Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

Contents xxvii
Chapter 17, “Noise Reduction,” discusses excellent noise reduction software that enables
you in many cases to eliminate noise altogether. If you shoot at ISO400 or above, the
chances are that your images will have some noise (patterns of undetermined pixels that
often appear in pictures taken in low light).
Chapter 18, “Red-Eye Removal,” covers software for replacing unwanted, flash-induced
eye colors in both human and animal portraits. Quick, dedicated software for removing
the “red-eye” effect in flash photography can be useful, even if you have these facilities
in an editing program.
Chapter 19, “Skin Tone Enhancement,” is a “must” for the portrait photographer. This
chapter describes what is currently available in skin tone enhancement software. Some
developers have addressed this topic comprehensively, enabling you to make very subtle
changes to skin tones.
Chapter 20, “Photo Restoration,” discusses the best specialist software for this task.
Photo restoration pre-dates the digital revolution, but today’s software can turn the most
faded, torn, or stained photograph into a pristine digital image.
Chapter 21, “High Dynamic Range,” begins part III. Some experts believe HDR is the
future of digital photography, with specialist display monitors becoming more affordable.
But there is no need to wait; you can begin experimenting now by downloading
and trying some of the software described in this chapter.
Chapter 22, “Depth-of-Field Tools,” explains how to make images of exceptional quality.
If you are frustrated by the constant tradeoff between shutter speed and f-stop, why
not investigate the technique of merging multiple images in order to retain sharp focus
from foreground to background. These are especially useful in micro- and macrophotography.
Chapter 23, “Lens Distortion Correction,” looks at software that can both correct common
lens distortions and introduce similar distortions for creative effect. Whichever
approach you adopt, you will find the tools here to do it perfectly, often by taking
account of the lens manufacturer’s own specifications.
Chapter 24, “Panorama Software: Photo Stitching and Virtual Tours,” covers the packages
that let you make virtual tours by linking panoramic images together—ideal for
the hard-pressed realtor with properties to sell. Whatever digital camera you use, it is
easy to make ultra-high resolution images if you stitch several of them together to make
a panel or a full panorama.
Chapter 25, “Digital Scrapbooking,” begins part IV. Often dubbed “America’s favorite
hobby,” scrapbooking has gone digital, with several packages offering thousands of visual
accessories to enhance the end result. If you are not certain which one to use, or if you
are unhappy with the one you have, this chapter will help.