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Lightroom Super Resolution Explained (The Essential Guide)

20 Oct

The post Lightroom Super Resolution Explained (The Essential Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

One of the most exciting new Lightroom features is Super Resolution, which offers the type of image processing that previously existed only in science-fiction movies and TV shows.

Put simply, Super Resolution quadruples the resolution of your photos and turns low-megapixel images into high-resolution works of art. You can also use Super Resolution to crop in – way in – without losing details or turning your images into a blurry mess. It’s available for Lightroom and Lightroom Classic and it’s a tool that could quickly become central to your photo-editing workflow.

In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about Super Resolution, including how it works and how to use it to enlarge your images.

So if you’re looking to improve image resolution in Lightroom, or you’re simply hoping to understand this interesting new post-processing feature, then read on!

magnolia seed pod — Nikon D500 | 50mm f/1.8G | f/2.4 | 1/320s | ISO 280

What is Super Resolution in Lightroom, and how does it work?

In the words of scientist and author Arthur C. Clarke, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” – and that definitely feels like the case with Super Resolution. In reality, Super Resolution is a matter of advanced image processing and years of technological development as opposed to wands and spells, but the end result does feel a bit otherworldly.

Super Resolution works by effectively doubling the horizontal and vertical pixels in an image while filling in the extra space with data based on algorithms and machine learning. A photo with 6000 by 4000 pixels is 24 megapixels (because 6000 x 4000=24,000,000 pixels). But when processed with Super Resolution, that same image essentially becomes 12000 by 8000, or 96,000,000 pixels.

Yes, you read that right: Super Resolution transforms a 24-megapixel image into a whopping 96-megapixel image.

Super Resolution works best on RAW files because there is much more data to work with, but you can also use it on JPEGs and other files such as TIFFs. It’s built on a technology Adobe introduced in Photoshop called Enhance Details, but Super Resolution goes a step further by giving you many more pixels to work with, whereas Enhance Details was a way of sharpening image details without actually quadrupling the resolution.

cat on a fence post — Nikon D500 | 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | f/2.8 | 1/1000s | ISO 100

How to use Super Resolution: step by step

One key benefit of Super Resolution is that it’s very easy to use. It’s not buried in menus or complicated toolbars, and there aren’t many parameters you can configure, so it’s difficult to mess up. And because edits are nondestructive there is zero downside to trying it, though beware that quadrupling the resolution of an image also means you’ll need a lot of storage space. For that reason, I like to use it on a case-by-case basis rather than on an entire batch of photos, but if you have access to a vast amount of disk space then you might choose differently.

Step 1: Pick an image for enhancement

To use Super Resolution, start by selecting an image in the Develop module. While you can use the technology on any picture, I like to choose photos that were taken with old cameras such as my 10-megapixel Nikon D200, or on photos where extreme cropping was required, and as a result, some detail was lost.

For this example, I’m going to use a JPEG photo of a sunflower I shot with my D200 several years ago. It’s good in terms of composition and color, but the central part of the sunflower is somewhat blocky and pixelated if you look closely. Not to worry, though: Super Resolution is here to save the day!

Lightroom Super Resolution sunflower close crop — A close-up view of the sunflower reveals a muddled mess in the middle.

Step 2: Open the Super Resolution interface

After picking an image in the Develop module, hit Photos>Enhance in the top menu bar:

Alternatively, you can right-click (or Option-click on a Mac) on the image and select Enhance from the pop-up menu. You can also use the Ctrl+Alt+I keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Option+I on a Mac) if you prefer to keep your fingers on the keyboard.

The Super Resolution interface is fairly straightforward:

View an upscale preview — The preview window on the left shows a close-up view of what the Enhanced image will look like.

If you are using a RAW file, the Raw Details option will be checked, but this obviously does not work on JPEG files. (The note about Bayer and X-Trans files applies to Fuji RAW files, which often have strange, worm-like artifacts, especially in photos of nature like grass or trees.)

Note that, after the process is finished, the original image file remains untouched, and a new DNG file is created of the upscaled photo. The Create Stack option shows both images in Lightroom as a single Stack, but if you want to keep the original and the Super Resolution version separate, you can leave this un-checked.

My favorite part about using the Super Resolution process is clicking on the image preview on the left side of the window. When clicking, you see the original image; when you release the mouse button, Lightroom shows the Enhanced version. You can click and drag to view this process at various portions of the image, and you can click the magnifying glass in the corner to see the whole image instead of a close-up preview. This click-and-release process reveals the astonishing power of Super Resolution, and gives you an idea of how impressive this process really is.

Lightroom Super Resolution Enhance dialog box — Click and hold to see a comparison to the original image; click and drag to move view different portions of the image.

Step 3: Add detail to the photo!

Finally, when you are ready to create the Super Resolution image, click Enhance.

It will take a few seconds to perform the process, and Lightroom does give you an “Estimated Time” within the Enhance dialog box. The resulting image is just what it sounds like: a high-resolution version of the original, all thanks to the magic of modern computing. Any edits you made to the original are transferred to the enhanced version, and your edits remain non-destructive so you can adjust color settings, cropping, and other parameters without worry.

Lightroom Super Resolution sunflower close improved — A close-up view of the sunflower, enhanced with Super Resolution. The center is much more clean and crisp thanks to the Super Resolution improvements.

How well does Super Resolution perform?

Any time you’re dealing with transformative technologies such as Super Resolution, it’s important to manage expectations. It’s great but not perfect, and while there are times when it makes sense to use it, there are other times when it’s best to hold off. I find that Super Resolution performs best with nature subjects: flowers, animals, landscapes, horizons, and the like. You will also get the best results if you work with RAW files and not JPEGs.

To offer another illustration of how useful Super Resolution is and how well it performs, here is a shot I took of a prairie dog with my 10-megapixel Nikon D200. This is from the unedited RAW file, straight out of the camera:

Lightroom Super Resolution prairie dog — Nikon D200 | 50mm f/1.8G | f/2.8 | 1/500s | ISO 100
This photo needs to be cropped, but that means a loss of detail. Or, rather, that any details not captured originally will be much more visible when the cropped image is enlarged.

The original file is 3872 x 2592 pixels, so when I crop in to show just the prairie dog, the resulting image is a paltry 1900 x 1272, or 2.4 megapixels. That might be fine for Instagram, but it would look pretty bad as a 4K computer desktop background or printed and hung on a wall.

The Enhance dialog shows just how much this image will be improved by Adobe’s special algorithms:

The dialog box shows a preview of the Enhanced image:

The resulting image is now double the resolution on both the horizontal and vertical axes, with final pixel dimensions of 3800 x 2544. Super Resolution has transformed this into a 9.6-megapixel masterpiece, ideal for printing and framing or showing on a giant 4K monitor:

A web-sized version of the Enhanced prairie dog image. It might not look like much when viewed on a small screen, but the finished file is dramatically improved in sharpness and clarity.

That said, there are some situations where Super Resolution doesn’t work as well as you might want, and it’s important to remember that, at the end of the day, this is math and not magic. Adobe’s algorithms do an amazing job of essentially creating pixels out of thin air where none existed before, but there are times when it’s best to leave well enough alone and stick with the original.

The image below is a portrait I shot with my 10-megapixel Nikon D200. While it certainly includes enough detail for printing and framing, Super Resolution might help squeeze even more out of this shot, which would certainly be good for keeping clients happy.

woman with child — Nikon D200 | 50mm f/1.8G | f/2.8 | 1/350s | ISO 200

Super Resolution would help this photo in a lot of ways, especially by bringing out some of the texture and details in the fabric. However, one way it would not help and could actually hurt is right where I would want it most: the eyes.

The Super Resolution algorithm does a good job of clearing up the reflection of the sky in the child’s eye, but it has the opposite effect on the eyelashes. The Enhanced version looks blurrier and less sharp compared to the original:

Lightroom Super Resolution works wonders, but Adobe can’t perform miracles and it won’t automatically improve every single image. Even so, I am thoroughly impressed by what the technology can do and I highly recommend trying it to see the results for yourself.

Downsides to using Super Resolution

As with most things in life, Super Resolution comes with some tradeoffs. So before you rush out and convert your entire image library, there are some caveats and drawbacks you may want to consider.

For one, Super Resolution files are huge. Massive. Enormous. So big, in fact, that you could quickly run out of disk space if you use Super Resolution too much. For example, a 10-megapixel RAW file from my Nikon D200 clocks in at about 9 megabytes of space. Naturally, one might expect that a Super Resolution version would be four times as large, but that’s not the case at all. In fact, a Super Resolution file is over 144 megabytes—sixteen times larger than the original file! You’re going to need a lot of disk space if you use Super Resolution frequently, especially if you apply it to higher-megapixel files from modern cameras.

Lightroom Super Resolution file size — Super Resolution files are absolutely massive. Be prepared to buy lots of additional storage space if you use this feature a lot.

Another drawback to Super Resolution is the time it takes to render, especially when working with a batch of files. Lightroom will need anywhere from 10-20 seconds per image to perform the enhancement algorithm, and that time can really add up. It might not seem like much, but three images will add one minute to your workflow. Ten images could easily add five minutes, depending on the size of the originals are and how fast your computer is. This added time is not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is something to keep in mind.

Finally, Super Resolution cannot fix an out-of-focus image. Yes, it will make an already-sharp image look even better, but it cannot create sharpness where there was none to begin with. If you are expecting Super Resolution to save the day when you don’t nail the focus, you will be sorely disappointed.

black eyed susan flower — Nikon D500 | 50mm f/1.8G | f/2.8 | 1/350s | ISO 100
Super Resolution, as King Theoden of Rohan might say, has no power here. This out-of-focus photo is destined for the digital dustbin.

When should you use Super Resolution?

Despite the drawbacks, there are two key areas where Super Resolution absolutely shines and I can strongly recommend using it: for extreme cropping and low-megapixel originals.

If you like to crop your images, either to focus attention on one key area or simply because your lens wasn’t zoomed in close enough, Super Resolution can work wonders. It can bring out detail in key portions of your photos and transform images from rejects to portfolio shots.

squirrel on a trunck — Nikon D750 | 50mm f/1.8G | f/1.8 | 1/500s | ISO 100
I couldn’t get any closer to this squirrel for a better photo, so I had to do some really intense cropping – which resulted in a pixelated furry friend.

squirrel eating food — The cropped version is a muddy mess, especially in the tail. Even with a 24-megapixel RAW file, this much cropping generally is not a good idea.

Super Resolution is also a fun way to bring new life to old low-resolution images, provided they are sharp and not out of focus. I enjoy going back to my early digital photos that I shot with 3-megapixel pocket cameras and applying Super Resolution to see if I can extract details or create crisper images for printing. You might be surprised at how well this works for your old digital pictures, too.

Lightroom Super Resolution explained: final words

Super Resolution is one of the most exciting new Lightroom features in a long time. Adobe has created a practical, easy-to-use tool that works on almost all common image types and has the ability to dramatically improve your images.

I find the tool especially useful in some specific circumstances, like cropping and bringing older images to life, but if you have enough spare disk space, you might find yourself using it much more. While not perfect, it goes a long way toward solving a longstanding issue with digital photos and makes me excited to see where this technology will take us in the future!

Now over to you:

What do you think about Lightroom Super Resolution? Will you use it? Are you impressed? Share your thoughts (and Enhanced images!) in the comments below.

The post Lightroom Super Resolution Explained (The Essential Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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Video: First-ever look at crystals forming in real-time at atomic resolution

11 Oct

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have combined novel techniques to record the first-ever atomic resolution video of salt crystals as they form in real-time. The team used the novel technique of atomic-resolution real-time video recording and the similarly novel technique of conical carbon nanotube confinement to achieve this impressive feat.

Before diving in, it’s important to give context. Salt crystals, like other crystals such as snowflakes and diamonds, comprise repetitive arrangements of molecules. While crystals can take many different forms, something they all have in common is a highly ordered microscopic structure. The process of disorganized molecules arranging into an ordered crystalline structure is called nucleation. The time it takes for the first crystal to appear in this process is called primary nucleation time. Secondary nucleation is a new crystal structure being produced by a preexisting crystal.

Nucleation has been the subject of scientific study for centuries. Scientists have been able to observe molecules at an atomic level and see what a crystal looks like. Still, until now, nobody has observed the dynamic process of crystal formation. Observing the nucleation process should shed light on the process and help expand our understanding of molecular structure and crystallization.

Credit: American Chemical Society / University of Tokyo

‘One of our master’s students, Masaya Sakakibara, used SMART-EM to study the behavior of sodium chloride (NaCl) – salt,’ said Project Assistant Professor Takayuki Nakamuro. ‘To hold samples in place, we use atom-thick carbon nanohorns, one of our previous inventions. With the stunning videos Sakakibara captured, we immediately noticed the opportunity to study the structural and statistical aspects of crystal nucleation in unprecedented detail.’

SMART-EM is a single-molecule atomic-resolution real-time electronic microscopy technique developed by students at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tokyo. The technique captures images at 25 frames per second.

Nakamuro and his team looked at Sakakibara’s videos and, per Phys.org, ‘were the first people ever to see tiny cuboid crystals made of tens of molecules of NaCl emerging from the chaotic mixture of separate sodium and chloride ions.’ They observed a statistical pattern in the frequency of crystal emergence that followed a normal distribution. A normal distribution of crystal emergence had long been a held theory but had yet to be verified through experiment.

Credit: American Chemical Society / University of Tokyo

University Professor Eiichi Nakamura added, ‘Salt is just our first model substance to probe the fundamentals of nucleation events. Salt only crystallizes one way. But other molecules, such as carbon, can crystallize in multiple ways, leading to graphite or diamond. This is called polymorphism, and no one has seen the early stages of the nucleation that leads to it. I hope our study provides the first step in understanding the mechanism of polymorphism.’

The team hopes to better understand polymorphism, which is an important process to produce various pharmaceutical and electronic components. To read more about the ongoing study, refer to ‘Capturing the Moment of Emergence of Crystal Nucleus from Disorder,’ by Takayuki Nakamuro, Masaya Sakakibara, Hiroki Nada, Koji Harano and Eiichii Nakamura.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Photographer captures the highest resolution snowflake photos in the world

12 Nov

Image credit: ‘Ice Queen’ by Nathan Myhrvold

For many in the northern hemisphere, winter’s cold grip is just around the corner. With the cold comes snow, a beautiful photographic subject. Few photographers capture snow quite like photographer Nathan Myhrvold. His microscopic images of snowflakes showcase extraordinary detail and natural beauty.

Of his snowflake subjects, Myhrvold says, ‘Snowflakes are a great example of hidden beauty. Water, an incredibly familiar thing to all of us, is quite unfamiliar when you see it in this different view. The intricate beauty of snowflakes derives from their crystal structure, which is a direct reflection of the microscopic aspects of the water molecule.’

Myhrvold faced numerous challenges when photographing snowflakes. They are small, fragile objects only a few millimeters across. Further, snowflakes of course melt, but they also sublimate. Both processes break down the structure of snowflakes and reduce their sharp edges and details. Time and temperature both acted against Myhrvold, so he had to come up with solutions.

‘No Two Alike’ by Nathan Myhrvold

Over about 18 months, Myhrvold designed and built a custom snowflake camera. His camera, which he states is the highest-resolution snowflake camera in the world, uses a 100MP medium format Phase One image sensor adapted to a microscope objective. Myhrvold designed an optical path to fill the image area of the large medium format sensor, allowing him to capture large, sharp images.

To slow down the natural melting and vaporization process of snowflakes, the microscope has a cooling stage, allowing Myhrvold to capture enough images to create a focus stacked final photograph. Further, the camera is paired with high-speed LED lights to reduce the heat output of the lights and allow Myhrvold to quickly capture his images. The camera has a minimum shutter speed of 500ms.

Building the equipment is only one part of the challenge, you must also have beautiful snowflakes to work with. Myhrvold shot on location in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. He says that some of the best snowflakes found were between -15° and -20° F (-26 to -29° C). In the images in this article, we see the following types of snow crystals: sector plates, stellar dendrites and fernlike stellar dendrites.

‘Yellowknife Flurry’ by Nathan Myhrvold

To view more of Nathan Myhrvold’s work, which comprises a wide range of subjects from landscapes to food and much more, click here. He also has galleries in Las Vegas, New Orleans, Seattle and San Diego.

Image credit: All photos captured by Nathan Myhrvold and used with permission

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Image Size and Resolution Explained for Print and Onscreen

27 Oct

The post Image Size and Resolution Explained for Print and Onscreen appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Helen Bradley.

One of the most confusing things for a new photographer is understanding image size, resolution, and printing.

So in this article, I’ll explain what these terms mean.

And I’ll show you how to resize your images depending on what you want to do with them.

Let’s get started.

What is resolution in digital cameras?

When talking about digital cameras, resolution refers to the number of megapixels produced by an image sensor.

This, in turn, generally corresponds to the amount of detail a camera can capture.

So if your camera packs 20 megapixels (often written as 20 MP), it captures less detail than a camera with 30 megapixels, which in turn captures less detail than a camera with 40 megapixels.

But what is a megapixel, really? And how does it affect your ability to print and display photos?

Megapixels and photo size

Find information about a photo (including resolution) using File > File Info

Technically, a megapixel is equal to 1,048,576 pixels; in reality, camera manufacturers round this number to 1,000,000 when stating how large of an image the camera will capture.

So my camera, for example, captures 14.6-megapixel images, which is around 14,600,000 pixels per image (14.6 x 1,000,000). This information tells you nothing about the actual pixel dimensions of the image – it only tells you the total number of pixels that make up the image.

My camera, like most DSLRs, captures images with an aspect ratio of 1.5. So the ratio comparing the number of pixels along the long edge of the image to the short edge of the image is 3:2.

Each of my full-sized RAW images is 4672 x 3104 pixels in dimension. So by multiplying the number of pixels along the image width by those along the image height, we get the actual number of pixels in the image (4672 x 3104 = 14,501,888). You and I might call this 14.5 MP, but camera manufacturers round this up and call it a 14.6 MP camera.

You can check the width and height of an image using your photo editing software. In Photoshop, you can open your image, then choose File > File Info > Camera Data. The image above shows the resulting information dialog box.

Now, a pixel itself is a single picture element – and for our purposes, it’s the smallest element that your photo can be divided up into. A pixel can only be one color, and a photograph is made up of a grid of thousands of pixels, each of the different colors that together make up your image.

You can see these pixels if you open a photo and zoom in until you see single blocks of color (as shown below). Each of these blocks is a pixel:

Why size is important when printing

When you’re printing an image, you may encounter the term PPI or pixels per inch. This literally refers to the number of pixels in an inch-long line of an image.

Most printing services, and indeed your own printer, will require a certain density of pixels in the image (PPI) to be able to render a print that looks good (i.e., with smooth color transitions so you can’t see each individual pixel).

Typical printing PPI values range from 150 to 300 PPI, although some high-end magazines may require images that are 1200 PPI.

So for example, if you want to print a 4 x 6 inch image at 300 PPI, then you need a file that has at least 4 x 300 (1200) pixels along its short side and 6 x 300 (1800) pixels on the long side. In other words, it needs to be at least 1200 x 1800 pixels in size.

To print an 8 x 10 inch image at 300 PPI, use the same math:

Multiply the printed image’s width and height in inches by 300 pixels. The result is 2,400 x 3,000 pixels, which is the image resolution you need to print an 8 x 10 image at 300 PPI.

Therefore, when cropping and sizing an image for printing, you’ll need to know what PPI the image should be. Your printer manual or printing service should be able to tell you this.

Below is a screenshot from the MpixPro.com website, showing their optimal and minimum image sizes for standard print sizes. Their printer outputs at 250 PPI (but can handle 100 PPI images), though other services may differ, so always check before preparing your images.

Print size required for MpixPro printing

Use the crop or resize feature in your software to size your image to the desired width and height and the desired PPI resolution.

Here, an image cropped to a size of 3000 x 2400 pixels is being adjusted from 72 PPI to 300 PPI in preparation for printing at 300 PPI. There is no resampling required, as the image is already the correct dimensions and only the resolution requires adjusting.

Adjusting resolution in a photo without resampling it

Photoshop, like other applications, will also crop an image to a fixed size and resolution if you type your desired values into the options bar when you have the crop tool selected (see below). If your image is smaller than the typed dimensions, then the image will be enlarged using the default resampling method. While it isn’t generally advisable to enlarge images, provided the image is already close to the desired size, enlarging it a little generally won’t cause a noticeable loss of quality.

When cropping in Photoshop, you can specify image size and resolution

Sizing for the screen

When it comes to displaying images on the screen, you need far fewer pixels than you do for printing.

This is because the density of pixels on the screen is far less than what is required for printing. For example, a typical monitor is 1920 x 1080 pixels in size; to fill the monitor, you only need an image that is 1920 x 1080 pixels in size. That’s about the same size image you need for a 4 x 6 print at 300 PPI – yet the 1920 x 1080 pixel image displays perfectly on a 23-inch monitor.

The post Image Size and Resolution Explained for Print and Onscreen appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Helen Bradley.

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Pixelmator Photo update adds AI-powered image upscaling tool, ML Super Resolution

22 Sep

Pixelmator, makers of the photo editing application Pixelmator Photo, has released Pixelmator Photo version 1.4. The new update includes ML Super Resolution, a new tool designed to enlarge low-resolution photos with a single tap. ML Super Resolution utilizes machine learning (hence the ‘ML’ in the name) and the processing power available in Apple iPad devices to enlarge photos, illustrations, paintings and designs while preserving and enhancing details, edges and textures.

ML Super Resolution was designed for the newly released iPad Air and was presented during Apple’s ‘Time Flies’ event last week. The app is powered by the new A14 Bionic chip and Pixelmator states that it is the first AI-powered image enlargement tool available on a mobile device.

To enlarge images, ML Super Resolution ‘creates a layered representation of the image that is over 100 channels deep, detecting features such as edges, patterns, textures, gradients, and colors.’ After this, the channels are upscaled individually and combined back into a single image. Pixelmator states that the process ‘requires up to 62 thousand times more processing power than traditional approaches,’ something that Pixelmator states is only possible on iPad thanks to recent advancements in iPad performance and the dedicated processor in the Apple Neural Engine.

Tomas Andrijauskas, lead developer of Pixelmator Photo, says, ‘The processing power of iPad has advanced in leaps and bounds over the last few years. With these advances, it is now possible to open up workflows that simply were not available in the past. One such workflow is using machine learning techniques to enlarge photos while retaining sharpness and enhancing intricate details.’

Pixelmator Photo 1.4 includes ML Super Resolution, a new AI-powered image upscaling feature. Image credit: Pixelmator

Of being able to show Pixelmator’s work during an Apple event, Andrijauskas continues, ‘Our team consists of 20 people and is based in a tiny Baltic country. So it is an incredible honor to be recognized by a company as respected and influential as Apple. It also shows that if you work hard to create powerful, beautiful, and easy-to-use products, your work will be recognized, no matter your location or size.’

In addition to the new ML Super Resolution tool, Pixelmator Photo version 1.4 includes a new split-screen view of original and edited images and support for the Apple Pencil’s double-tap gesture.

Pixelmator Photo 1.4 also includes a new before/after comparison tool. Image credit: Pixelmator

If you’d like to learn more about Pixelmator Photo and its RAW editing tools, check out the overview video below and head to the Pixelmator Photo website.

Pixelmator Photo 1.4 is available now from the App Store as a free update for existing users or for $ 7.99 USD for new customers. Pixelmator Photo requires iOS 11 or later and a compatible iPad device. A list of compatible devices can be found on the App Store product page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Leica’s 40 Megapixel M10-R is its highest resolution rangefinder yet

18 Jul

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Leica has introduced the M10-R, the highest resolution member of its M10-series yet. The M10-R’s 40 Megapixel sensor is largely the same as the one in the M10 Monochrom, with the main difference being (naturally) that it has a Bayer color filter. Leica claims that the new sensor offers a wider dynamic range in Raw mode and less noise than previous M10 bodies.

Like the Monochrom and the M10-P, the ‘R’ has the quietest shutter of any M-series camera (film bodies included).

The M10-R features a 3″ fixed touchscreen with 1.04 million dots, which can be used for live view and reviewing images. It has a single SD card slot (UHS-I only) and Wi-Fi, but not Bluetooth. As with its siblings, the M10-R does not have a USB or HDMI port. As always with Leica cameras, it’s made in Germany and build quality is exceptional.

The M10-R will go on sale later this month, in your choice of black or silver, for $ 8295.

Go hands-on with the M10-R

Press release

LEICA CAMERA ELEVATES IMAGE QUALITY WITH NEW M10-R

A new 40-megapixel color sensor brings broader capabilities into the creative landscape

July 16, 2020 – Leica Camera introduces a new high-resolution version of the company’s legendary rangefinder camera, expanding vivid creative possibilities from the most human moments in street photography to the most epic landscapes. With its unique 40 megapixel color sensor, the new Leica M10-R delivers enhanced rendition of details to fully explore the optical excellence of the legendary Leica M lenses. This new flagship expands the M10 family, which includes the M10, M10-P, M10-D and M10 Monochrom, and achieves maximum image output without compromising the tenets of M photography.

The M10-R’s newly developed 40 megapixel sensor represents a considerable increase from the 24 megapixels of the M10, and yet the M10-R offers significantly reduced image noise as well as a wider dynamic range. The sensitivity range of this new sensor, from ISO 100 to 50000, ensures it can be used in any situation a photographer may need. That base ISO of 100 helps allow bright light photos where the aperture can be kept wide-open for better background blur and bokeh, while on the other side of the spectrum the maximum exposure time has been increased to 16 minutes for more creative freedom with long exposures in the darkest light. Complementing the Leica M10-R’s imaging prowess and handling is its super quiet mechanical shutter, inherited from the M10-P. Its whisper-quiet operation helps the user be stealthy, when capturing that decisive moment requires the utmost discretion, and its minimal vibrations reduce the risk of camera shake to help yield sharper pictures.

As with all of Leica’s rangefinder cameras, the construction of the M10-R involves a large amount of hand assembly utilizing the best quality materials by highly trained specialists, carried out at the company’s production plant in Wetzlar, Germany. This ensures that the large number of components – such as the complex rangefinder mechanism – not only perform with the utmost precision but are also particularly robust and long-lasting. A Leica M is synonymous with reliability and durability, making it a valuable long-term investment.

The Leica M10-R reaches its full potential when paired with its native Leica M lenses. The camera has the capacity to fully utilize the outstanding imaging performance of this legendary, longstanding lens range. The M10-R truly sings when paired with the newest generation of Leica’s technical marvels of optics, such as the APO-Summicron-M 50 f/2 ASPH., capturing photographs of a truly exceptional quality. Concurrently, the M10-R’s newfound heights of image quality and resolution also emphasizes the distinct characteristics of older M lenses, many of which are still cherished by vintage photography enthusiasts to this day.

The Leica M10-R will be available end of July at Leica Stores, Boutiques and Dealers for $ 8,295.00 in black chrome and silver chrome finishes.

Leica M10-R specifications

Price
MSRP	$ 8295
Body type
Body type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Body material	Magnesium alloy
Sensor
Max resolution	7864 x 5200
Image ratio w:h	3:2
Effective pixels	41 megapixels
Sensor size	Full frame (36 x 24 mm)
Sensor type	CMOS
Processor	Maestro II
Color filter array	Primary color filter
Image
ISO	Auto, 100-50000
Custom white balance	Yes
Image stabilization	No
Uncompressed format	RAW
File format	JPEG DNG (14-bit)
Optics & Focus
Manual focus	Yes
Lens mount	Leica M
Focal length multiplier	1×
Screen / viewfinder
Articulated LCD	Fully articulated
Screen size	3″
Screen dots	1,036,800
Touch screen	Yes
Screen type	TFT LCD
Live view	Yes
Viewfinder type	Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder magnification	0.73×
Photography features
Minimum shutter speed	960 sec
Maximum shutter speed	1/4000 sec
Exposure modes	Aperture priority Manual
Built-in flash	No
External flash	Yes (via hot shoe)
Flash X sync speed	1/180 sec
Self-timer	Yes
Videography features
Microphone	None
Speaker	None
Storage
Storage types	SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Connectivity
Microphone port	No
Headphone port	No
Wireless	Built-In
Wireless notes	802.11b/g/n
Remote control	Yes (cable release)
Physical
Environmentally sealed	Yes
Battery	Battery Pack
Battery description	BC-SCL5 lithium-ion battery & charger
Weight (inc. batteries)	660 g (1.46 lb / 23.28 oz)
Dimensions	139 x 39 x 80 mm (5.47 x 1.54 x 3.15″)
Other features
Orientation sensor	Yes
GPS	Optional

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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YouTuber upscales classic film to 4K/60p resolution using neural networks

05 Feb

Chances are you’ve seen the famous short film ‘Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (France),’ by the Lumière Brothers at some point in your life. If not, the original 57-second clip, created in 1895, can be viewed above.

YouTube creator Denis Shiryaev used neural networks to upscale and resound the original black and white clip. His efforts resulted in a 4K/60p clip that is quite astounding. The absence of jerkiness and artifacts makes the arrival of the train that much more impactful and shows just how powerful machine learning has become. Watch Shiryaev’s updated version, below:

You can find more of Shiryaev’s work on his YouTube Channel.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Pixelmator Pro update brings ML Super Resolution feature

18 Dec

Pixelmator today released an update to its Pixelmator Pro Avalon image editing software. The new ML Super Resolution feature increases the resolution of images while maintaining sharpness and levels of detail, making (to a degree) the ‘enhance image’ operation in detective shows a reality.

Compared to a simple nearest neighbor upscaling algorithm the Pixelmator is capable of achieving much better results thanks to machine learning technology. It takes into account the actual content of every image, attempts to recognize edges, patterns, and textures, and recreates detail based on Pixelmator’s dataset, in a similar way to Google’s RAISR technology.

Despite the complex technology Pixelmator says the feature is very fast and takes a few seconds to upscale an image on the latest Mac computers thanks the use of Core ML 3 and multi-GPU support. It’s also entirely on-device, with the trained model integrated in the Pixelmator Pro app package. This means all processing is done locally and no data is sent to any online servers.

Additionally, the tool is capable of removing noise and JPG artifacts including compression artifacts. To do its magic the software requires macOS High Sierra and a Metal-compatible graphics card.

Pixelmator Pro 1.5 Avalon is available from the Mac App Store as a free update for existing users or for $ 39.99 for new customers. There is also an upgrade discount for owners of the original Pixelmator software.

More information and some interactive comparisons with other upscaling methods are available on the Pixelmator website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Flickr triples maximum display resolution to 6K for Flickr Pro members

21 Oct

Flickr has announced it’s dramatically increasing the maximum supported display size for its Flickr Pro members, effectively tripling the current maximum resolution.

Until now, Flickr images were limited to being displayed at 2048px on the longest side. Now, the maximum display size is getting increased to 6144px (6K) on the longest side for Flickr Pro members.

According to the announcement post in Flickr’s help forum, ‘All new and previously uploaded photos from Flickr Pros with an original size larger than 6K will automatically be displayed in the largest size possible on Flickr, or the largest size set in your preferences […] Smaller photos will be displayed in the largest size possible for the original media.’

The increased maximum display resolution is already available to all Flickr Pro members. In the event you don’t want your images to be shown at the new 6K resolution, there’s a dedicated option to set the maximum display size. Those who aren’t Flickr Pro members will be limited to 2K resolution.

You can find a number of high-resolution example photos in the announcement post.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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iOS 13.2 beta adds the ability to change resolution, frame rate of video in stock Camera app

11 Oct

The latest developer beta of iOS (iOS 13.2 beta 2) adds a new feature to the latest iPhone 11 devices that should make shooting video a little easier.

As of iOS 13.2 beta 2, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max users will have the option to change the resolution and frame rate of the video being captured with a simple tap. As shown in the below tweet from iOS developer Ryan Jones, the update makes it possible to switch between various video settings without the need to go back into the Settings app.

In iOS 13.2 Beta 2 you can toggle through 720p ? 1080p ? 4K and 24 ? 30 ? 60 FPS directly in the camera app.

With zero UX. ???? pic.twitter.com/Q0mJ8WrWe0

— Ryan Jones (@rjonesy) October 11, 2019

As Jones showcases in the above screen capture, the setting changes are sequential, going from 720p to 1080p to 4K and from 24 to 30 to 60 frames per second.

The lack of settings control from within the iOS Camera app has long been a sore spot of the stock Camera app. This update doesn’t address the issues with the still photography interface and is only a small step in the right direction, but it’s progress nonetheless. Hopefully, we’ll see Apple make it easier to control Raw capture, HDR settings and more still photography settings from directly inside the Camera app.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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360Photography

Posts Tagged ‘Resolution’

Lightroom Super Resolution Explained (The Essential Guide)

What is Super Resolution in Lightroom, and how does it work?

How to use Super Resolution: step by step

Step 1: Pick an image for enhancement

Step 2: Open the Super Resolution interface

Step 3: Add detail to the photo!

How well does Super Resolution perform?

Downsides to using Super Resolution

When should you use Super Resolution?

Lightroom Super Resolution explained: final words

Video: First-ever look at crystals forming in real-time at atomic resolution

Photographer captures the highest resolution snowflake photos in the world

Image Size and Resolution Explained for Print and Onscreen

What is resolution in digital cameras?

Megapixels and photo size

Why size is important when printing

Sizing for the screen

Pixelmator Photo update adds AI-powered image upscaling tool, ML Super Resolution

Leica’s 40 Megapixel M10-R is its highest resolution rangefinder yet

LEICA CAMERA ELEVATES IMAGE QUALITY WITH NEW M10-R

Leica M10-R specifications

YouTuber upscales classic film to 4K/60p resolution using neural networks

Pixelmator Pro update brings ML Super Resolution feature

Flickr triples maximum display resolution to 6K for Flickr Pro members

iOS 13.2 beta adds the ability to change resolution, frame rate of video in stock Camera app

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