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FocusMagic 64-bit version (beta)

Hi Folks,

I just happened to notice that one of my old favorite Photoshop plug-ins for sharpening, FocusMagic, has become available as a 64-bit version which can be used by the 64-bit version of Photoshop. Sofar it's only the Windows version, but according to their website, the Intel Mac version is planned for April 2013.

I had the 32-bit FocusMagic version installed on my Win7 computer, so I could use it with the 32-bit Photoshop version, but it's a drag having to switch between Photoshop versions only for that reason. The 64-bit Beta version installed without asking for activation codes, so I assume it recognized the code that was already in place for the 32-bit version.

There are no details avialable about expiration date of the Beta version, or when the final product is expected. I also have no information yet about upgrade costs, if any (they do promise lifetime free upgrades on their home page), but I'm not sure if they consider this as a new product or just an upgrade.

Cheers,
Bart
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Bart,

Focus magic is an exciting product. I'm glad they're still thriving and producing updates.

I wish there was a 64 BIT Mac version! Still, the regular version is up to Mac 10.5. I wonder if it can also work in 10.6-10.8? For Mac 10.4 one can use Rosetta

"If you have Photoshop CS4 on Mac OS X (10.4.4 Tiger — 10.6 Snow Leopard), you can still use Focus Magic by running CS4 in Rosetta. Rosetta translates PowerPC Mac applications to run on Intel Mac hardware. For help with running CS4 in Rosetta, please consult Apple support or Adobe support."

Perhaps I should keep one G5 Mac working with CS2 and then I could use focus Magic until they have Intel Support!

Asher
 
Focus magic is an exciting product. I'm glad they're still thriving and producing updates.

Hi Asher,

Yes, I'm still enthusiastic about it. It's relatively easy to use and it really makes a positive difference in sharpness without amplifying noise too much.

Perhaps I should keep one G5 Mac working with CS2 and then I could use focus Magic until they have Intel Support!

On their website there is a link at the bottom where you can leave your email address, and they'll notify you when the Intel Mac Beta is released for testing (supposedly this month). If it's as stable as the Windows version (sofar no issues detected by me), it would be very nice, not having to switch to other systems.

Cheers,
Bart
 

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
As usual, I agree with Bart fully. Very enthusiastic about this 64-bits version. No stability issues running under W7-64 with CS6.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi Asher,

Yes, I'm still enthusiastic about it. It's relatively easy to use and it really makes a positive difference in sharpness without amplifying noise too much.

Bart,

Do you then not generally use Photoshop's "unsharp mask" or "smart sharpen" for sharpening? I thought you usually followed a protocol of blur then sharpening although I can't find that pesky link, LOL!

I do local and edge sharpening using unsharp mask with it only appearing on the elements that I decide warrant such attention. Should we be using FocusMagic instead for both?

Also do you find a benefit in using some early stage sharpening when processing from RAW? IOW, how does it all fit in today?

Asher
 
Bart,

Do you then not generally use Photoshop's "unsharp mask" or "smart sharpen" for sharpening? I thought you usually followed a protocol of blur then sharpening although I can't find that pesky link, LOL!

Hi Asher,

The blur before down-sampling protocol is specifically addressing the prevention of down-sampling artifacts. Since all resampling introduces some blur, it can help to sharpen after the resampling, which is where the Blend-if Luminosity layer technique also helps. After down-sampling it can be sufficient to use the built-in Photoshop filters like Smart sharpening (which is a kind of deconvolution sharpening, which FocusMagic also does, FM just does it better).

I do local and edge sharpening using unsharp mask with it only appearing on the elements that I decide warrant such attention. Should we be using FocusMagic instead for both?

For creative sharpening, there may be better tools. High-pass filtering allows to fine-tune the spatial frequencies that will be boosted, and Plugins like TopazLabs Detail have a lot of convenience to offer.

Also do you find a benefit in using some early stage sharpening when processing from RAW? IOW, how does it all fit in today?

When down-sampling, there may not be much benefit in doing Capture sharpening. Just postpone the effort till the final size is known. For full resolution camera output, Capture sharpening will bring the image to life, FocusMagic is well suited for that.

Creative sharpening, the boosting/suppressing of certain structure detail, can be applied, but will look different after resizing the file. So, some of it can be done to the master Raw conversion. FocusMagic is not the first tool I'd consider for that.

Output sharpening, maybe after upsampling to the native printer resolution, can be done very well with FocusMagic.

Cheers,
Bart
 
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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks again Bart for you considerable experience you bring to us. It's always so appreciated!

Asher
 
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