Software Review – Adobe Photoshop Plug-in Plug-In Suite 3: Genuine Fractals 5.0 From onOne

This is the first of a four part review of the products that are included in the onOne Plug-In Suite 3. This review is on the product Genuine Fractals 5.0

The problem begins with the image that is great, but because you shot it with your 3 mega pixel camera, you can get a decent 4x6 inch print, but when you try to get an 8x10 or larger, it just doesn't look the same. Or you have a good 8 mega pixel image, but you want to create a 24x36 inch print; it just doesn’t cut it. Well that is where Genuine Fractals 5.0 comes in. As a stand alone product or as part of the onOne Plug-in Suite, Genuine Fractals 5.0 will do all the heavy lifting when it comes to creating crystal clear enlargements of your images.

This new version of Genuine Fractals 5.0 represents a significant update of onOne's already award winning plug-in software. This version, while retaining the same powerful scaling capabilities, has enhanced its scaling engine and added more end user control for even more fine range image management.

First, what is Genuine Fractals 5.0? Genuine Fractals 5.0 is a Adobe Photoshop Plug-in that will allow you to enlarge your images over 1000% with no loss in quality. The size of the print you want to make is also based on the printer resolution and how many droplets of ink per inch that the printer puts on the paper.

If this seems complicated, it can be, but that is where Genuine Fractals 5.0 comes in. By using the plug-in, all that you have to do is open the image in the new and improved workspace, select the size of print that you want to produce, select the resolution best for your printer; onOne provides a chart for your convenience, and Genuine Fractals 5.0 does the rest.

The latest version of Genuine Fractals 5.0 adds several improvements and enhancements. First is the new interface and Photoshop CS3 compatibility. Next is the improved scaling algorithm which now allows for 1000% enlargements. This version now works with multi-processors which provides faster scaling results.

Add to that, they have added over 70 Document Size Presets which allows users to crop and resize images in a single step. Genuine Fractals 5.0 also supports resizing Photoshop files with multiple layers. These include adjustment layers, non-rastorized layers, smart objects and alpha channels. You no longer have to flatten files before scaling as well.

They have also added Texture controls to fine tune your detail that you want pulled out. There is built in Grain Control, Sharpening Controls an Photoshop Action support. Genuine Fractals 5.0 supports 8-bit and 16-bit RGB and Grayscale images as well. There is even support for CMYK and LAB color modes as well.

I think that you will be amazed with the quality of image enlargements that can be had with Genuine Fractals 5.0. It installs easily and really requires no learning curve to begin to use. It does take a little bit of time to analyze and reproduce your image. If you have the need to enlarge your images beyond the size that is recommended for your image size, or if you want to improve the quality of your larger images with cleaner detail with better shadow and highlight detail then you should check out Genuine Fractals 5.0

Article Author: T. Michael Testi

T. Michael Testi is software developer, a writer, and a photographer. He also blogs at PhotographyTodayNet and at All This and Everything Else.

Visit T. Michael Testi's author page — T. Michael Testi's Blog