Is there anyway to process slightly out-of-focus shots?

[eunene]

Hi guys,

I am doing some post-shoot processing.
Some of my shots turned out bad cause there are a bit out of focus.
Seem to be a little blur along the sides.
I'm not sure how that happened.

In any case...is there a software which can help correct the slightly out-of-focus shots?
OR is it purely a case of learning from experience and having better technique when shooting?

Thanks much for you tips.

Eu

 

[Brukmann]

You can sharpen things a bit in photoshop. It's in Filters>Sharpen. I'd suggest using unsharp mask or smart sharpen

 

[eunene]

Cool.
I'm kinda experimenting a bit with GIMP too.

Any tips for GIMP?

 

[rijac]

Cool.
I'm kinda experimenting a bit with GIMP too.

Any tips for GIMP?

gimp has unsharp mask too. filters = enhance = unsharp mask


for smart sharpening, here is a tutorial.

http://www.gimpguru.org/Tutorials/SmartSharpening2/

 

[JS040506]

You might want to try this :
http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconfilter.html

Good for a noob like me. Basic functions - free to use.

 

[YSLee]

This is another one that comes up quite often. The answer is no, you can't salvage it with current tech. Just learn what you can on how to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

 

[ortega]

best is to shoot well in the first place

but however, you can fool the eye to believe that it is sharper by software

 

[alvin]

Wavelet Sharpening:
http://registry.gimp.org/node/9836

NB: I'm on osx and that version of gimp already comes with it installed. On linux I had to compile. I don't use windows so I have no idea on that platform.

Background:
http://keithwiley.com/astroPhotography/imageSharpening.shtml

It's very interesting as wavelet sharpening seems to target all the frequencies of the image and sharpens 'em up, vs usm which only targets a specific area to sharpen. In any case, I just use wavelet sharpening 'cause the results seem pretty good. Gimp has usm and a few other filters in the "enhance" menu

 

[night86mare]

In any case...is there a software which can help correct the slightly out-of-focus shots?
OR is it purely a case of learning from experience and having better technique when shooting?

Thanks much for you tips.

Eu

if you resize it, and ok with resizing it, then it will look sharper than it is, with proper sharpening techniques.

you can try this, resize to TWICE the final size, sharpen TWICE, then resize to final size, it will work for anything that is slight.

but that will do nothing to the full size picture.

 

[eunene]

This is another one that comes up quite often. The answer is no, you can't salvage it with current tech. Just learn what you can on how to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

AH...the senior member has spoken.
I suspected as much.

Am just trying to get the best out of my shots until...I HAVE BECOME BETTER!
Shall try again...
Thanks much.

 

[eunene]

if you resize it, and ok with resizing it, then it will look sharper than it is, with proper sharpening techniques.

you can try this, resize to TWICE the final size, sharpen TWICE, then resize to final size, it will work for anything that is slight.

but that will do nothing to the full size picture.

For some strange reason...I couldn't help but think of your idea like the old Nintendo64 Game Cartridges. You know how they used to jam and couldn't load...then you'd take it out...blow on the cartridge edge and then proceed to do 3 sharp knocks along one of its corners. Presto! It works again... (or that banging the ol' TV on its side)

Somehow...you dunno why it fixes stuff...but it DOES!
I will have to try your idea man...

 

[night86mare]

For some strange reason...I couldn't help but think of your idea like the old Nintendo64 Game Cartridges. You know how they used to jam and couldn't load...then you'd take it out...blow on the cartridge edge and then proceed to do 3 sharp knocks along one of its corners. Presto! It works again... (or that banging the ol' TV on its side)

Somehow...you dunno why it fixes stuff...but it DOES!
I will have to try your idea man...

hahaha..

well, it improves sharpness by leaps and bounds on sharp pictures, and it has worked for me for some shots with slight handshake..

 

[eunene]

You might want to try this :
http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconfilter.html

Good for a noob like me. Basic functions - free to use.

Thanks. I downloaded it.
Kinda working with it and GIMP now...
See which interface I like.

Any more tips? Either links to tutorials or tips you discovered yourself?
Thanks for help

 

[YSLee]

if you resize it, and ok with resizing it, then it will look sharper than it is, with proper sharpening techniques.

you can try this, resize to TWICE the final size, sharpen TWICE, then resize to final size, it will work for anything that is slight.

but that will do nothing to the full size picture.

Just to clarify a bit: Yes it won't do anything for the full-sized picture; meaning this will only work if you are printing at smaller sizes than the original target.

And only if the blur is slight.

Which means, not very much until you view it at full size.

 

[karnage]

Unsharp mask works by increasing the contrast at the edges of lines right? It's like, increasing the apparent sharpness... I wonder if blurring the other out of focus areas even more will give your subject increased apparent sharpness as well? Hahaha!

 

[Limsgp]

There's a program called focusmagic or something like that..

It "uses advanced forensic strength deconvolution technology to literally "undo" blur and recover lost detail." <- quoted from the website.

Most other methods like USM just creates the illusion of sharpness. This one actually sharpens the picture.

Of course, nothing beats a well taken picture. but if you're talking about salvaging OOF pictures, that might help.