Having seen an array of positive feedback and, importantly, the impressive results that the Topaz Labs products were delivering for wildlife photographers, I decided to download three of its apps: DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI and Gigapixel AI. Although the Texas-based Topaz Labs has been producing photo-enhancement software products since 2005, it has only really been in the past couple of years that its offerings have begun to circulate in the UK birding scene. Surprisingly, until fairly recently, another market player has largely passed under the radars of UK birders and bird photographers. These days, image processing on a computer can be every bit as important as taking the actual photo in the first place.

It's a likely bet that most of those reading this review will either use Photoshop or Lightroom to process their bird photos. But artistic merit only goes so far, and being equipped with the digital skills to apply various techniques to improve brightness, contrast, colour, sharpness and plenty more besides is every bit as crucial.įor many years Adobe's Photoshop software has been the default go-to for professionals and amateurs alike – so much so that 'to photoshop' has become a widely used colloquial verb to describe the image processing journey. In fact, with so many birders owning top-end cameras and long lenses, and consequently obtaining more or less the same images while out in the field, it is actually the attention paid to processing that makes all the difference to a photo standing out from the crowd.Ī considerable part of this – cropping for example – is in the eye of the beholder. Image processing – the course of enhancing an image by using specialist computer software – is every bit as important.

For many, managing a good photo has become as important as (if not even more than) actually seeing a bird – not least because it provides a lasting memory of a moment long after the bird has gone.īut getting the camera settings right and 'nailing' a quality image is just half the story.

Photography has become such an integral component of modern birding that just about every birder has a camera these days.

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