There are several programs and plug-ins on the market that take a quality low resolution image and enlarge it 2, 3, 5, or 10 times its original size or higher and still keep it a print worthy image. PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 is one such plug-in. It uses an enlargement technology called S-Spline XL, S-Spline XL is marketed as the number one image resize technology in the world.
However, no program (or plug-in) can take a small low resolution image and enlarge it even 2 times it’s original size and have it look like an image that was originally photographed or scanned at that size. In other words what I am saying is if you have a 1MP digital camera image and you use an enlargement program on it and you make it a 2MP image that image still only contains 1MP worth of image detail and does not contain the image detail that a 2MP image shot originally as a 2MP image has.
Why is this you might ask? Because the 1MP of data added to that 1MP image is only guessed data. Now each enlargement method be it a program, plug-in or the resize options built-in to your image editing application all generate the new 1MP of data in different ways and so some do a much better job than others, but it is still guessing. It is looking at the image data and then guessing at what to add to make it bigger. This is why digital zoom in a digital camera will give you softer or blurry images than the images taken with digital zoom off, the camera is basically taking the image, cropping it (to get the zoom you want, but don’t have the actual camera optics to get it) and then enlarging the image back to the cameras set resolution. When it enlarges it, it guesses at what data it needs to add.
Lets face it no camera or software program knows a tree from a car and it certainly doesn’t know the tree you are photographing from any other tree so it can’t possibly add image data that would actually add more detail to the image it just isn’t possible and will never be possible. When you see TV shows or movies take a low resolution video camera still and zoom in 1000 times to see a license plate or something that is more than faked, it is impossible. The image just doesn’t contain enough data to do that no matter what type of software you use. Any ways, let’s move on.
So it is important to understand that your 1MP image or even your 10MP image is never going to have more detail than your source image no matter what you use to enlarge it, no ands if’s or buts’. In fact some enlargement methods like the Bicubic method that is standard in programs like Adobe Photoshop can cause detail loss, it softens and blurs what is there. This isn’t a problem for moderate enlargements like doubling an images size, but to go larger that is a very big problem.
Now let’s face it there are times in everyone’s life when you have no choice but to enlarge a smaller image in order to be able to use it for what you need to use it for. It is one of Murphy’s Laws. So the important thing is how you enlarge it, because as I said not all enlargement methods are created equal. Some are very poor and some a very good. In the Image Gallery section I have a sample showing some of the more common ways of enlarging an image. To sum this up, it is “always” better to use a specialized program or plug-in to do your enlarging, you will always get better results. One such program is PhotoZoom Pro 2.0.
How Does PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 Work?
Well, to make sure that this is explained correctly I am going to quote information that was provide to me from the makers of PhotoZoom Pro 2.0.
- - From BenVista Software - -
The previous version of PhotoZoom Pro already offered the renowned S-Spline resizing method. PhotoZoom Pro 2 adds a new and improved technique, named "S-Spline XL".
The original S-Spline method intelligently analyzed the sharpness and evenness of the original image. Where areas vary in structure, S-Spline adapts its approach. It works more "aggressively" in areas with high contrast, while it interpolates and take a gentler approach to smoother areas. This allows S-Spline to preserve edges and sharpness in the original image. S-Spline does not attempt to add "new image detail", it uses the original information in an intelligent way.
Just like S-Spline, the new S-Spline XL technique also preserves edges and original sharpness, but it does more. It actually adds detail, by re-constructing shapes. Furthermore, while S-Spline is mainly good at preserving strong contrasts (edges), S-Spline XL also adds improved preservation, and it can even boost fine and subtle details.
Both the S-Spline and S-Spline XL’s resizing techniques come with various presets, such as "Photo - Soft", "Photo - Detailed", and "Graphics". Most presets speak for themselves, but special attention should be paid to the S-Spline XL "Reduce noise/artifacts" preset. This particular preset works very well on images that contain noise or JPEG artifacts (think of low-quality pictures from the internet!).
While JPEG artifacts and noise are normally being enlarged along with the rest of the image (as if they were details that need to be preserved), S-Spline XL's "Reduce noise/artifacts" preset filters these kinds of distortions out in a rather nifty way, with smooth enlargements as a result.
The different presets are good most average images and great starting points for the not so average image, but in addition, the S-Spline and S-Spline XL settings are fully tweakable. The user can create custom presets, which can be saved for later use.
- - End BenVista Software - -
I have in the past tried to compare the various image enlargement applications and plug-ins based solely on their technology and how they do it. This proved to be fruitless, you simply can’t do it that way. Instead the best way to compare is to try each program or plug-in on the same image enlarging by the same amount and then compare the images side by side. In the end it isn’t what technology they use that is important it is how the image looks in the end that matters.
It is also important to point out that not all images work with the same program or plug-in. To get the best results possible (if the end result is that critical) you may need to have several such programs on hand and use the one that works with that image the best. Now for those of us that are using even large format desktop inkjet printers this isn’t really something we have to worry about. However, if you’re planning to take a 10MP image and blow it up to billboard size, you can be sure that using the best program for the image will be very important.
I have provided several samples in the Image Gallery below and they are all labeled so you will know what you’re looking at. I find PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 to do a very good job. What I like about it over say Alien Skin’s Blow Up program is that PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 gives you a lot more control over the process. You can really get in there and tweak the enlargement to get the best enlargement possible, it doesn’t take a one setting fits all type of approach. Another advantage is PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 works with any Adobe Photoshop plug-in compatible program, Blow Up is Photoshop only.
In the end you have to decide which enlargement program is for you. I like PhotoZoom and the control it gives me. I think it does a remarkably good job on photographs and a not so good job with text (see text samples in the Image Gallery section), however I do have one complaint. Since I find adding a bit of film grain to my enlarged images helps make them look more real and less plastic I wish like Alien Skin Blow Up that PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 had a way of adding this grain. Having to go an extra step is just a wasted bit of time when it should be in the program itself.
My only other complaint is that PhotoZoom doesn’t work like you would expect. Instead of calling it up like you would any other plug-in in Photoshop you have to load your image and then go to File > Export > PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 and then from PhotoZoom your enlarged image is saved, you then exit back to your image editing application and can then load your enlarged image. I wish it worked like a regular plug-in and didn’t require you to export it and then load it. It should just enlarge it and leave you in your imaging application and leave it up to you whether or not to save it. Again, just an un-necessary waste of time.
Neither of these problems are enough to keep me from using it. They are just usability issues and ones I hope will be fixed. It should be noted that PhotoZoom Pro 2.0 can also be used as a standalone program so even if you don’t have an image editor like Adobe Photoshop you can still use it. As for the new S-Spline XL, it seems to do a better job than the old S-Spline method (which is still available for you to use). However, I can't say that the new XL method adds detail to the enlargement like BenVista claims, I just don't see it. That doesn't mean it isn't there, it just means I don't see it.
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