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Posts Tagged ‘algorithms’

Help wanted: Google Photos wants your assistance in training its machine learning algorithms

12 Nov

Android Police is reporting that Google Photos has been asking its users to help improve its algorithms. While this is not Google’s first foray into crowdsourcing help in improving its recognition software, the latest survey, which is rolling out to users on Android, is asking for volunteers to label their images.

Last year, Google Photos asked users to identify faces in images to help improve its facial recognition technology. More recently, Google added a survey to the app, asking users to confirm the accuracy of search results. The latest addition to Google Photos takes it a step further. As Rita El Khoury at Android Police writes, ‘Basically, you’ll be doing some work for free, if you feel like it, and the end result is everyone gets better image and object recognition.’

Machine learning requires a large, accurate data set to help train algorithms. The more data, the better an algorithm can be tuned and trained. For Google Photos, the algorithm needs as many labeled images of as many subjects as possible. Further, not only do people have many different photos in their Google Photos library already, we all capture images differently. A proper training data set doesn’t just include many images, it includes variety of subjects, light, angle, color and more. Ideally, with the help of users, Google Photos will be able to produce more accurate search results.

Screenshots of the ‘Improve Google Photos’ option in the Google Photos app, used with permission from Dr. Rita El Khoury, Managing Editor at Android Police.

If you’d like to participate and help shape the future of Google Photos, you can find a dialog box at the bottom of the ‘Search’ tab in the Google Photos application. The text reads, ‘Help improve Google Photos’ and when you click on the box, you then ‘Get started’ by answering questions about your photos. Google Photos will present images to you and you type what you consider important in each of the selected images. The first batch includes 10 images, but you can skip images or do more if you’d like.

After the labeling exercise, you can participate in additional training exercises, including one in which you determine if certain photographs are worthy of being printed. This is an interesting task given that Google Photos recently began offering a monthly premium print subscription. This subscription sends users 10 photo prints per month for $ 6.99, shipping included. Another addition to Google Photos includes asking users to identify which photos show a certain holiday or event.

9to5Google links to a Google Photos Help document about the latest addition to the Google Photos app. In its document, Google states that ‘It may take time to see your contributions impact your account, but your input will help improve existing features and build new ones, like improved suggestions on which photos to print or higher quality creations that you would like.’ As of now, this feature is only available on Android devices.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Let’s Enhance 2.0 introduces new AI-powered algorithms for upscaling your photos

09 May

Upscaling photos isn’t ideal under any circumstances, but when there’s no other solution to making your images higher-resolution, you want to make sure you’re using the right tool. Let’s Enhance, an online-based upscaling tool, has released a 2.0 update that’s effectively built from the ground up with improved algorithms, new enhancement modes and presets for common image types.

Let’s Enhance 2.0 has been restructured with a new UI that puts its entire settings panel in one box for a simplified interface. The updated web app offers upscaling in increments of 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x and a custom setting for more precise scaling. Under its algorithm tab, Let’s Enhance 2.0 offers five dedicated AI-powered algorithms: Auto, Photo, Illustration, Photo 2.0 (beta) and Photo 2.0 Faces (beta). The Photo 2.0 Faces (beta) algorithm uses Let’s Enhance’s proprietary face reconstruction AI to automatically recognize faces in images and prioritize clarity when upscaling.

Also new are six presets, which will automatically apply pre-determined variables to an image based on the specific preset option you choose. The presets include options for photo prints, real estate images e-commerce images and more.

Let’s Enhance 2.0 lets you upscale five images for free (limited to 15MP) before needing to purchase either a subscription or pay as you go credits (where resolution isn’t limited). Below is a price breakdown of the various plans:

To find out more information and to try out Let’s Enhance 2.0 for yourself, head on over to the Let’s Enhance 2.0 website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Phase One Capture One Pro 9 brings updates to image editing algorithms

02 Dec

Phase One has launched Capture One Pro 9, the latest iteration of its tethering and image editing software. Capture One Pro 9 offers a ‘completely updated contrast engine,’ additional brushes, color editor masks and new keyword tools, among other features. Phase One also now offers three activations of the software for each standard license a photographer purchases. Also on the list of updates is the ability to apply curves locally, the addition of a Luma option to the curve tool palette and a battery status icon for the tool bar to view tethered camera battery life.

Capture One Pro 9 is available now for Mac and Windows for $ 299 / €279 to new customers. Capture One Pro 7 and 8 customers can upgrade for $ 99 / €99. Anyone who purchased Capture One Pro 8 after October 30, 2015 will be exempt from the upgrade fee.

Press release:

Phase One Releases Capture One Pro 9 for Working Photographers

Unleashes Unprecedented Power, Precision and Quality

COPENHAGEN, November 30, 2015 — Phase One, creator of the world’s finest open-platform, high-end camera systems and professional imaging software today released Capture One Pro 9. Known for its outstanding tethered capture capability, high-quality raw conversion, and precision image editing tools, Capture One Pro is already considered by 100,000 of the world’s leading photographers to be the best image capture application. 

Capture One Pro 9 introduces many new image quality precision tools, including a completely updated contrast engine. Capture One Pro 9 also brings powerful new asset management capabilities, including unprecedented sortable keywords capability. It has been designed to help speed the image-management process for volume keyword applications. Besides new physical workflow features, Capture One Pro 9 also gives customers three activations for each standard license to support on-location activation management, as requested by photographers.

NEW IMAGE EDITING TOOLS

Revised contrast engine – Changes have been made to the algorithms of color, saturation and contrast. And the color editor has been revised to align design with the color balance tool. Handles are made easier to use and adjust, and the tool is now scalable when undocked.

Masks from color editor – The color editor now allows the user to make a mask from a color edit.

New Brush pack – Tool changes include the addition of flow, airbrush, straight line brushing, and the ability to link brushes.

Luma curves and local curves – Added to the curve tool palette, Luma curves can be used to create contrast curves without affecting saturation. Also, curves can be used locally.

Battery status for toolbar – This new tool can be placed on the tool bar where it gives a power supply overview to the attached tethered camera, warning photographers of low power during a shoot.

Export EIP for catalogs – Catalog users can now benefit from EIP export for easy transportation of RAW and Settings, off system. In the Export originals panel, there is now an option to Export as EIP. Sessions users can also choose to Export originals. This creates a workflow in which the original RAW and adjustments are not packed – instead a copy is made, packed as EIP.   

DNG colors – This new feature allows Capture One Pro to treat and display supported camera files that have been converted to DNG (and include the RAW file in the DNG package), as if in their original format. 

NEW ASSET MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Keywords Tool – Keywords may be added and removed from images. The standard Capture One tool tips for local reset, local copy apply, pre-sets and help are available for this tool.

Keyword Libraries – Used to manage the list (or lists) of keywords in a catalog or a session. As the Keywords tool adds keywords to images, the document Keyword Library is populated. This forms a keyword list for any and all terms in the current document and is unique for the session or the catalog. 

Sortable Keywords – Unique to Capture One Pro 9, users are able to reorder keywords in the Keywords tool for single image selections.     

Originally developed to render the exceptional image quality captured by medium format Phase One camera systems, today Capture One Pro supports more than 400 different camera models. Capture One Pro is designed with more than enough available “headroom” to satisfy requirements for the highest resolution now and in the future. Whether or not photographers own a Phase One camera, all photographers can benefit from Capture One Pro’s  exceptional image quality and workflow advantages.

“Capture One Pro is essential for all commercial shoots; we use nothing else,” said Jonathan Rose, Company Director, DigiBoutique Ltd.

“Capture One Pro 9 is all about quality of life improvements for working photographers – whether they’re in the studio, or shooting landscape or portraits,” said Henrik O. Håkonsson, President, Phase One. “And those who are switching or stepping up from mainstream software might now find that Capture One Pro meets more, if not all, of their needs, beyond its legendary raw conversion capabilities.”

For illustrative & tutorial videos and details on all the new and improved features in Capture One Pro 9, including new cameras and lenses supported, please go to: www.phaseone.com/tutorials

Availability and Pricing

Capture One Pro 9 is available now for the Mac and Windows operating systems online at www.phaseone.com/store and from Phase One authorized partners worldwide. www.phaseone.com/partners. New with this release, each license permits three activations.

New customers can purchase Capture One Pro 9 for 299 USD or 279 EUR. Owners of previous versions of Capture One Pro 7 and 8 may upgrade for 99 USD or 99 EUR. For customers who have purchased Capture One Pro 8 since October 30, 2015, Phase One is offering a grace period, exempting them from the upgrade fee. Eligible customers should contact support www.phaseone.com/support to have their keys upgraded. 

Capture One Pro is also available by subscription. Capture One Pro 8 subscribers can simply download the new Capture One Pro 9 release. A single-user subscription is 15 USD / 12 EUR per month for a 12-month plan. Please see all subscription options at www.phaseone.com/store

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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