Enhancement

Bill Pierce

Bill Pierce

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I recently started experimenting with the new “enhance details” feature in Lightroom. It promises, as its name implies, to improve fine details. And it does this by using machine learning, although the results vary from image to image and are often visible only at high magnifications. While this is a process that will take a minute or two for each image, that seems a small price to pay, especially with the Fuji files conversions that were often though of as less than optimal. So the question comes, “Does enhance details really work/“

I’ve been spending spare time playing with the feature in Lightroom processing Fuji files, DNG files from Leica gear and assorted raw file formats from a miscellany of older gear. Real testing would take a lot longer. For now I would say its results are subtle and best seen at high magnification. Whether it does better with certain types of scene or certain specific raw files is hard to say at this stage. But Iridient Developer seems to give just as good results with Fuji files in less time. It seems a better choice, less time consuming when handling a large number of files. For a long time now I have used Iridient Developer to convert all my raw files to tifs which were then cataloged in Lightroom and tonally tweaked when prints were made. I use Iridient Developer, not just my Fuji files, for which Iridient has a good reputation, but all my raw files ever since a friendly Leica expert said it was his preferred choice for his Leica DNG’s. It’s nice to be able to concentrate on learning just one processing program. In turn, Lightroom makes a great catalog and delivers a little fine tuning when making prints and online jpgs. I think “enhance details” is a welcome Lightroom feature, but especially in the case of the Fuji files, an attempt to make up for short comings that are not as obvious in other processing programs. Any thoughts about “Light vs ???” much appreciated.
 
I'm locked out of the Lightroom upgrades because I refuse to go "subscription base" with Adobe. But that Iridient Developer sounds interesting. When I go to their web site, I see the standard developer, and then a C-Transformer for Canon files, an N-Transformer for Nikon files, etc. If one purchases the standard Iridient Developer, can you process all RAW files, Canon, Nikon, Leica, Fuji, Sony, etc.? Or does one need the specific Transformer for the camera you own (and I notice there is no L-Transformer for Leica)?

Best,
-Tim
 
Timmyjoe said:
I'm locked out of the Lightroom upgrades because I refuse to go "subscription base" with Adobe. But that Iridient Developer sounds interesting. When I go to their web site, I see the standard developer, and then a C-Transformer for Canon files, an N-Transformer for Nikon files, etc. If one purchases the standard Iridient Developer, can you process all RAW files, Canon, Nikon, Leica, Fuji, Sony, etc.? Or does one need the specific Transformer for the camera you own (and I notice there is no L-Transformer for Leica)?

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

Iridient has a number of programs that convert specific camera files to DNG with or without a variety of sharpening settings. Those sharpened DNG files can then be processed in a variety of imaging programs. Iridient Developer is a broad based conversion program that takes the raw files from many cameras and gives you a variety of tonal, color and sharpness setting you can apply to the production of a tif file which can be further adjusted, printed, cataloged, e.t.c. in a number of programs. I sometimes use the Iridient program that converts Fuji files to DNG's, but for the most part I process all my raw files into tifs in Iridient Developer and then use Lightroom for cataloging and minor tweaking. Hope that makes sense.
 
Timmyjoe said:
I'm locked out of the Lightroom upgrades because I refuse to go "subscription base" with Adobe. But that Iridient Developer sounds interesting. When I go to their web site, I see the standard developer, and then a C-Transformer for Canon files, an N-Transformer for Nikon files, etc. If one purchases the standard Iridient Developer, can you process all RAW files, Canon, Nikon, Leica, Fuji, Sony, etc.? Or does one need the specific Transformer for the camera you own (and I notice there is no L-Transformer for Leica)?

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

Iridient Developer is a full fledged raw developer that process many many RAW files. It lets you tweak loads of settings. Its output is TIFF or JPEG.

The various Transformers programs are a different program. They basically demosaic the files and use Iridients excellent sharpening to convert from raw to linear DNG files. Those DNGs can then be tweaked/processed in LR or whatever. With Fuji files I usually will use Fast Raw Viewer to cull my RAW files, then use X-Transformer to convert to DNG and import the DNGs into Lightroom.

Shawn
 
I'm still using the standalone Lightroom but I also use Iridient X-Transformer for Fuji RAF files I intend to print. It's made a great deal of difference in the sharpness and detail in the image when compared to Lightroom alone.

In truth, the increased sharpness and detail is probably overkill for most of my photos. I generally don't print big. Actually, I print a lot of 6x9 images on 8.5x11 paper (work prints) and only a few up to 12x18. The kick in detail is not really apparent in the 6x9 images and not in all the larger prints. It can easily be seen with pixel peeping on screen with 3:1 enlargements. Even so, I like having the extra horsepower in the images.
 
charjohncarter said:
What's the difference between Iridient and this: https://rawpedia.rawtherapee.com/Demosaicing (?)

This program also has a very complete sharpening feature.
Click to expand...


Raw Therapy is a free image processing program that is constantly being updated and expanded by a team of incredibly enthusiastic developers. It's a very good program, but the sheer enthusiasm in its development means it has so many features and options that it's overwhelming to a lot of people. Fortunately, there is very good manual. It's sort of the Photoshop of freebies, so many features that no one understands all it can do, but it can probably do whatever you want it to do.
 
Bill, you are right I downloaded it years ago, and even then I was overwhelmed. Now I just use what I understand. I recently bought an FF digital with pixel shift. And I won't go into it all, but you have to have a demosaicing feature just for pixel shift. RAW Therapee does so I've had some fun with that but I will probably never use it much. Just like I'll never use 10% of what is on the FF digital.

EDIT: the above article I linked has 15 different demosaicing types for Bayer sensors. It seems to recommend going through them and choosing one that is best for you (too much work). It also has 6 algorithms for the X-trans sensor. So I guess Adobe picks one for you.
 
In my view, the most significant aspect of Enhanced Details is we no longer need to use a single demosaicking model to render images with different demosaicking challenges.

While some will dismiss and ignore this article as Adobe marketing propaganda. A less skeptical view would find it useful to understand what Enhanced Details is and isn't. The article also briefly describes general issues and challenges for raw file demosaicking.

Here are some interesting aspects of Enhanced Details.

o The AI neural networks were trained using a billion images (hard to conceive).

o Two different AI models were created - one for Bayer and one For XTrans CFAs.

o Improvements will be most obvious for large prints; highly cropped renderings; images with obvious demosaicking artifacts and images with detailed subject matter.

Enhanced Details cannot make blurry images sharper. It can't create something out of nothing.

In general, demosaicking algorithms is difficult to optimize[1]. We know different software vendors use different demosaicking models and camera brands also develop demosaicking solutions that are body and, or sensor assembly specific.

What Enhanced Details does is estimate the demosaicking algorithm parameters (that are usually fixed for all images) to best match the raw data from different types of images. This is a universal, fundamental goal for all data analyses – use a model for the data that best represents the data. Every image is different. Sometimes those differences generate significant errors (artifacts) in the modeled (demosaicked) image. Sometimes the model matches the data and the errors are negligible.


1/ Two general articles of about the challenges for demosaicking optimization are found here: Link 1, Link 2
 
Thanks for pointing me to Iridient Developer. Solves a big problem I've had with my travel MacBook Air which is stuck running MacOS 10.7. Most new cameras made after 2013 can't have their RAW files processed by any software that still runs on OS 10.7. But Iridient Developer runs on OS 10.7 and can handle RAW files from them all. Yippee!!!

Best,
-Tim
 
I only rarely use any sharpening. In fact, I find that LR's default raw sharpening for cameras like the Leica M and CL (and certain Olympus models) which have either very weak or no antialiasing filter is too much sharpening, so I set the defaults to back off the sharpening a bit.

Can't really imagine that Enhance is much different from what I do by adjusting tonal curves carefully in certain specific zones, depending on the photo. Most of these controls are "all in one" conveniences rather than anything new.
 
Seemed to me that sometime last year LR figured out the Fuji Xtrans files. I suddenly noticed that they were much clearer. I have the subscription version so I get the latest and greatest from Adobe. Even so, on the pixel level I can see a little improvement.
 
Tried Iridient Developer's RAW sharpening tools on a DNG file from a first generation Leica M Monochrom. I've always thought the files from that camera were very sharp and detailed right out of the camera.

The shot was a test of a 1950's Kodak Wratten "A" filter on a Canon 35mm f1.8 LTM lens.

Tree1.jpg


100% crop right out of the camera, with only level adjustments:

Tree2.jpg


100% crop after detail enhancement in Iridient Developer:

Tree3.jpg


It is subtle, but I think it would make a noticeable difference in a large print. The detail in the bark on the thicker limbs is more pronounced, as is some of the detail in the intermixing of tiny branches.

Best,
-Tim
 
I have a version of topaz labs that works with photoshop. Maybe mine is old but it is an enhancer tool.

I use photoshop on my iMac (cs4) and I really like to work on my raw files which I do with ACR which is really bridge/photoshop.

The snapseed is interesting and I can use it with my iPad. I guess it would work on my iPhone but the screen on the phone is small.

And it looks like it will work with raw files and, as I understand, about 150 cameras capable.

Can’t beat the price as it’s free.
 
I installed the LR 8.2 update and Enhance Details made a significant improvement in the first Fuji file I tried. I am using a late 2011 Mac Mini with a 2.5MHz i5. I don't know what the preview magnification is, but jaggies were clearly reduced in the preview. The time to render the full enhanced image is 6 minutes. Perhaps it is finally time to upgrade my computer.


Edit: When I tried to enhance the full image, only parts of it were rendered, so the late 2011 Mac Mini has insufficient processing power to enable this feature.
 
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