One reality when taking
video captures to print is the constrained video resolution of
720/480/72 dpi. The video will look fabulous on a 60-inch plasma
screen, but still images intended for print are, for the most
part, unacceptable in both size and resolution. Many people resort
to Photoshop's bicubic or "nearest neighbor" feature
to "uprez" these files, but with mixed results. Bicubic
enlarging is somewhat inefficient because it interpolates between
existing pixels to create new ones; hence the generally unacceptable
results, particularly for highly enlarged images.
PhotoZoom Pro, from Shortcut, provides
enhanced capabilities to interpolate low resolution images, from
whatever source, to produce clean, impressive high resolution
still images. Rather than interpolating using existing pixels,
the program "intelligently" scans the sharp and smooth
areas of the image using a smarter algorithm to mathematically
assess what changes have to be made. The results, at least to
my eye, are much more pleasing than bicubic process. PhotoZoom
Pro also supports batch converting of a folder of images along
with a number of other features. The application is packaged
in a clean interface that acts as a standalone program or as
a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop.
PhotoZoom Pro competes with products
that cost slightly more and slightly less. They include Extensis
(Smartscale $199.95) and Lizard
Tech (Genuine Fractals $139.95). Although I've not tested
these two products, I am genuinely impressed with PhotoZoom Pro.
PhotoZoom ships in both a Pro and Basic
version. The Pro version supplies a more advanced version of
its featured S-Spline algorithm with additional controls, a batch
conversion utility, and an Adobe Photoshop export plugin. It
also supports 48- and 64-bit images. In my view, the additional
functionality between the two versions is worth the extra $40.00.
The following Macintosh image file formats are supported: JFIF,
DIB, BMP, PCX, TIFF, JPEG, and PCT. For PCs, you can import/export
JPG, JIF, PPM, TGA, TPIC, VDA, ICB, VST, BMP, DIB, and PCX.
The interface is clean and uncluttered:
Various resize algorithms are supported,
although the default S-Spline option produces the best results
in my testing.
Separate controls for setting image size,
and resolution are provided as part of the interface.
Finally, you can import a folder of digital
images, and apply settings for resizing them in a batch mode.
However, the real hallmark of PhotoZoom
Pro resides in the excellent image quality it produces. For example,
here is a jpeg image of some text at 720/480/72 dpi:
The same image enlarged to 200 dpi:
Another example is an exported file from
QT Pro Player from a sequence from Final Cut Pro.
Here's the same file doubled to 144 dpi:
(Opens in new page. 1mgb)
Example2.jpg.
A respected collegue onced remarked that
I seldom "gush"" about the capabilities of the
software I review. I have to say simply that PhotoZoom Pro produces
astonishingly good results in my view, qualitatively different
than bicubic enlarging. While PhotoZoom Pro isn't magic, it comes
awful close at times. If you ever have the need to scale digital
images to higher quality for whatever purpose, this is the best
$129.95 ticket I've yet to see.
Copyright ©2004 David
A. Saraceno
David
Saraceno is a motion graphics
artist located in Spokane, Washington. He has written for DV
Magazine, AV Video, MacHome Journal, and several state and national
legal technology magazines. David also moderates several forums
on 2-pop.com