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08/05/2005 11:28:51 AM · #1 |
Anyone try the new Fred Miranda SI Pro 2? I use SI Pro for upsampling images for DPCPrints. I would be skeptical about the new version being worth paying again for the upgrade, but it includes downsampling now too, so that might be worth a look.
Just wondering if anyone has already taken the plunge and what they think.
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08/05/2005 12:54:08 PM · #2 |
I got the notice in an email this morning and purchased it right after.
Heck with a 35% discount why not :) I already own all of Fred's Plugins.
I'm in the process of checking Genuine Fractals and this may be better and cheaper!
Quote FM:
Everyone involved with digital imaging has heard about Genuine Fractals. This utility claimed to do a better job interpolating digital images than Photoshop's bicubic engine. SI Pro 2 uses a different approach to Fractals, which allows interpolated files to maintain a high level of detail while keeping your photograph's natural look. (Without the creation of fractal artifacts) - It's also only a fraction of the price. :-)
Using the Stair Interpolation Pro 2 Plugin, will make your interpolated images appear sharper, therefore producing beautiful prints. After running the plugin, SI Pro 2 images are superior to Genuine Fractal's and much better than just using Photoshop Bicubic (Or Bicubic Smoother) alone.
End Quote:
Read More - SI Pro 2 16-bit series Plugin
I did a couple tests real quick and I was impressed.
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08/05/2005 12:56:46 PM · #3 |
| I haven't ordered it yet, I've not used interpolation since the purchase of the 1ds2 BUT the price is really attractive and the stairs method will definitly yield better results than the fractals way. |
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08/05/2005 01:01:11 PM · #4 |
I used to use FM's SI (not SI Pro, the old action). Then when Resize Pro came out I switched to that. Now SI Pro 2 is out and I'm all confused. I thought Resize Pro was the next step up from SI and now there's another SI out.
What are the differences between the two and why would you pick one over the other?
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08/05/2005 01:03:38 PM · #5 |
What is the difference between Custom Resize Pro series of plugins and the new SI Pro 2 plugin?
Each plugin has an entirely different technique and approach to image interpolation. The SI Pro 2 plugin uses a unique and now improved stair interpolation method and therefore works with any digital file including cropped, already interpolated images, or scanned film. On the other hand, the Resize pro plugins will only work optimally with the camera file it was designed for. It increases image size based on pixel contrast and therefore needs the original camera file, free of sharpening (Including in-camera) to achieve superior results. So, if you have more than one digital camera, shoot film, severely crop images, or sharpen before interpolation, then the SI Pro 2 plugin is the best tool for you. (Keep in mind that any interpolation method works best with unsharpenened files)
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08/20/2005 07:05:24 PM · #6 |
BUMP!
Ok who is or has used both the SI Pro 2 and the Genuine Fractals programs? Both seem to have a lot of good words and examples but in actual use what do ya'll say?
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08/20/2005 07:29:12 PM · #7 |
I'm trying to stay awake ... bump. Thanks
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08/22/2005 02:22:26 AM · #8 |
Ok I broke down and bought Si Pro 2. Today is the last day it's on special for less than $17.00. Tested it on a couple pics for practice and it looks like it does a great job. The only thing I didn't see was an estimate of the finished file size after sizing. That would be a great improvement so you don't have to resize, check the file size and then decide to keep it or try a slighly different size. I think I used size a few too many times. ;) Well worth the $17, haven't tried any other PS CS2 plug-ins.
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08/22/2005 02:25:56 AM · #9 |
I love everything FredMiranda if doing, the web site is THE reference before i buy anything photo, the picture portfolio is amazing and the acting simply too cheep to not be buy.. in fact i got almost 15 of them... since photoshop do almost everything fine now, it is useless now, but what is 15$ compare to 1500$ to the cs2 suite in can $ :-)
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08/22/2005 04:47:22 AM · #10 |
Unless SI Pro 2 is a massive jump in quality over SI Pro 1, it truly doesn't compare to Genuine Fractals on the images I tested back when I was considering whether or not to buy GF (I already had SI). The test images he presents are selected to not show much of a difference (no strong-contrast edges), and he seems to be cheating slightly by sharpening the SI images and not sharpening the GF ones. If you want to find out exactly how well that plugin works, take a cityscape shot, or a portrait shot with solid contrast between the model and the background, downsample bicubic by 400%, then upsample again with SI and with GF. Please post if you do; since he's not offering a demo version, I'm definitely not spending money on it again.
Out of the SI Pro/Genuine Fractals comparisons I made with four shots I had taken myself (two downsample-resample tests, and two shots that I genuinely wanted resized for print), GF won all four, hands down. It's the edges and curves that SI doesn't get right, that GF does. (SI also botched the destination image size by a couple pixels on one of the tests, which caused me to raise an eyebrow.) |
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08/22/2005 08:22:45 AM · #11 |
| Excellent plug-in. I recomend it for best downsize method I have ever tried. |
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08/22/2005 09:43:59 AM · #12 |
Originally posted by undieyatch:
Excellent plug-in. I recomend it for best downsize method I have ever tried. |
I agree. I did buy it. It works well, and it's great for downsizing now as well as upsizing!
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08/22/2005 05:32:14 PM · #13 |
| Could one of you folks that has it post a couple example shots of something downsized with Bicubic and then sharpened, compared to the same image downsized with SI2 and sharpened? |
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08/23/2005 03:48:59 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by Zed Pobre:
Could one of you folks that has it post a couple example shots of something downsized with Bicubic and then sharpened, compared to the same image downsized with SI2 and sharpened? |
That sounds like a lot of work...... Downsizing is always problematic depending on the picture; at what point in editing that it is done, ie. factoring in what editing is done before and after downsizing. Another variable is what editing program (ps version or other) is one using. I am going decline your invitation to take on this informal comparison. I have no experience using the sharpen feature in SI Pro 2 and my method & judgment would be unreliable. I suspect Genuine Fractals is probably better, but I have not purchased it or used it to make any comment. The inexpensive Miranda resize programs that I have used include: Web Presenter; Canon ResizePro; and SI Pro 2. Adobe CS Image Size program w/Bicubic Sharper engaged is an excellent resize method, and I think Miranda's resize plug-ins are less than necessary with CS. I suspect CS2 is undoubtedly better than CS in this area. Recently I have also been using Intellisharpen II, which I also feel is quite good and easier to master than adobe unsharp.
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08/23/2005 10:06:33 PM · #15 |
| Hm. I rarely do *any* editing after downsizing except for a single, light smart sharpen pass (50%, 0.3). What I'm interested in is whether or not SI Pro 2 is going to give better results than that for downsampling alone (if I can justify $25 for the downsampling, I'll do my own tests on the upsampling). |
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