Applying Enhancer To Specific Areas

[DonReitz]

Enhancer is a tremendous tool for outdoor photography. I use it to enhance detail in natural features such as rock, trees, and sand. The problem is, it also enhances graininess in blue skies (a particular problem in my desert photos where there's lots of sky). When using the CS-3 plug in version, is there any way limit the enhancement effect to particular sections of the image (i.e., leave the sky out)?
Any help is appreciated.
Don Reitz

[Swampy]

I would think you could run the enhancer then mask out the sky and use the sky area from the original below.

[lurch]

To elaborate on what Swampy said, run Enhancer on a duplicate layer using a layer mask that excludes the sky . . .
<C>

[akvis]

Swampy has already answered, and I want to add.
We are going to include a new useful feature to Enhancer, a new mode 'Focus'. It will let reinforcing of particular areas of an image. You will see... I hope the updated Enhancer with its new features will be available this month.

[DonReitz]

Thanks for the help. My image editing is mostly done in Nikon Capture NX so I'm not up on CS3's masks and layers. But your advice has got me thinking I better pull out the Photoshop manual.
Don

[DonReitz]

The new Enhancer "Focus" mode sounds intriguing. Will we be able to update to get it?
Don

[akvis]

It will be free update for those users who have version 7 or 8.
New mode will be added in the Enhancer plugin as well as in a stand-alone edition of Enhancer.

[DonReitz]

Thank you. I look forward to the update.
Don

[akvis]

So...
The new version of the image enhancement software is released!

Version 9.0 of AKVIS Enhancer presents a new mode that makes the program yet more useful for improving detail on a photo.

The new Focus mode improves blurred images by bringing into focus the whole image or only certain parts of it. It happens that the camera fails to focus on the object of shooting and it comes out unsharp. This mode can save such out-of-focus images.

You can download Enhancer (in Windows or in Macintosh version) from akvis.com

Upgrade for registered users is free!

[DonReitz]

The focus mode is a great feature. I'm having trouble understanding the effect and no effect area tools, though. The effect tool draws a blue line around those areas one wants to apply focusing to, correct? Which means, I presume, that the area outside the closed blue figure is unaffected by the focus effect. If that's the case, what is the purpose of the red no effect tool?

The example in the users' manual (page 19, a closeup of a man and woman) shows blue rectangles around the man's glasses and circles around the woman's eyes, indicating that the glasses and eyes are slated for focusing while the rest of their faces are to be left alone. If the blue line limits the effect to the glasses and eyes, what purpose does the surrounding red line serve? Also, the bridge of the man's glasses and the woman's eyebrows are drawn over with blue lines. The lines do not form a closed figure. Where exactly is the effect applied in these cases and why is it necessary to draw a closed red figure around them?

Thanks for the help.
Don

[akvis]

When you use the Effect and No Effect Area tools, the program calculate strokes for a whole picture. If you do not indicate one of the area (with red or blue), the other (used) tool will be applied to the picture. The program tries to find borders between pencils lines, and you do not need to be very precise, it is enough to make a few strokes. And if you use only one tool from these two, it won't work properly.

[DonReitz]

Hmmm. Thank you for your answer, but I'm not getting it. Suppose I have a photo of a lighthouse against a blue sky. I want to sharpen focus on the lighthouse but I don't want to include the sky in the sharpening. What do I do? According to the instructions (and consistent with the name of the tool) I draw a figure enclosing the lighthouse with the effect area tool, right? From what I can tell I also have to draw a figure enclosing the blue effect area with the no effect area tool (so I end up with a blue outline inside a red outline like Figures 5 and 6 in the users' manual).

If I've got it wrong let me know.
Thanks,
Don

[akvis]

Yes, you should use both pencils.
You do not need to be very precise, just one blue line inside the lighthouse and red outline around it, the red line must be closed.

[akvis]

These tools are similar to the red and blue pencils in Chameleon, Coloriage and SmartMask.

For example, the picture from the SmartMask tutorial:
sharp-strokes.jpg

[DonReitz]

Thank you for the help. It's appreciated.
Don