Topaz is a software company that makes many different types of post processing plug-ins that work with Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. ; They cover just about all functions, though the one used for the above tweaking is Topaz Adjust. ; This is a color/contrast/detail enhancer, that can simulate HDR, manipulate shadow and highlight through tone-mapping, and adjust sharpness and color from mild to wild. ; Very cool plugin!
They also have two other plugins I like - Details and Denoise3. ; The Details plugin enhances lines, details, and sharpness in a tone-mapping like style, allowing very fine-tuned enhancement of detail and sharpness on specific color or contrast bands. ; Denoise3 is one of the most effective noise reduction plugins I've seen - with very good manual controls over various functions...it's slower in processing, but in my experience MUCH more effective on heavy noise from very high ISO work - in preserving detail.
I purchased one of their software bundles, which they offer from time to time, with all of their plugins together. ; I mainly use the three above, though the package included 3 other plugins that are cool, but just not as useful for me. ; It was cheaper buying the whole bundle than buying the three individual plugins I wanted! ; And, they do offer lifetime upgrades, so as they update the products, you get the upgrade.
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