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The Perfectly Clear® plug-in brings powerful automatic image correction tools right into Spectra and Stratus Desktop! It is designed to save you significant time in your editing process. Use it as a first step in your image correction workflow to remove the most common problems created by digital cameras — under-exposure,
lack of depth, lack of sharpness, lack of color vibrancy, lack of color
fidelity, and incorrect skin tones.
“Perfectly Clear is superior to filters and enhancers because it corrects your photos pixel by pixel, replicating the way your eye gathers light, and capturing the vibrant colors and natural clarity you saw with your own eyes. Perfectly Clear’s patented, automatic corrections save photographers countless hours by completing in seconds what used to take hours in the editing room.” (Quoted from Athentech Imaging, creators of Perfectly Clear.)
To read more about the science behind Perfectly Clear, refer to the Athentech Imaging website.
Watch the video and/or read the information below to learn how to use Perfectly Clear to streamline your workflow.
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Correcting Your Images with Perfectly Clear #
Step 1 – Apply a Preset #
The first step in correcting your images with Perfectly Clear is to apply a preset. The presets included in Spectra/Stratus have been developed specifically for the unique types of corrections needed by portrait photographers. See the Perfectly Clear Presets section below for examples.
Step 2 – Fine Tune the Correction #
If the image isn’t quite how you want it, choose another preset or manually adjust the Perfectly Clear corrections. You can make additional adjustments using the standard Spectra/Stratus adjustments menu. For a description of each Perfectly Clear correction tool, see the Perfectly Clear Corrections section below. For more information about the standard Spectra/Stratus image adjustments, see the Adjusting Images in Spectra and Stratus topic.
Step 3 – Apply the Settings to Additional Images #
You can apply the settings from a single image to additional images by simply using the copy and paste tools at the very top of the Spectra/Stratus Image Adjustments panel. To save the settings for future use, save them as a new preset. See Managing Your Presets below.
Step 4 – Render the Images #
In order for the changes from Perfectly Clear to affect the original image file, the images must be rendered out. See also Rendering Images.
Perfectly Clear Presets #
Several powerful presets are included in the software that use the Perfectly Clear correction tools. Here are some sample images that have been adjusted with a preset.
iAuto #
This is a great starting point for all image types and automatically does a bit of everything as needed.
iAuto Skin #
Great starting point for creating realistic and beautiful skin.
iAuto Eyes #
Just targets eyes to brighten, sharpen, and make them come alive.
Beautify #
Great realistic and robust for any photos with people in
them.
Beautify + #
Just like Beautify, but more aggressive and also
contours the face and enlarges the eyes.
Newborn #
A
softer, more natural look great for any newborn.
Student Male #
Ideal for fixing photos shot under portrait lighting
for male students.
Student Female #
Ideal for fixing photos shot under portrait lighting for
female students.
Fill Flash #
A subtle preset designed to provide a bit of fill flash
light.
Details & Shadows #
Great for bringing the details out of the shadows.
Managing Your Presets #
You can easily create your own special presets for correcting photos. Simply set the adjustments to your desired preference and click the Save to a New Preset button beside the preset drop-down menu, giving your new preset a name. To remove, simply click Delete Current Preset. To modify an existing preset, making changes to the adjustments and then click Save Current Preset.
Perfectly Clear Corrections #
The Perfectly Clear tools perform automatic image correction based on sophisticated, patented algorithms. When you enable a Perfectly Clear tool, such as Exposure, each image will be evaluated and automatically corrected. You can modify the amount of correction being applied by moving the slider, checking an option (i.e., Low, Medium, or High), or manually entering a numeric value. Just remember, you are NOT adjusting the actual exposure — Perfectly Clear does that. You are simply deciding how strong the correction should be. It’s a little bit like creating an adjustment layer (in Photoshop) and then lowering the opacity to decrease the effect.
| Exposure |
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Exposure is the most important correction tool and forms the basis Usage: By default, when the Exposure correction is enabled, so is Automatic Strength Selection and Face Aware Exposure technology. Automatic Strength Selection means |
| Depth (Contrast) |
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Perfectly Clear’s Depth correction optimizes the Usage: Since the eye perceives reality in 3-D, many photographers prefer strong contrast/depth in their photos. You’ll notice the Depth setting is usually quite high (on the right side of the slider) when you apply a Perfect Clear preset. Note: Using a contrast of 0% does not produce the same result as turning Depth correction off. |
| Skin and Depth Bias |
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The bias correction automatically covers up many of the flaws created by
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| Fidelity |
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Digital cameras are currently incapable of reproducing the full spectrum Usage: There are two settings you can choose: Standard and Vivid. Standard will re-map colors which the camera failed to capture to the full color spectrum. Vivid will
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| Vibrance |
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The Vibrance correction tool determines whether or not Usage: To enrich color vibrancy, simply move the slider
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| Skin Smoothing |
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The Skin Smoothing correction tool smooths and Usage: Check the box to enable Smoothing. Select an
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| Sharpening |
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Perfectly Clear’s Sharpening correction tool consists Usage: Check the box to enable Sharpening. Move the
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| Infrared Removal |
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Even though you can’t see it, your camera captures infrared in skin Usage: To enable, check the Infrared Removal box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Teeth Whitening |
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Whitens teeth naturally! This tool automatically locates teeth in the Usage: To enable, check the Teeth Whitening box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Face Contouring |
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Use the Face Contouring tool when a slimmer, natural Usage: To enable, check the Face Contouring box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Blemish Removal |
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Unlike common approaches that simply employ a blur over the targeted Usage: To enable, check the Blemish Removal box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Shine Removal |
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Removes the bright sheen caused by the flash, lighting, or oily skin. Usage: To enable, check the Shine Removal box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Skin Tone |
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Automatically alters skin tones. Usage: To enable, check the Skin Tone box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength. Select a skin tone from the drop-down as a color to correct with.
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| Blush |
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Adds blush makeup to your subjects. Usage: Check the Blush box to enable. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Light Diffusion |
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This correction tool is meant for portraits, weddings, and close facial Usage: Check the Light Diffusion box to enable. There are no other adjustments for this tool.
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| Eye Enhance |
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Brightens and sharpens eyes without distorting other aspects of the photo. Usage: To enable, check the Eye Enhance box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Eye Enlarge |
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Use this tool to enlarge eyes in a realistic manner. It’s great at Usage: To enable, check the Eye Enlarge box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Dark circles |
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Utilize the Dark Circles tool to freshen tired eyes. Usage: To enable, check the Dark Circles box. Move the slider to the right to increase the strength.
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| Catchlights |
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Add sparkle to eyes, automatically. Usage: To enable, check the Catch Lights box.
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