Focus Magic
Focus Magic can help you fix images that are slightly out-of-focus or have been affected by camera-shake or motion blur. You can use it to restore old photographs that exhibit these faults, but equally you can use it as a workflow option to correct recent errors.
Instead of using an unsharp mask for image sharpening, Focus Magic actually reverses the process by which the image became blurred in the first place. The vendor has made a study of each type of blur: motion blur, focus blur, camera-shake, etc., and has analyzed their different characteristics in order to counteract them. A despeckle filter and another filter for increasing the resolution of the image are included in the standalone version of Focus Magic.
Comment
Reviewers, such as Keith Cooper of Northlight Images have confirmed that Focus Magic works as claimed. Although the processing tends to be slow, it succeeds in reducing blur to the extent that images can be printed significantly larger than would otherwise be possible.
Focus Magic has forensic applications: for example, enhancing images so that you can read car number plates.
Focus Magic is particularly good at removing directional blur caused by subject movement.
Tech info
- Plugs into: Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, Corel PhotoPaint, ULead PhotoImpact, and others
- OS: Windows 2000 onward; Mac OS X
- Price level: Approx. $45
Acclaim Software
Founded in 1995, Acclaim Software is a software development firm based in New Zealand. It released Focus Magic in 2000 after several years of development and now sells it in over twenty countries around the world. Another division markets accountancy software to small businesses in New Zealand.
From the same vendor:
- Cashbook Complete (accountancy)
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