Rescuing Images

You have taken that shot of your partner, toddler, kid or beloved pet, using your Smartphone.  You want to print it.  But there is the problem.  It looks great on you back lit retina display, but, when you blow it up on your computer, the focus is shot.

The reason for this is possibly because of the poor lighting conditions.  The Smartphone has slowed down the shutter speed, but not bunged on the flash, and as you click the button to capture that moment, your phone moves as you apply pressure to the phone.  A slow shutter speed results in a blurred image.

I glanced at my dock, on my Mac, the other day and counted the number of individual pieces of software that I have, beyond Photoshop and Lightroom.  I have fourteen pieces of software that all use AI.  Is Adobe losing ground?  You can read more about this on my guest blog by clicking clicking here.

Take a close look at this screenshot below.  It is a simple shot of me, in lockdown, having moved down by two belt notches!

Look at the vertical line across my face and to the left; now to the right.  Can you tell the difference?  Can you see how my face on the right of the vertical line is 9n focus and sharp?

This is all achieved by using AI software and the excellent, aptly named, Sharpen from Topaz.

On the right in the menu selectors you can see that I have chosen “Stabilise.”  I guessed that camera shake was involved, for the reasons described earlier, and I am correct.

One also has the choice of sharpen and focus as well, for different reasons.  One can also leave the AI to be fully automated, on any of these three settings, or, one can intervene and take over the controls as it were, by using manual.

Once one has run the image through this software, guess what, there is more available to you by using AI.  But that is for another blog.

There is one caveat with all of this. The AI cannot bring back from the extreme, it is always best to shoot knowing what one is doing and how to use the camera effectively, no matter what camera one is using.  Understanding some basics on lighting, the rule of thirds and more, will enhance your images if you take a little care and effort.

In the meantime, stay safe and keep on capturing those special moments in time, and I will see you soon.