X-Trans, Enhance Details and ACR Sharpening

[Peter_DL]

 
I was curious what the new Enhance Details feature brings to the table for X-Trans Raw files
(i.e. with my X100F) and in particular how it interacts with the Sharpening settings in the Detail tab.

Here is a basic example. The different renditions were obtained by converting it to 16 bit Tiff, respectively, and comparing the images in Photoshop.

01_raf25: shows the original RAF file with the default Sharpening Amount of 25.
02_raf75: shows the original RAF file with an increased Sharpening Amount of 75.

The first two images illustrate the known detrimental effect of increasing the Sharpening Amount in ACR/LR with X-Trans Raw files. A kind of wormy microstructure shows up.
My understanding is that the Sharpening controls are amalgamated with the demosaicking process in a way that a high Amount is spoiling it for X-Trans files. Otherwise such bad results would hardly be explainable.

03_raf25-dng25: shows the Enhanced.DNG resulting from the original Raw file at default Sharpening Amount of 25 (i.e. from 01_raf25).
The Amount setting in the Detail tab carries over from the RAF to the Enhanced.DNG.
04_raf25-dng75: is obtained from the previous Enhanced.DNG by increasing the Sharpening Amount to 75.

The Enhanced Detail feature initially just leads to a somewhat cleaner rendition i.e. with less false colors (or maybe it is residual CA) at the border of the tree here. To this point the effect is rather subtle.
However, the Enhanced.DNG allows a higher Amount of Sharpening without creating worms. The sharpening controls in the Detail tab work more in a traditional way now.

05_raf75-dng75: shows another Enhanced.DNG as created from the original Raw file but at increased Sharpening Amount of 75 (i.e. from 02_raf75).
The Amount setting in the Detail tab carries over from the RAF to the Enhanced.DNG.

Surprisingly the result is visually identical to the previous image. The logic suggests that ACR drops the increased sharpening (with the RAF file) before the Enhance Details feature is performed.


Comments are of course appreciated.

Peter

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https://theblog.adobe.com/enhance-details/
https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/using/enhance-details.html

[Peter_DL]

 
At the risk of wasting some forum space,
here are some further comparisons which are made again from the same base file but processed differently:

Image #01 and 02: same as above, using the original RAF.
Image #11 and 12: using the Enhanced.DNG and playing a bit with the sharpening options in ACR.
Image #20: using the Irident X Transformer at its default settings.
Image #21: same as #20 but adding a bit of sharpening in ACR.

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[Chris Kern]

The Enhanced Detail feature initially just leads to a somewhat cleaner rendition i.e. with less false colors (or maybe it is residual CA) at the border of the tree here. To this point the effect is rather subtle.  However, the Enhanced.DNG allows a higher Amount of Sharpening without creating worms. The sharpening controls in the Detail tab work more in a traditional way now.

My experience is similar.  Albeit using Lightroom's implementation of Enhance Details rather than ACR directly; however, I doubt there is any significant difference in their respective behaviors.

Based on initial tests with my own X-Trans files (XT1-3), it seems to me the most significant benefit of this new feature is that it makes it possible to increase microcontrast more aggressively without introducing objectionable artifacts.  I'm not quite ready yet to abandon the Iridient software for images with very fine detail, but for the first time since I started shooting with Fuji cameras I'm willing to consider the possibility of a Lightroom-only workflow.

[kirkt]

I have been trying to understand what it is doing to my X-H1 files.  In some there are "enhancements" which show up as edges appearing more controlled.  In one image, with no artifact at the edges (stands of hair) the Enhance Detail operation littered the image with false colors where the image was perfectly fine.  I have used it a couple of times on images I have shot with the intent of producing moiré, and it removed the moiré (luminance and color artifacts) it pretty well.

It will be interesting to see if this feature becomes something useful.

kirk

[Peter_DL]

In one image, with no artifact at the edges (stands of hair) the Enhance Detail operation littered the image with false colors where the image was perfectly fine.

Is the adverse effect still given after a final conversion to a 16 bit Tiff ?
Did all settings in the Detail tab exactly carry over from the RAF to the DNG ?

Just to make sure that the result is indeed contradicting what the Enhance Details feature is supposed to do.

Peter
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[Peter_DL]

Based on initial tests with my own X-Trans files (XT1-3), it seems to me the most significant benefit of this new feature is that it makes it possible to increase microcontrast more aggressively without introducing objectionable artifacts.  I'm not quite ready yet to abandon the Iridient software for images with very fine detail, but for the first time since I started shooting with Fuji cameras I'm willing to consider the possibility of a Lightroom-only workflow.

With the Irident X Transformer I see more false colors or residual CA at the edges
compared to the results with the Enhance Details feature:

Left image, respectively: using the Irident X Transformer at its default settings (Raw process: More Detailed, Sharpening: Default, ACR Sharpening & NR turned off).
Right image, respectively: using the Enhanced.DNG, sharpened in ACR.

Peter
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[kirkt]

Is the adverse effect still given after a final conversion to a 16 bit Tiff ?
Did all settings in the Detail tab exactly carry over from the RAF to the DNG ?

Just to make sure that the result is indeed contradicting what the Enhance Details feature is supposed to do.

Peter
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Yes - the actual converted RGB images (16bit tiff, ProPhotoRGB) were identical to the previews in the ACR dialog/window.  The settings in both Details tabs were all set to 0 (Sharpening and NR).

kirk

[Peter_DL]

 
kirk - doesn't the effect disappear at the ACR default Color noise reduction (25) ?

I have seen something similar: color noise seems to be more pronounced with the Enhanced.DNG, but only at a low or zero Color Noise Reduction setting in ACR. The effect is gone after adjusting it, and the Enhanced.DNG can be sharpened better than the original RAF.

This is different compared to the Irident X Transformer which (at the IXT default settings) produces a DNG where quite some color noise reduction is already applied so that it can be left out subsequently in ACR.

Peter
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[kirkt]

I will have to check tomorrow when i am back in the office.  However, the original did not have these artifacts with no NR enabled, so it begs the question: Where did they come from in the enhanced version and why should I have to apply NR to the enhanced image just to undo them, when they were not present in the original?

kirk

[Peter_DL]

Valid question,
which probably only someone from Adobe could answer.

Peter
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[Peter_DL]

Another comparison of particular interest for me is with my Nikon D7200,
a kind of Bayer vs. X-Trans:

Left image: D7200 NEF file sharpened in ACR
Right image: X100F Enhanced.DNG from RAF, sharpened in ACR.

From what I see the results are quite similar. At least it is way closer than it was previously possible with NEF vs. RAF in ACR. Still the D7200 comes out a tad sharper but that can also be due to the lens or the lack of IS with the X100F (or my skills to sharpen this or that file).

Peter
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[kirkt]

Valid question,
which probably only someone from Adobe could answer.

Peter
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To answer your original question (about Color NR addressing the artifact) - with color NR set at 25, most of it is gone; at around 45, it is effectively completely gone.

kirk

[Peter_DL]

 
Supplementary,
some related quotes and links:

X-Trans:
https://petapixel.com/2017/01/27/x-trans-promise-problem/

X-Trans / Enhance Details:
https://elialocardi.com/adobe-lightroom-camera-raw-enhance-details-review/
https://blog.thomasfitzgeraldphotography.com/blog/2019/2/lightroom-introduces-enhance-details-finally-improves-fuji-x-trans-raw-conversion

Enhance Details:
http://blogs.adobe.com/jkost/tag/enhanced-details
>>When applying Enhanced Details to an image, it is necessary for Adobe Camera Raw to create a new DNG file in order to contain both the mosaic data and the enhanced RGB data (as a result the new DNG file will be larger than a traditional DNG file).<<
https://blog.kasson.com/the-last-word/adobe-camera-raw-11-2-enhance-details/
>>... Most of the false color has been removed, with absolutely no loss in sharpness of unaliased detail. … It doesn’t do everything. Here are a couple of versions of a shot with some Z7 PDAF banding, and the banding is unaffected.<<

Enhance Details, the scientific background:
(referenced in John Nack’s blog):
https://groups.csail.mit.edu/graphics/demosaicnet/

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