High-resolution digital cameras have been available for a relatively short time. The large files sizes of these cameras permit big prints of high quality. Wouldn't it be nice if we could make similar-sized prints of our favorite images taken with older, lower resolution cameras? Maybe we can.
Adobe recently added a new feature to Photoshop® called "super resolution" that uses machine learning to increase digital file size with minimal quality loss. Since a larger file enables larger print sizes—like those demanded by our clients—we thought this feature might be useful for some Iris Arts images.
Most of our photographs are taken with higher resolution cameras. The digital file from those cameras is big enough to generate very large prints—especially if care is taken with enlargement (up-resolution), noise reduction, and sharpening.
A patterned image that is pleasant when viewed from a distance, but becomes more interesting when examined closely. In our opinion, this is a good candidate for hospitality and corporate environments—equally capable of receding into the background or rewarding close scrutiny. Photo: © Donald J. Rommes
A few of our images were taken many years ago using the available (smaller resolution) digital cameras. Some images were taken with a lightweight smaller resolution camera employed for its light weight. Typically, these images were taken on long hikes or backpacking trips where every ounce counted. Many of those images can't be replicated—we're not going on that 20 mile backpack again. Typically, we limit the maximum print size of those images—especially those with finer detail—in order to maintain print quality.
The super resolution feature just introduced bu Adobe® allows the photographer to "enhance" and process the original (RAW) file while quadrupling its size (doubling its linear resolution). In effect, the photographer gets a new RAW file that is four times the size and twice the resolution of the original while still permitting non-destructive editing. Ideally, the photographer can get a print that is twice as big as the original with no decrease (in fact, a possible improvement) in quality.
Here now is a technique that allows us to make high-quality big prints from some of our favorite and/or un-reproducible images taken with lower resolution cameras.
We played with one such image to test the super resolution feature. It was taken on a backpacking trip in Bears Ears National Monument. A lightweight camera was used to keep our packs at a reasonable weight and because we didn't know if we would see anything of photographic interest On the second day, we came upon a remote archaeologic site in an alcove. Its back wall was covered with rock art. The pastel colors of the sandstone, and the variety of hues in the rock art, made an interesting pattern that became more compelling on closer inspection. We used a tripod for the exposure as always, but the camera was "only" capable of 20 MP files. Even so, we are not likely to return to this spot with a high-resolution camera.
A crop of the previous image. This is a scene without a lot of fine detail, so it is not pushing the limits of super resolution, but it is the sort of image where we would use that feature. Even though the image is 4x its original size, we were unable to see any difference in detail or noise as compared to the original. This file should hold up well to even greater enlargement.
When we got back home and inspected our files, we thought this might be a good image for the Corporate Art section. However, a print made from a 20MP file would "only" be about 12" by18" at 300 dpi. Most all of our images—particularly for Corporate Art or Hospitality Art— are printed considerably larger than that. The 20MP file would have to be enlarged considerably to make the print. The quality of that print would be improved considerably if the starting point was much bigger than a 20MP RAW file. That's just what super resolution is supposed to do.
Running the super resolution feature on the original DNG file took only 3 seconds with our computer. It gave us a new RAW file that looked like the original, but was now 74 MP in size. It was if we now had an image taken by a 74 MP camera!
We noticed a very slight increase in grain on a few of the images we tried it on, but that was easily controlled by adjustments in noise reduction. The new RAW file size would make a "straight" print 24" by 36" at 300 dpi. Just as importantly, that same new RAW file could be taken back into Photoshop® and enlarged still further to make a considerably bigger print while maintaining high quality—a real boon to the photographer making big enlargements.
We also tried the super resolution feature on our large RAW files. It works extremely well, generating a 180 MP file from our 45 MP Nikon—saving us the tens of thousands of dollars needed for the highest resolution backs (150MP) available in 2021.
For our purposes at Iris Arts, we plan to re-examine the lower-resolution unique files in our collection to see if they would benefit from re-processing. We have a long history of photography but high-resolution digital cameras do not. Many of our earlier digital images were thus, of necessity, taken with lower resolution cameras. Many of those images can't be replicated, and because of their relatively small file size, don't hold up well to big enlargements.
Adobe's super resolution feature now gives us a tool to make some of those images available at the big sizes our clients want. Moreover, it is a tool that enables us to create really big high-quality enlargements from our high-resolution files when needed.
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