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gives the user more sliders along with equalizer control. Live preview can be used to show the final image after editing, can show a split between the edited version and the original, and can show images as a full-screen preview. Right-clicking causes the image preview to temporarily be replaced with the original version. A slider exists to select custom zoom, and in most filter tabs, a magnifying class can be used to view portions of a picture at higher magnification. In some filters, an "edit map" can be used to view which areas which will be affected from those filters. There is also a filter-guide
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781:— can still be performed in Helicon. Using the brushes, one object from an image can be neatly painted into another. Text and frames can also be put into an image using the Frames filter. Even with these workarounds, however, Helicon Filter, due to its lack of layer support, can not do some things that Photoshop can. For example, an object painted in from another picture can not later be moved to a different location in the new picture. (Helicon Soft has mentioned plans to implement layers in upcoming versions.)
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552:. Movie files may be played back, though they may not be edited. In the free version, files may only be saved as jpegs and bitmaps. As a security means in certain licenses to prevent extended license periods, photos dated later than the date of the computer do not open, and this has caused some complaints from those who have mis-dated pictures.
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photographs; menus and toolbars containing edit options are replaced with "filter" tabs, each tab containing labeled edit options. Due to this simplification, Helicon Filter is unable to perform
Photoshop's abilities of advanced layer manipulation and graphic creation, and Helicon does not have full selection editing abilities.
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support. Layers allow the user to edit elements of an image individually and to move elements or objects from one image to another. Helicon Filter does not support layers, however two common functions of layers — adding a subject or background from one photograph to another and adding text and frames
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Frames and text can be added to an image using the Frames tab. Frames and text can also be positioned in various parts of the photo and rotated. The frames can be colored as a function of the actual image or as a solid color, a few frame effects are available (Shadow, 3D frame, Smoothed 3D, Fade out,
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can be adjusted through color sliders or by selecting an area of the picture that should be white or match a predefined "memory color". Equalizers control spectral sensitivity and saturation by color. The brightness, hue and saturation of a color range can also be modified in a process often referred
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Aside from those differences, both programs share almost all practical functionality for image improvement. For example, both programs are able to retouch images, sharpen them, modify colors, remove red eye, remove aberrations, compensate for lens distortion, and perform many similar functions. Both
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can be removed in the
Aberration filter by selecting an aberration color and adjusting the Radius, Brightness threshold, and Color tolerance sliders. There is also a tool to reduce lateral aberrations. This filter works by taking all areas in a picture with the defined aberration color and reducing
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Some features of
Helicon Filter which are not found in Photoshop and which contribute to the program's ease of use are its Erase changes brush, its ability to edit, change and undo various aspects of a photo independently, and its edit mapping ability which indicates which areas of a photo will be
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removal, distorting, and replacing of a background or subject. A brush also exists to erase either changes of other brushes or all effects from all filters. The Delete scratches, Reduce noise, Distort, and
Replace sky/background brushes are only available in expert preview mode. The brushes' size,
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Helicon Filter's live preview can be used in either simple mode (commercial and freeware versions) or expert mode (commercial versions only). Simple mode allows the user to control aspects of the picture with fewer sliders, fewer brushes, no equalizers and no
Aberrations filter, while expert mode
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and menus containing editing tools are replaced with labeled "filter" tabs, each tab containing labeled edit options specific to a single aspect of the picture. Although some editors used to
Photoshop-style programs may initially find this layout unfamiliar and unlike the standard toolbar layout,
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manipulation. It is designed to allow the user a wide range of control over image manipulation and features a wide range of functions and controls. Helicon Filter, on the other hand, is designed for less experienced users while still providing advanced tools needed to improve already existing
357:(HDR) can be created using the Increase dynamic range command. Secondly, the program is able to stack several images with high noise levels into one low-noise picture. Finally, the program is partially capable of stacking images of a moving subject together to create effects of
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214:, developed and published by Helicon Soft Ltd. Unlike these other programs, Helicon Filter is designed primarily to edit and improve existing photos and not for graphics creation. Helicon Filter's interface also differs from other programs in that compact
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In the
Sharpening filter, sliders allow for the sharpening of both small details and edges. In expert preview mode, an equalizer can be used to sharpen specific colors and leave others unchanged. White halos can also be suppressed when sharpening.
440:, a common aberration type, is easiest to remove, purple is by default the aberration removal color. Optical aberrations, such as red/cyan fringing, are more difficult to remove and often must be cloned out in order to remove them completely.
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photography to capture such things as moving stars, however
Helicon Filter cannot spread out the frames to amplify a subject's motion (e.g. landing bird, flipping gymnast) or create GIF movies from these images.
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of a photograph can be improved using the
Contrast, Gamma, Exposure, Local contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Black point, and White point sliders. An equalizer to control effect by exposure (with a zone slider for
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In the
Retouching tab, brushes can be selected to perform such tasks as removal of imperfections, cloning, brightness correction, color alteration, saturation alteration, focus correction, noise reduction,
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and size can be controlled, and, as with the frames, can be colored as a function of the photograph or as a solid color. One is also able to control the texture and transparency of this text.
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An "edit map" indicating (in pink) which areas of the picture will be affected by a specific filter. In this example, "Noise map" is used to show where noise reduction will be applied.
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can be controlled, horizontal and vertical perspective may be changed, the image may be stretched and squeezed, the image may be skewed, h-bend can be controlled, and
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In Helicon Filter Home and Pro, one is able to stack several images of the same subject where the pictures are of the same dimensions. The program does not implement
580:, and TIFF LZW files. When saving files as JPEGs, the user can select the JPEG quality and calculate the files size. Processing of raw images is done with either
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or Helicon's older raw conversion process, from Polybytes. Files can also be printed within Helicon Filter, emailed, or sent to mobile phones. Complete
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Oval, Background highlighting, and Background shadow), and the size of frames can be controlled. Text may also be inserted in this filter. The text's
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Helicon Filter, formally Helicon NoiseFilter, was introduced in August, 2004 as Helicon Filter 1.61, by Helicon Soft, Ltd., a company based in
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file format), however many of these plugins do not properly function in Helicon Filter and other programs which claim their support.
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beginners and those who don't recognize the standard icons generally find this very helpful for getting through the editing process.
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map feature which, based on a special photograph, allows the user to define certain areas in the picture which would have dust and
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programs are also able to open and save images from a wide range of formats including the latest raw formats, PNG and JPEG 2000.
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Both Helicon Filter and Adobe Photoshop are able to blend and combine images in several different ways, most notably as
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softness, intensity and edge sensitivity can be controlled. All strokes performed in this tab may be undone.
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for customized stacking, rather the program has built in stacking for specific uses. Firstly,
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and grain can be controlled in the Noise filter using the Noise level, Highlights,
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of an image. The image may be sized by custom pixels, pre-defined print sizes and
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Individual photos can be tagged with speech or text notes. Files may be saved as
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can be corrected. This feature is especially useful for photographs taken with a
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Helicon Filter supports the most common raster graphic file formats, such as
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An element of Photoshop necessary for advanced image manipulation is use of
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Outback Photo essay on noise reduction technique using Helicon Filter 1.61
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Noise reduction in Helicon Filter. The original is the one on the right.
729: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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899:"Download.com information for Helicon Filter 3.10, from July, 2005"
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using the Distortions filter. The original is the one on the left.
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to help in going through a workflow of the different filter tabs.
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ability, though it also had some other basic features such as
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An example of barrel distortion compensation of a 15 mm
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Another important element of Photoshop, the acceptance of
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can be viewed as a separate window within Helicon Filter.
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which would work with Photoshop (i.e., they are in the
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is one of the most well-known programs for commercial
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Helicon Filter may be opened from Helicon Focus and
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745:Learn how and when to remove this message
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685:Removal of unwanted elements (around a
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333:Helicon Filter is designed to support
16:Editing software for Microsoft Windows
833:Comparison of raster graphics editors
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45:Helicon Filter 4.81 running on
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862:Helicon Soft's contact page
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924:"File types helicon focus"
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1123:Windows-only freeware
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804:panoramic photography
695:Compared to Photoshop
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399:exposure and lighting
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1022:Helicon Filter forum
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618:Corel Paint Shop Pro
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598:Helicon Photo Safe
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159:.heliconsoft
55:Developer(s)
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687:house finch
453:Distortions
387:dead pixels
375:Image noise
269:HDR imaging
190:proprietary
142:Proprietary
1102:Categories
1087:Photo Safe
994:2007-04-02
958:2007-07-13
933:2023-04-17
909:2006-11-23
884:2006-11-23
849:References
622:8BF plugin
510:Retouching
467:vignetting
444:Sharpening
393:Brightness
383:dead pixel
359:time-lapse
263:including
193:commercial
99:2013-06-18
47:Windows XP
610:Photoshop
570:JPEG 2000
546:JPEG 2000
544:formats,
243:support,
197:shareware
822:See also
620:, as an
487:resizing
483:cropping
477:Resizing
245:exposure
223:Overview
216:toolbars
188:, was a
184:, or as
146:Freeware
789:plugins
628:Gallery
572:, PSD,
517:red-eye
379:Shadows
335:plugins
329:Plugins
297:Italian
289:Spanish
277:Russian
273:English
265:cloning
253:red eye
233:Ukraine
229:Kharkov
178:Helicon
152:Website
137:License
97: (
74:2004-08
72: (
1077:Filter
774:layers
762:bitmap
616:, and
606:Picasa
562:Bitmap
497:Frames
459:barrel
419:to as
410:Colors
351:layers
323:wizard
285:French
281:German
182:Filter
1082:Focus
766:image
582:dcraw
550:TIFFs
293:Dutch
165:.html
800:HDRs
798:and
776:and
764:and
604:and
586:Exif
578:TIFF
566:JPEG
530:JPEG
504:font
485:and
397:The
295:and
212:GIMP
210:and
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161:.com
125:Type
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574:PNG
542:raw
538:PNG
534:GIF
491:DPI
461:or
361:or
339:8BF
241:raw
157:www
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