Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

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The Digital Photographer's Software Guide
Chapter 7, ”RAW Converters,” looks at a wide selection of RAW converters that are
not specific to any individual brand of camera. All photographers should try more than
one or two RAW converters and there are now plenty from which to choose.
Chapter 8, “Image Processors,” covers both general purpose and some highly specialized
image processing software, all of which is designed to give you precise control over the
balance of color, light, and shade in your images. Image processing lies at the very heart
of digital photography, making this chapter one of the most important in the book.
Chapter 9, “Quick-Fix Software,” comments on the remarkable abilities of some packages
to detect common faults and make brilliant corrections. By no means limited to
amateur photographers, quick-fix software is designed for people in a hurry, whether
they are beginners or professionals.
Chapter 10,” Image Editors,” is based on the premise that Adobe Photoshop is not the
only game in town, although it features prominently here as the industry standard. If
you want to try the alternatives, this is the place to look.
Chapter 11, “Masking Tools,” begins part II. If you frequently matte images together,
inserting a foreground subject into an alternative background, you may need special
masking tools. Many were developed in Hollywood for the movies, but enterprising
developers have packaged them for use by digital stills photographers.
Chapter 12, “Black and White Conversion,” shows that there is more to black-andwhite
conversion than using the desaturate option in your image editor. Excellent tools
are available that allow you to control the contribution made by each color channel.
Chapter 13, “Film Simulation and Effects,” covers the software for film simulation.
Digital photography has long overtaken film in the range of effects it can achieve. One
subset of these effects is film simulation, a technique that not only imitates the unique
qualities of a particular emulsion, but also its processing and printing.
Chapter 14, “Art Simulators,” looks at the best of the art simulators and discusses how
they can serve as useful tools for the artist. No one expects instant Rembrandts, but art
simulators are becoming increasingly accomplished at turning photographs into what
appear to be outline sketches, watercolors, or oils, not to mention 101 other techniques.
Chapter 15, “Special Effects,” covers the software for simulating the aging process, filter
sets for frames, textures, edges, borders, and mosaics, plus 3D simulation and thousands
of other effects. Each special effects package seems to have its own personality,
offering a repertoire of techniques that can change your images dramatically.
Chapter 16, “Sharpening Software,” looks at the latest programs that are dedicated to
sharpening and describes the different algorithms that are being used in this highly
competitive section of the market. DSLR users who shoot in RAW mode need to
sharpen their images using either the facilities provided by their image processor or
editing program, or else by using specialist software to obtain optimal results.