PhotoRemedy

Program Version: 1.0

Available Topics

Introduction and Overview

Toolbar Buttons

Working with Modules

File Saving Ethics

Function Modules

Camera and Mode

Smart Photo Correction

Smart White Balance

Adjust Brightness

Adjust Contrast

Adjust Saturation

Adjust Hue

JPEG Quality

Save Photo As…

Contact Details and Further Information

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Introduction and Overview

PhotoRemedy is advanced and intelligent software designed solely for correcting the balance of photos. Over exposure, under exposure, problems with saturation, contrast and white balance can all be easily corrected. What’s more, not only does PhotoRemedy use intelligent photo balancing algorithms to correct your photos, it actually learns as it goes! In this way the software quickly increases it’s correction accuracy to exactly what you are looking for, so rather than manually adjusting sliders in a confusing array of effects, inter-effects and counter-effects to try and achieve a balance with every photo, with PhotoRemedy you simply open the photo and PhotoRemedy proposes an immediate correction that just gets better over time!

Even with photos that are seemingly lost due to over-exposure, under-exposure, backlighting etc PhotoRemedy can pull the photo back to looking great. Try it! Get out an old digital photo that came out just looking black, and you’d be amazed by how much image PhotoRemedy can restore to the photo!


Working with Modules

PhotoRemedy offer you a range of functions when working on your photos. These functions are arranged in groups called modules that you can easy turn on and off by checking and expanding the module, or by unchecking and minimizing the module. It is important to note that most modules will be switched off when minimized, therefore having no effect on your photo. Some modules, namely the Camera and Mode, JPEG Quality and “Save File As…” modules contain general settings that apply whether they are minimized or not.

For Help on any particular module you can click the “?” button at any time to bring up help specific to that module. If you wish to reset the values for a module, you can click the Revert to Defaults button which looks like a leftward pointing triangle.


File Saving Ethics

There is nothing worse than losing a valuable photo, and once lost nothing can get it back for you. For this reason PhotoRemedy currently has a policy of not saving over existing photos (it will add an “A” or number to the photo name). This prevents accidental over-writing of your photos. We encourage users to back-up their original photos, rather than delete the source image. With the cost of CD and DVD media today there is no real reason not to archive your source images, and you never know when you might want them in the future!


Cameras and Modes

Camera and Mode

When designing PhotoRemedy and it’s intelligent photo correction methods, we discovered that the changes that are needed to correct the photos from one camera are not the same as that of another. What’s more is that the differences between modes on the one camera were just as large! Therefore as PhotoRemedy learns how to best correct your photos, it stores this information against the camera and mode you were using. In this way it can accurately remember the appropriate settings for the photos you are dealing with. You might say that PhotoRemedy learns how to fix your photos, from your camera in the mode you like to use!

PhotoRemedy can equally learn from any other cameras or modes you use. Just remember to switch to that mode for those photos, that way the software can quickly and accurately learn along the way. The following factors are camera and mode dependent:

•	All base smart adjustments when “Plus Learning System” is checked under “Smart Photo Correction” module.

•	White balance adjustments when the “Camera Correction” option is selected under “Smart White Balance” module.

If you create a camera or mode that you would like to later delete, you can go to the folder PhotoRemedy was installed to (C:\Program Files\PhotoRemedy\ by default) and delete the mode's folder from the Camera directory, or the Mode's directory from the relevant camera's directory.


Smart Photo Correction

PhotoRemedy utilizes advanced photo information collection, combined with dynamic photo analysis, to calculate how to best correct a photo. This smart system attempts to adjust the photo without any input from you, making photo correction quick and easy. The system cannot be perfect though, as every camera, photo, monitor and user’s preferences are different. Therefore the software learns from the changes you make to settings such as brightness, contrast and saturation, and uses that information when calculating the corrections required to photos in the future.

Plus Learning System: Check this box to have PhotoRemedy use it’s learned knowledge when calculating the changes required to correct the photo. PhotoRemedy remembers the changes you have made when you save a photo. Unchecking this option causes PhotoRemedy to use it’s default smart adjustment algorithms only.

Light Source Correction: Sometimes a photo is well balanced, but still does not display the parts of the photo you are interested in. One example of this is where a light-source, such as a bright window, the reflection from the camera flash, or a lamp in the room, has caused the rest of the photo to appear unnaturally dark. PhotoRemedy allows you to exclude these light-sources in it’s smart correction calculations by checking this box. This has the effect of lightening the photo, by balancing the photo's brightness with reference to the darker areas of the photo only.

Light Source Correction Slider: Adjust this slider until all the parts you wish to exclude when calculating smart correction for this photo appear black in the thumbnail. If you are adjusting the slider by dragging it with your mouse, release the mouse to see the exclusion mask.

Dark Background Correction: Sometimes a photo is well balanced, but still does not display the parts of the photo you are interested in. This can be due to dark areas in the photo, such as a darkened window in the background, or a photo outside at night, or even a very dark object in a light room. PhotoRemedy allows you to exclude these dark objects in it’s smart correction calculations by checking this box. This has the effect of darkening the photo, by balancing the photo's brightness with reference to the lighter areas of the photo only.

Dark Background Correction Slider: Adjust this slider until all the parts you wish to exclude when calculating smart correction for this photo appear white in the thumbnail. If you are adjusting the slider by dragging it with your mouse, release the mouse to see the exclusion mask.


Smart White Balance

It is very common for cameras to have errors in the white balance of a photo. This makes the photo appear to have a colored tint applied, for example the photo may appear slightly bluish, or reddish. PhotoRemedy allows you to correct the white balance in photos extremely easily. All you have to do is click on a part of the image that should have been white (or grey). PhotoRemedy then assesses the color of the chosen pixel and calculates the change that would be required to remove the tint from the photo. It’s that easy! As every photo does not have something in it that should have been uncolored, it is recommended that you save a preset for the camera and mode you are using. As white balance errors are usually set with camera and mode, this is an easy and convenient solution to fixing the problem in your photos.

Camera Correction: This option uses the last saved default preset correction for this camera and mode. If no default preset has been saved for the current camera and mode, then no correction will take place.

Pixel Based: Select this option and PhotoRemedy will present you with a copy of the source image in the thumbnail area. Simply click something in the photo that should be without color. This might be a white wall or a white or grey object in the photo. It is important to note that the object need not have been white, something that was grey is equally suitable. You can right-click and drag on the photo to move it around. You can left-click and drag to dynamically view the currently selected color. The current color, as well as the XY location of that pixel, is shown on the right.

Preset: This option allows you to use a preset white balance correction that you have previously saved. The current preset file being used, if any, will be shown to the right of the option.

Correction Strength Slider: Adjust this slider to adjust the strength of the white balance correction. Adjusting to 0 will cause no adjustment to be made, while adjusting to 100 will cause complete color correction to be applied.

Open Preset: This allows you to open and use a preset white balance correction that you have previously saved.

Save Preset: Click to save the current settings as the default correction for the current camera and mode, or to save the settings as a separate white balance preset file.


Adjust Brightness

Adjust this slider to the right to increase the brightness of the photo, slide it to the left to decrease the brightness.


Adjust Contrast

Adjust this slider to the right to increase the contrast of the photo, slide it to the left to decrease the contrast.


Adjust Saturation

Adjust this slider to the right to increase the saturation of the photo, slide it to the left to decrease the saturation.


Adjust Hue

You can adjust the hue of your photo by clicking and dragging the crosshairs on the color wheel in the direction of the change in hue you wish to apply. The further from the center you move the crosshairs, the greater the change in hue. You can see the strength of the change by comparing the In color to the Out color. To select the In color, simply click on the color in the thumbnail.

You can intensify a color in the photo by clicking on it, and then left-clicking the In color. This will adjust the cross-hairs in the direction of the chosen color with each click. To minimize a color in the photo, click on the color, then right-click the In color. This will adjust the cross-hairs away from the direction of the chosen color.

You can increase the change in hue in the current direction by left-clicking the Out color. This will adjust the cross-hairs out further in the same direction with each click. You can decrease the currently selected change in hue by right-clicking the Out color. This will adjust the crosshairs in the opposite direction with each click.


JPEG Quality

This slider adjusts the quality of saved images. Adjusting the slider to the left decreases the image quality as well as the file size, while adjusting it to the right raises the photo quality and file size.


Save Photo As...

Save Photo As…

This module contains functions associated with saving images.

Filename: The drop-down list contains a list of suggested names for the adjusted photo, as well as the option to be prompted for a filename when you save.

Learn from this photo: Check this box if you want PhotoRemedy to learn from the current photo when you save it. You might uncheck this if you are adjusting a photo in an abnormal way that you did not wish PhotoRemedy to remember and try and replicate in your future photos.

Adjust!: Click this button to apply the current settings to the full-sized photo.

Save: Save the photo to disk. If you have selected “Other (prompt)…” in the filename box, you will be prompted for a name and location to save the file to.


Toolbar Buttons

Open: Open a photo from disk.

Save: Save the current photo to disk.

Restore: Restore the current photo to it’s original balance.

Preview: Adjust the thumbnail of the current photo only, which allows you a quick way to preview the current adjustments to your photo.

Adjust: Adjust the current photo.

Help: Open this Help system.

Purchase: Open the registrations dialog where you can enter your registration details as well as go online and purchase PhotoRemedy.

/Options: (Registered users only) Change the default behavior of PhotoRemedy.

Exit: Exit the application.

Copy (Source Image): Copy the source image to the clipboard, so that you can paste it into other applications.

Paste (Source Image): Paste the image on the clipboard into PhotoRemedy so that you can adjust it.

Copy (Thumb): Copy the current thumbnail image to the clipboard.


Other Information

This program is shareware and may be distributed and freely used in its shareware state. For full information on what usage you are authorized for please see our site.

PLEASE NOTE: the program is a 32-bit application, and as such will not run on anything previous to Windows 95.

This program and all associated files and documentation are copyright 2004, Pollen Software. If you have any suggestions for improvements to the program then please contact us.

You can find us on the Internet at:

Pollen Software (http://www.pollensoftware.com/)

Purchase Details can be found on our Online Registration Page

Program Information and Updates can be found at the Homepage for PhotoRemedy