Helicon Filter

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Helicon Filter
Helicon Filter 4.50 Beta 3 Running on Windows XP
Developer:	Helicon Soft Ltd.
Latest release:	4.50 Beta 3 / December 8, 2006
OS:	Microsoft Windows
Use:	Raster graphics editor
License:	Proprietary
Website:	www.heliconfilter.com

Helicon Filter is a proprietary commercial photo editing program similar to Adobe Photoshop and GIMP. Unlike Photoshop and many similar programs, Helicon Filter's interface is designed for both beginners and experts with easy-access edits and fewer menu controls while still providing advanced features in labeled "filter" tabs.

[edit] Overview

Helicon Filter's first public version, Helicon Filter 1.61 Beta 2, was released in August, 2004 by Helicon Soft Limited based in Kharkov, Ukraine. By 2005, Helicon Filter became well known for its noise reduction ability,^[1] though it had other basic features such as exposure correction, color adjustments, red eye removal, and resizing/cropping.^[2] More recent versions of the program have yielded many advanced features common to Photoshop such as cloning and HDR.

[edit] Designers

Danylo Kozub (also written as Danilo or Dan Kozub), Ph.D. in Economics, is the chief project administrator at Helicon Soft Ltd.^[3] He and his team of programmers, Stanislav Yatsenko, Vitaly Khmelik, Jury Shapoval, Vitaly Chentsov, and Alex Zubchenko are fluent in English and other Europeans languages and produce updates to Helicon Filter at an average of about one new version every two months.

[edit] Licenses

Helicon Soft offers various licenses for Helicon Filter.

Helicon Filter Free can be used on any number of computers for an unlimited amount of time but lacks some functionality. Purchased licenses can be used on up to four computers.

Helicon Filter Home is $30 for a current version license and $60 for an unlimited update license.

Helicon Filter Pro can be opened from certain graphics editors and is $20 for a one year license, $40 for a current version license, and $75 for an unlimited update license.

Helicon Filter Pro (MP) (multiprocessor support) yields a 40% to 50% speed increase for every extra processor and is $60 for a current version license and $105 for an unlimited license.

[edit] Functionalities

Live preview

Helicon Filter's live preview can be used in simple mode or expert mode. Simple mode allows the user to control aspects of the picture with simple sliders, while expert mode gives the user more sliders and equalizer control. Live preview can be viewed as the edited image or as a split between the edited version and the original. Images can be viewed at 100%, fit screen, full screen (with slide show), or at a custom magnification. Sections of a photo can also be magnified by clicking on the image.

High dynamic range

Hight dynamic range images (HDR) can be created by viewing the darkest source image, choosing the Increase dynamic range command, opening brighter images, and adjusting brightness.

Noise reduction

An example of noise reduction using Helicon Filter. The original is the one on the left.

Image noise and grain can be controlled with the Noise level, Highlights, Shadows, Radius and Chroma sliders. An equalizer allows selective effects by color. Helicon Filter's noise reduction ability is one of the program's highlights.

Brightness

Contrast, Gamma, Exposure, Local contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Black point, and White point sliders allow for brightness control. An equalizer controls effect by color. Haze compensation and gradient haze compensation sliders also appear in expert preview mode.

Colors

An example of color manipulation using Helicon Filter's Colors filter. The original is the one on the right.

In the Colors filter, white balance can be adjusted through color sliders or by selecting an area of the picture which should be white or match a memory color. Equalizers control spectral sensitivity and saturation by color. The brightness and hue of a color range can also be modified.

Aberration Removal

Chromatic aberrations can be removed by clicking on an aberration and adjusting the Radius, Brightness threshold, and Color tolerance sliders.

Sharpening

Sliders allow for sharpening both small details and edges. An equalizer can be used to sharpen specific colors or soften others.

Distortions

In the Distortions filter, one can control barrel/pincushion distortion, horizontal and vertical perspective, stretch/squeeze, skew, h-bend, and vignetting. Complete image flips and rotates may also be done.

Retouching

An example of deletion manipulation using Helicon Filter's Delete scratches and Clone brushes. The original is the one on the right.

Various retouch brushes exist and their size, softness, intensity, and edge sensitivity can be controlled. The brushes are: Delete scratches, Clone, Change brightness, Change color, Change saturation, Blur/sharpen, Reduce noise, Fix red eye, Distort, Replace sky, and Erase changes.

Resizing

Helicon Filter allows for cropping and resizing of the image. One may select to size the image by pixels, print size and DPI, or by percent of original size.

Plugins

Helicon Filter supports most plugins which can be used with Photoshop.

File support

Helicon Filter can support all common image file types, including most recent versions of RAW. Movie files may be played back, but they may not be edited.

File control

Individual photos can be tagged with speech or text notes. Files can be saved as Bitmap, JPEG, JPEG Progressive, JPEG 2000, Photoshop image, Portable Network Graphics, TIFF, and TIFF LZW files. When saving files as JPEGs, the user can select the JPEG quality and calculate the files size. Files can also be printed within Helicon Filter, emailed, or sent to mobile phones. Complete Exif can be viewed as a separate window within Helicon Filter.

Call from photo programs

Helicon Filter may be opened from certain photo programs including Helicon Focus, Photoshop, Corel Photo Paint Pro, and Corel Paint Shop Pro.

[edit] Release history

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.photozone.de/7Digital/noisenew.htm
2. ^ http://www.download.com/Helicon-Filter/3000-2204-10310251.html
3. ^ http://helicon.com.ua/pages/
4. ^ http://heliconfilter.com/pages/downloads.html

[edit] See also

• List of raster graphics editors
• Comparison of raster graphics editors

[edit] External Links

• Helicon Filter's Homepage
• Helicon Soft Ltd.
• Helicon Focus
• Outback Photo essay on noise reduction technique using Helicon Filter