PhotoOptics User Guide

Fireworks and Photoshop compatible Digital-Optical Color Filters

I. OVERVIEW

CSI PhotoOptics filters provide the most efficient and precise way to color
correct your image based on traditional photographic principles. CSI
PhotoOptics consists of eight filters designed for use by graphic designers
creating images. These filters are designed to bring out the maximum
potential in your image by controlling and manipulating exposure,
contrast and colorcasts. Included are powerful controls for color negative
inversal and special effects such as accurate
Sepia tones, infrared simulations and flexible noise generation.

II. FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

CSI PhotoOptics filters are based on photographic methods and can
manipulate and modify RGB images.

True Photographic Color Correction
==================================
PhotoOptics provides several filters designed for color correction. For
example, the CSI Levels filter is used to increase or reduce contrast in
specific parts of the tonal range.

Creative Tools for Colorization
===============================
The CSI GradTone filter can be used as a quick way to colorize an image.
The CSI HueSlider can slide an image toward a specific target color.
The CSI Monochrome filter produces a monochromatic image using Hue,
Saturation and Exposure controls.

Photographic Gel and Lens Filter Effects
========================================
The CSI PhotoFilter is useful for modifying the color cast of the entire
image, matching the effects of gels and optical filters used by
photographers. In addition to adding or subtracting specific colors, you
can also manipulate the exposure of the image.

True Color Negative Inversal and Infrared Simulations
=====================================================
PhotoOptics' CSI Negative filter converts a scanned negative to a positive
image with additional control over highlight, shadow and overall exposure
to counter the effect of tonal compression found in negative film. It can be
used to create pop art effects or to mimic the look of infrared film.

Flexible Noise Generation
=========================
The CSI Noise filter creates photorealistic random noise throughout the
image. Apply noise in varying size and density of grain. A Luminance
control switches the Noise filter from color noise to brightness noise. Use
this filter to simulate grain in film, and also to make monochromatic
backgrounds blend seamlessly into composites.

III. USER INTERFACE

All of the PhotoOptics filters feature a common user interface. This makes
navigating in the filter dialogs more intuitive. Here are some of the tools
you will be using.

Dynamic Previews
================
At the top of each PhotoOptics filter are 'before' and 'after' previews.
The first preview on the left is a thumbnail of the original image. This
thumbnail does not change. The second preview on the right is dynamic, and
allows you to see the changes you specify in realtime.

On-Line Help
============
All of the filters have a help button located at the bottom right of the
filter dialog. The help screen highlights the functions of each button or
icon in the filter. Click the Finished button to return to the filter
dialog.

Reset, Cancel and OK
====================
All PhotoOptics filters have three buttons labeled Reset, Cancel and OK.
Clicking on the OK button causes the filter to apply the current settings
to the image, or selected areas of the image. Clicking on the Cancel button
closes the filter's dialog without any changes to the image. Clicking on
the Reset button sets all the controls in that filter to their default
positions. PhotoOptics filters remember the last settings used when the
filter was closed either by clicking on the Cancel or OK buttons.

Color Selection
===============
There are generally at least two ways to choose color in most of the filters:

The primary method is by using the actual color correction presets as in
the case of CSI PhotoFilter or CSI MonoChrome.

The second method of picking a color is by using the eyedropper button in
the appropriate filters. To use the eyedropper click the button first to
engage color sampling. This causes the eyedropper button to reverse out.
Move the eyedropper cursor on top of the desired color and click again.
This sets the sampled color to be the current color in the swatch. The
eyedropper will sample colors from the image, the Windows Desktop or other
swatches open in the background. In short, it will sample any color that
you are able to move the cursor on top of.

The third way to select color is by clicking on the color swatch, or
swatches that most of the filters have. Clicking on the color swatch
displays the System color picker. You can then choose the desired color.

Presets
=======
Each filter has its own set of default settings or presets which you can
customize further. The controls for default settings consist of three buttons
and a popup menu. The popup menu is used to select a previously saved or
supplied setting. The buttons are Save, New and Delete. The Delete button
is inactive or gray in color if no named preset has been selected.

The Save button will save the current settings into whatever name is
currently shown. If no named preset is selected, the Settings option allows
you to save a new preset.

The New button allows you to save a new preset based on your current
settings. When entering a name for a new preset, do not use any character
other than letters or numbers. If you type in a character that is a System
7 Menu command such as "(", "^", "<", "*" or "!" these characters will be
automatically converted to "*". If you type a name that already exists in
the list of presets, an alert dialog will appear, asking if you wish to
replace the existing preset with the same name. Click on the Replace
button to use the new settings in place of the old.

The difference between Save and Replace is that newly created defaults
using the Replace and New buttons append the new defaults at the end of the
list, while the Save button leaves the updated name at its current position
in the list of defaults.

To delete an already saved or previously saved preset, select the preset
first, then click on the Delete button.

IV. USING THE FILTERS

Startup Defaults
================
When starting a PhotoOptics filter for the first time after installation,
the controls will be at the Reset position. After using a filter at least
once, one of two actions may occur depending on when the filter is called.
If the filter is called a second time without quitting Fireworks first, the
same defaults, including the preset's name, is retained. If the filter is
called after Fireworks is started again, the last-used settings are
remembered, but not the preset's name.

Grayscale Equivalent
====================
PhotoOptics filters often do calculations based on a grayscale equivalent.
The grayscale equivalent is a luminance scale that is used to measure the
brightness of a color, as opposed to its hue. The average value of the
three primary colors: red, green and blue (RGB) are calculated, and this
value is used in brightness computations. The grayscale equivalent value is
useful when we need to know what gray would produce the same brightness as
the mixture of colors being viewed.

CSI GradTone
============
The CSI GradTone filter is analogous to using a split field or graduated
chromatic filter on your camera lens. These traditional filters have color
spread over only half of their field, or in differing densities over the
entire surface. CSI GradTone's functionality extends well beyond this. Use
GradTone to selectively infuse parts of the image with a color, quickly
colorize an image using any number of colors, reproduce chemically correct
sepia tone reproductions and other effects.

How does it work?
This filter is used to replace or add to the existing colors of an image
based on the luminance of the image. The filter first computes the
grayscale equivalent of each pixel in the image and then either replaces
the pixel's components with new colors or applies the new colors in a
transparent fashion. It is important to note that CSI GradTone preserves
the tonal integrity of the image. In other words, color changes that are
introduced do not change the appearance of the original image in terms of
density. Only the color values change. This is especially important when
creating effects such as sepia, where it is important to preserve detail in
the original while the colors change.

The current color can be selected in one of two ways: Click on the large
color swatch to bring up the System Color Picker. Another method is to
click with the eyedropper on one of the preset color swatches in the filter
dialog.

Once a color has been selected, you need to apply that color to the black
Gradient Scale. The bar represents the total tonal range of the image
ranging from 0 to 255. We have added a static grayscale reference bar
beneath the Gradient Scale.

Placing a color at any point along the Gradient Scale will have an effect
on the pixels in the image that correspond to that position.

The transparency or opacity button when clicked allows the filter to either
replace the affected pixels with the colors on the black bar, or to apply
the colors on the black bar in a transparent fashion.

Transparent mode: In this mode, CSI GradTone results are filtered on top of
the existing image in a transparent fashion. This introduces a subtle cast
to the affected parts of the image.

Opaque mode: In this mode, the results of the filter override the existing
image completely. The results of this operation can produce striking
posterized effects.

If parts of the Gradient Scale are left Black, it indicates that no color
will be applied. This is similar to the effect produced by the clear glass
portion of a split field or graduated lens filter. In other words, no color
is added to the parts of the image corresponding to the black parts of the
Gradient Scale.

Note:
When we view the image in the Transparent mode, pixels corresponding to
Black on the Gradient Scale will not be affected. In the Opaque mode, the
corresponding range of pixels will be converted to a gray color with the
same luminosity as the original.

The Reverse Scale button switches the colors on the Gradient Scale from
left to right and right to left. Clicking on this button causes low
luminance settings to become high luminance settings and the reverse.

CSI GradTone can be used to generate subtle as well as precise color
replacements. Special cursor movements have been built in to facilitate
this. When applying a color to the Gradient Scale, if you wish the color to
be applied to either ends of the scale, first position the cursor anywhere
on the scale. Then click and move the cursor off the bar either to the left
or to the right towards 0 and 255 respectively. To blend two colors
seamlessly, sample the 'hot spot' of one of the color gradients in the
Gradient Scale, and click and drag to extend it in the direction of the
other color gradient. A hot spot is the area of the color where you first
clicked to lay it down on the Gradient Scale. This operation causes a smear
effect into the other color.

By applying many colors to the Gradient Scale in conjunction with gradient
and smear functions, very complicated color replacement schemes can be
derived.

The magnifying glass button above the eyedropper is called the Density
Scale. This may be used to examine the Gradient Scale to know the grayscale
equivalency of a certain color on the bar. The Density Scale mode stays on
as long as the mouse button is held down over the bar.

Hints and Tips
Remember that CSI GradTone replaces or enhances colors in the original
image by placing colors on the Gradient Scale. If we choose bright colors
to replace the shadow areas or dull colors to replace the highlights of an
image we can disrupt the tonal range of the image. This may in fact be the
effect you are seeking.

Graphic designers can use the luminance to color conversion feature of
GradTone to create striking effects. This filter is a favorite of
scientists and doctors for its ability to accurately highlight tones in
specific colors for clear viewing. An example: An x-ray consists only of
grayscale tones, some of which may be similar in appearance. By assigning
different colors to different gray scale values the resulting colored image
is much easier to interpret than a gray scale with small level differences.

CSI HueSlider
=============
This filter is used to slide an image toward a specified target color.
There are separate sliders for each of the primary colors: red, green and
blue. A fourth slider called Flood is used to control the amount of color
mixing and the saturation of the color. The function of the Flood slider is
to flood the image with the selected color, with maximum colorization
occurring when the slider is closest to level 255. All 4 sliders range in
value from 0 to 255.

Hints and Tips
Sliding the Flood control towards the right increases the apparent
brightness of an image dramatically achieving a washed out effect. CSI
HueSlider is a useful filter for quickly matching hue casts between images.

CSI Levels
==========
CSI Levels is designed for photographers and employs metaphors that are
easily understood by photographers for correcting tonal contrast in images.

CSI Levels allows you to manipulate the tonal range and exposure settings
for an image along perceptual lines, allowing for a maximum range for
highlights and shadow detail. It is now possible to assign deep blacks to
parts of shadow areas without compressing the rest of the tonal range to
accommodate this.

This filter is used to achieve two distinct, but similar effects
simultaneously. The primary purpose is to increase or decrease the
distinction between shades of color in an image. The visual effect of
carrying out this operation is accompanied by a change in overall contrast
and sharpness. There are many applications for this filter. CSI Levels can
be used to change the density of shadows and highlights, it can push
shadows into complete darkness or wash out highlights completely.
Additional controls for exposure settings allow you to obtain the best
overall exposure for the selected range of highlight and shadow detail.

The sharpening effect of CSI Levels is a result of how the eye interprets
blurring. The eye associates blurring with fine shade differences. This is
how anti-aliasing works. In anti-aliasing, the edges of objects are broken
down into a series of shades, the eye seeing these shades interprets the
edge as being less sharp. By preserving or enhancing the relationship of
adjacent colors, these fine differences are removed causing an apparent
increase in pixel level sharpness.

The Equalize button allows balancing the effects of shadow and highlight
settings to produce a more pleasing effect.

CSI Levels' approach to highlight and shadow compensation is different from
that of most curve setting tools, or tools based on a histogram. These
other tools shift the pixel brightness levels, while CSI Levels changes the
pixel's actual color values. The two effects are similar but not the same.
Additionally, increasing contrast using the other tools causes the new
values to be fit into a compressed histogram or tonal range.

How does CSI Levels operate on the tonal range?
CSI Levels alters contrast along perceptual lines. In order to alter tonal
contrast in an image, CSI Levels stretches the tonal range between -50% to
150%, expanded from the normal range of 0 to 100%. This creates a
temporarily expanded color space for tonal corrections. After you have made
your changes, this expanded color space can be compressed more smoothly
into the 0 to 255 range of levels. This technique helps to preserve tonal
relationships and produces smooth ramps and even distribution of tones.
This is especially critical when fine work is required such as working with
skin tones. Use the Exposure Control field to further enhance the smooth
quality of the image. CSI Levels with its extensive exposure controls
generally produces very satisfying results. Negative shadow values increase
sharpness or distinction between tones. Positive highlight values also
increase sharpness or tonal distinction. However you may run the risk of
losing valuable highlight detail in certain images. Adjust the overall
exposure to compensate for shadow or highlight settings that create an
image that is too dark or too light. in general, the equalize control
produces a more acceptable image than is produced by leaving the shadow
and highlight settings at different levels. There are cases when individually
setting highlight/shadow settings are preferable. If there is too much
shadow or highlight but the balance of the image is correct, then separate
adjustment is preferable.

As with all filters do not repeat the effects of a filter over and over.
Doing so will possibly destroy the desired effect. If you increase or
decrease contrast by applying the Levels filter repetitively, the smooth
quality of the image will be affected adversely.

CSI MonoChrome
==============
The CSI MonoChrome filter converts a color image into a monochromatic
image. This effect is similar to creating a duotone image in Photoshop. CSI
MonoChrome offers more controls to allow you to easily create monochromatic
images with greater flexibility. Related functions such as Hue, Saturation
and Exposure controls are offered within the same dialog. This is
advantageous because it allows you to customize your effect and eliminates
the need to process the image multiple times. As you are probably aware,
multiple passes of color correction will eventually degrade the image.

Hints and Tips
When creating a monochromatic image with extremes of color, either very
dark or bright, the exposure control should be adjusted to ensure that the
shadows or highlights are not lost during the monochromatic coloring
process.

CSI MonoChrome can also be used to convert a selected area of an image into
a gray scale representation of the image by reducing the saturation to zero.

CSI Negative
============
The CSI Negative filter is used to convert a negative film scan into a
positive image. CSI Negative has great value as a production tool for
accurate conversion of negative film into positive by removing the orange
cast in the base of the film stock; as well as for converting final color
images into negatives for output where required.

The properties of a negative film image are not just the inverse of a
positive image. If that were true then simply inverting the colors would
suffice. The chemical process that creates color negative film also
logarithmically compresses the inverted data and matches the inverted
colors to that of the acetate carrier material that generally has an orange
tint. The Negative filter addresses this tonal compression, removes the
orange cast and inverts the image data.

To convert a scanned color negative into a positive image, click on the
Reversal film check box. This enables color correction and tonal
decompression. If this option is left unchecked, only color inversion with
shadow, highlight and exposure compensation is performed.

Additional controls let you adjust the shadow, highlight and exposure
controls to compensate for negatives taken under varying light conditions.
Adjusting the highlight, shadow and exposure controls alter contrast along
perceptual lines. When altering the tonal contrast in an image, highlight
and shadow controls are able to stretch the tonal range between -50% to
150%, expanded from the normal range of 0 to 100%. This creates a
temporarily expanded color space for tonal corrections. After you have made
your changes, this expanded color space is compressed more smoothly into
the 0 to 255 range of levels. This technique helps to preserve tonal
relationships and produces smooth ramps and an even distribution of tones.
This is especially critical when fine work is required such as working with
skin tones. Use the Exposure Control field to further enhance the smooth
quality of the image.

The Equalize button allows balancing of the effects of shadow and highlight
settings to produce a more pleasing effect.

CSI Noise
=========
CSI Noise is used like CSI PhotoFilter to modify the overall cast of an
image. Whereas CSI PhotoFilter applies the filtration over the complete
image, CSI Noise applies its effect randomly.

CSI Noise is useful for producing a variety of effects. The Luminance check
box switches the results of the Noise filter from color noise to brightness
noise. In color noise mode (Luminance checkbox unchecked) the noise is
generated in the color described by the settings of Hue, Saturation and
Brightness. In brightness or luminance noise mode, the brightness of a
pixel is varied randomly depending on the Saturation setting. In other
words, the Saturation control sets the variance in the distribution of
luminance. In this mode, the Hue control does not affect anything.

In both modes, the Coverage field sets the percentage of the image that is
affected by the filter's operation.

Hints and Tips
When compositing pictures, placing an object against a flat colored
background may make the composition look wrong. This is because the
background is monochromatic while the image in front of the background is
photo-realistic. In this case, uncheck the Luminance check box, and use the
eyedropper to select the background color. Change the Hue slightly. Set
Coverage values in the low to medium range, and appropriate Saturation
values. This random noise creates simulated detail. This technique is also
useful for making 3-D images and compositions look more photo-realistic.

Using color noise with appropriate Hue, Saturation and Coverage values, it
is possible to simulate the effects of reticulation, a chemical process
performed in the darkroom. An application of luminance noise is to simulate
film grain where needed. This may be a desired effect for images shot with
digital cameras.

CSI PhotoFilter
===============
CSI PhotoFilter is used to modify the colorcast of a complete image.
Besides changing the color cast, CSI PhotoFilter can also change or correct
the exposure of the image. CSI PhotoFilter uses a sophisticated optical
color matching method that is different than simply adding or subtracting
color. It computes the effect of placing a traditional glass or gelatine
filter in front of a camera's lens. For example, if you have decided to add
red, the green and blue hues will be affected too, although inversely.
Optically, adding red is the same as subtracting green and blue. To ensure
correct tonal balance, CSI PhotoFilter adds the red and subtracts the green
and blue in percentages that preserves the overall tonal quality of the
image. CSI PhotoFilter simulates the effect of filters and is not the same
as using color-editing tools such as curves or levels in image editing
programs. Red has been used as an example but the method applies to any
selected color.

Another area that CSI PhotoFilter may be used in is to introduce color in
white areas of the image, or areas that have no tone whatsoever. This is
something that most color editing tools in image editing applications
cannot do easily.

Hints and Tips
Sampling the same color as the color of the image area being processed will
brighten that color. Adding the complement of the color will darken that
color in the image. Because it is difficult to calculate the correct
complementary color it is recommended that you use the eyedropper to obtain
a sample of the original color and then subtract that color by reducing the
brightness towards a negative value. Negative brightness values subtract
color, while positive brightness values add color. If you do not wish to
obtain an overly washed out effect apply the brightness control gradually.
CSI PhotoFilter can be used to change the colorcast of an image to imitate
moonlight, afternoon sunshine, green fluorescent lighting and other mood
effects. As you work with filter effects, keep in mind the exposure as
well. When simulating effects like Moonlight, for example, it is not enough
to make the image have a blue cast. The exposure of the image should also
be reduced to simulate the effects of photography under low light
conditions.

When using PhotoFilter presets, especially the color correction and light
balancing settings, please keep in mind that PhotoFilter will automatically
shift the exposure to compensate for the filter factor. This is similar to
using a real filter on a non-auto-exposure camera. In this case it is
necessary to increase the exposure to compensate for the loss of light
resulting from using the filter.

CSI PseudoColor
===============
CSI PseudoColor is used to create startling false color images. This type
of filter may be used as a creative tool to create extremely stylized pop
art effects; as well as in the production of scientific images. The
PseudoColor effect has been patterned after infrared color film with
various colored filters.

CSI PseudoColor is extremely sensitive to the brightness settings. If a low
Brightness level is set, the effect will be that of infrared film without
any filtration. To see the effect of filtration on the infrared simulation,
select appropriate Hue and Saturation settings and also use a relatively
high Brightness setting.

Hints and Tips
As with most special effect filters the effect is hard to describe as it is
greatly influenced by the choice of color filtration and the colors in the
original image. PseudoColor works best with vegetation and skin tones but
any image may be used if pop art effects are the purpose of the filter's
application.


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