November 2008
Volume VIII
Issue 11
In this Issue
The
Digital Photographer's Software Guide
Featured Product iCorrect EditLab
Featured Product
iCorrect OneClick
Featured Product
inCamera
|
The Digital Photographer's Software Guide
by John Lewell,
published by Course Technology Cengage Learning, August 2008
 |
"The Digital Photographer's Software Guide" is
perfect for both amateur photographers and graphic arts
professionals. Unlike other books on the market, the book
addresses the full range of photographic software designed
to assist in digital photography editing and output
including those for downloading, enhancement, manipulation,
viewing, storing, archiving, preparation for printing, and
more. Each chapter focuses on a specific type of software,
and then details each individual product. This complete
guide offers coverage of 300+ software products in one
convenient handbook.
Available Online at Barnes and Noble
John Lewell is the
author of Computer Graphics and The A-Z Guide to Computer
Graphics. He now combines his expertise in photography and
digital technology to inform and educate via books,
articles, and internet projects.
|
Greetings,
In this issue of PictoScript we are
featuring a new resource book, The Digital Photographer's
Software Guide, I recently found while browsing at my
favorite Barnes and Nobel book store. I saw it on the shelf with a
bunch of Photoshop "how to" books and as I picked it up I thought,
"Hmm, I wonder if any of our software is mentioned?" I was pleased
to see that several PictoColor products are mentioned. In the
chapter entitled "Quick Fix Software" the author
writes about
iCorrect
OneClick and
iCorrect EditLab ProApp (the
plug-in version is also referenced) and
inCamera is mentioned in the Color
Management Chapter. So, I bought the book and found it to
be an excellent resource. It is very well organized with logical
chapter names such as: RAW Converters, Digital Asset Management,
Image Editors, Quick-Fix Software, Lens Distortion Correction, and
many more. The book was published a couple of months ago so it is up
to date with the latest software. I have never met or talked to John
Lewell and I do not receive anything for mentioning his book
but, after reading it, I wanted to share this resource with our
subscribers. It sells for about $20.00 and is well worth it.
Digital Photographer's
Software Guide on PictoColor Software
"iCorrect
EditLab ProApp
is one of the best-known quick-fix applications,
with integral noise reduction and sharpening as well as
exposure controls."....
John Lewell |
iCorrect EditLab ProApp
&
Pro Plug-in
Purpose:
A complete color correction and management
system with a SmartColor Wizard interface
Description
"iCorrect EditLab ProApp is
designed to make color correction as easy as possible.
It is particularly strong on those parts of the workflow
that involve using the Levels control in Photoshop. Is
SmartColor Wizard feature is a “mini-workflow” all by
itself, with four tabulated tasks that are conducted in
strict order:
-
Color Balance: For color cast removal and white
balance correction
-
Tonal range: For setting black point, white point,
and midpoint.
-
Brightness/Contrast/Saturation Adjustment
-
Hue-selective edits: For fine-tuning the color.
If you are frustrated by the
trade-offs and compromises of using Levels or Curves,
iCorrect EditLab rationalizes the process and minimizes the
errors. For color-managed workflows, it lets you save
correction parameters as ICC profiles.
iCorrect EditLab comes as a
stand-alone (ProApp) or as a plug-in for Photoshop and
compatible editors.
Comments
Aimed at the serious photographer,
iCorrect EditLab ProApp can be integrated with a RAW
workflow although it does not handle RAQ images directly. It
is a very mature application with ongoing development that
has added new features like automatic black and white
conversion, sepia toning, and color toning. Whether it
really is “the best shortcut to perfect color” as the vendor
claims is for users to judge, but I could well be true.
It has scored highly in all reviews."
John Lewell
|
|
iCorrect OneClick
Purpose: One-click correction of white
balance, exposure, and saturation
Description
"PictoColor iCorrect OneClick is a
Photoshop plug-in that specializes in making one-click
corrections of white balance, exposure, and saturation. To
use it, you simply click on a neutral color such as white,
black, or neutral gray, and the software does the rest. It
removes any existing colorcast, corrects the tonal range,
adjust overall brightness, and gives the image a more vivid
look. In addition, it offers conversions to black and white
or sepia tone.
Comments
Like all the best quick-fix
software,
iCorrect OneClick lets you make an instant correction,
then if you want, tweak the result. In theory, this gives
you the best of both worlds: speed and quality. It is
certainly very speedy and on this account has earned the
plaudits of several independent reviewers. Photoshop User
magazine also found that it gave more balanced results than
those obtained by alternative solutions. As the vendor says,
it certainly “takes the guess work out of color correction,”
although photographers with the most exacting standards may
find it removes some of the judgment as well."
John Lewell
|
|
inCamera (Color
Management Chapter)
Purpose: A quick, easy way to create ICC
profiles for digital cameras and scanners-A Photoshop
Plug-in
Description
"PictoColor inCamera is a
“no-nonsense” tool that provides a quick and easy way to
achieve consistent, predictable color in a photographic
workflow. It works with standard charts like the X-Rite
GretagMacbeth ColorChecker or Digital ColorChecker SG, but
these are not included. Using it is a simple five-step
process:
- Open an image that includes
one of the support charts.
- Select inCamera from
Photoshop’s Filter menu
- Align a flexible template over
the chart in the image.
- Click OK to save the profile.
- In Photoshop, assign this
profile to all other images taken under the same
lighting conditions.
Comments
PictoColor specializes in
easy-to-use-software (like iCorrect EditLab), and this could
scarcely be easier. It is robust and has a “check capture”
feature to analyze the quality of the original image.
Reviewers have found it flexible and accurate, one of them
admiring its ability to avoid being confused by the glossy
parts of a test card. The key to using it is to calibrate
the camera under the same lighting conditions that you
intend to use for your shots. It is not a one-time-only
process."
John Lewell
|
|
