quantitative, scientific analysis package with about a jillion plugins- including DCRAW, Fourier Transforms, pixel level math, etc.

Iowa Dave

Parallax · 04-20-2009, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Ex Finn.

Your post is lot better than mine, in displaying the effect of focus magic.........................

That's only because I was "lucky" enough to have bought a Tamron 28-75 a couple of years ago.