Best software for recovering an out of focus shot: One of my Bodies seems to be suffering from, front focusing. Lucky for me I rarely use that body and even less so at wide apertures.

wattsimages

One of my Bodies seems to be suffering from, front focusing. Lucky for me I rarely use that body and even less so at wide apertures.

But this got me thinking, what is the best software for recovering focus?
What is the most you could hope for?

An Adobe rep told me that the sharping brush was good for this with certain subjects. but this was a couple years ago and I'm wondering if there is something better?

JPL

There is no software that is good at recovering focus. Best you can do is to send in your body and have it adjusted or to fine tune it for your lenses if that is possible. Or buy a better body.

Macronaut Loc: Redondo Beach,Ca.

Of course addressing the front focus issue would be best.

However, I played around with the trial version of Topaz InFocus for a bit. Keep in mind that I didn't master it in such a short period of time but, here's what I did manage....

I took about 5 images that were "slightly" out of focus or had "slight" motion blur. Out of the 5, I had one that the results were amazing and not so much for the other 4. I did not purchase the plug-in but, in the right hands, I suspect someone else could likely manage better results for a higher percentage of images. I wouldn't expect miracles though :wink:

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Watts, personnaly I would not even attempt fixing an OOF shot.
I suggest to you if that body does not have the ability to Micro Adjust, I would send that body to the mothership along with the lens you use the most and have them take care of it.
Sounds like no matter how long you've had it, it must have been congenital and THEY should fix it.
Don't even chance screwing up good shots!! Good luck. ;-)
SS

wattsimages

No, AF fine tune will work fine. The Body D7100 is a fine camera as a back up. But this thread isn't about hardware.

I'll bet that our fellow forum readers have lots of thoughts on this...

Like
http://yuzhikov.com/articles/BlurredImagesRestoration1.htm

wattsimages

Flyextreme wrote:

Of course addressing the front focus issue would b... (show quote)

Topaz InFocus. next time I'm bored, I will give that a try. Its interesting how far the software has come. Of course, it's always better to get as close to perfect in cam. every photographer I know would rather be in the field, than stuck in the office.

Macronaut Loc: Redondo Beach,Ca.

wattsimages wrote:

Topaz InFocus. next time I'm bored, I will give that a try. Its interesting how far the software has come. Of course, it's always better to get as close to perfect in cam. every photographer I know would rather be in the field, than stuck in the office.

Yes, we all know "get it right in camera" but, on occasion, we want/need to try and salvage a less than perfect shot and this type of program can "sometimes" make that possible..........sometimes :wink:

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

If you are talking about getting an out of focus shot into focus it sounds like black magic. I'm sure some genius has come up with something but I doubt the results would be worth the effort. If you are talking about getting future shot in focus by correcting the front focusing, I can help. I use the Lena Align/Focus Tune system and it works.
http://michaeltapesdesign.com

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

wattsimages wrote:

One of my Bodies seems to be suffering from, front focusing. Lucky for me I rarely use that body and even less so at wide apertures.

But this got me thinking, what is the best software for recovering focus?
What is the most you could hope for?

An Adobe rep told me that the sharping brush was good for this with certain subjects. but this was a couple years ago and I'm wondering if there is something better?

I find that the best software is the "Delete" key.
Otherwise, it just looks like a turd with icing on it.

MarkintheHV Loc: Hudson Valley

SonnyE wrote:

I find that the best software is the "Delete" key.
Otherwise, it just looks like a turd with icing on it.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

wattsimages wrote:

One of my Bodies seems to be suffering from, front focusing. Lucky for me I rarely use that body and even less so at wide apertures.

But this got me thinking, what is the best software for recovering focus?
What is the most you could hope for?

An Adobe rep told me that the sharping brush was good for this with certain subjects. but this was a couple years ago and I'm wondering if there is something better?

There isn't any real way to recover focus that wasn't there to begin with. However, if the focus is only a little bit off, you can sometimes improve the appearance to sharpness. If you have Photoshop, look under the sharpening tools for Shake Reduction. I have had some success with this.

alandg46 Loc: Boerne, Texas

minniev wrote:

There isn't any real way to recover focus that wasn't there to begin with. However, if the focus is only a little bit off, you can sometimes improve the appearance to sharpness. If you have Photoshop, look under the sharpening tools for Shake Reduction. I have had some success with this.

If they are on the soft side, it works very well. But if they are truly out of focus, you're out of luck. I have salvaged a few.

DaveHam Loc: Reading UK

There is as others have commented no software that will solve an out of focus problem.
If the image is soft you can recover something by using a high pass filter combined with the sharpening tools in Photoshop or you can try software such as Focus Magic.
Whereas Photoshop uses contrast comparison in sharpening Focus Magic uses a comparative algorithm which under certain circumstances can improve a mildly soft image. Google them and try their freebie to see if it helps.
The problem with an unintentionally soft image is that any sharpening tends to produce unrealistic edges - so in most cases it is not worth the time spent doing it.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

DaveHam wrote:

There is as others have commented no software that will solve an out of focus problem.

Not true, Dave. I see it done all the time on detective shows where they zoom in on 3 pixels and can read a 6-digit license plate. :-D

Seriously, I tried Infocus and found it to fall far short of what was advertised.

From Infocus Advertising

(Download)

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

OddJobber wrote:

Not true, Dave. I see it done all the time on detective shows where they zoom in on 3 pixels and can read a 6-digit license plate. :-D

Seriously, I tried Infocus and found it to fall far short of what was advertised.

Advertising = Lying for profit.

Don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see.

Modern version:
Don't believe anything you hear, and only 5% of what you see.