Auto Adjust (iTunes Link) is a lightweight utility for performing "Contrast Stretching" (normalization) on the all too frequent dim or white, washed-out image.
Typical Contrast Stretching (Auto Levels or Auto Contrast in Photoshop) interatively analyze an image to find the brightest and dimmest pixels (in greyscale). However, an otherwise dark image with one bright spot will span the entire range from 0 to 255 and no adjustments will be made. This limitation is overcome by processing the full histogram of the image and doing some discrete calculus.
Images are processed and saved at their original resolutions. This can lead to some longer processing times on larger images but it's worth the wait!
FAQs
- How is Auto Adjust different form the many so-called "Flash Fixers" in the App Store?
- Auto Adjust performs normalization like many of the apps, but does it faster, and does it like a human would, not like a machine would. Reviews: iPhoneography, Life In Lofi
- Why do I need Auto Adjust now that the iPhone 4 has a built in flash and HDR feature
- While both features are great steps by Apple to improve image quality, they, like all methods for improving photography, only apply to certain situations, and even then still require additional tweaking before becoming useful.
- What resolution does the App save at?
- The same as the input photo, up to 1600 x 1200 on original iPhones and 3G due to a hardware limitation. The iPhone 3GS, original iPad, and newer devices can save at any resolution including 2560 x 1600 and beyond. Each device can process images it's capable of taking with its camera.
- My photos are fine, do I have use for Auto Adjust?
- Yes, Auto Adjust lets you adjust the high and low input levels, gamma, and saturation of images that may be 'perfectly fine' to transform them into surreal, breathtaking, HDR quality images.
- What platforms are supported?
- Auto Adjust requires iPhone OS 3.1 and will work on iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPad.
- iPad availability is as a Universal application. No need to purchase twice.
- How does Auto Adjust compare to desktop applications such as Photoshop or Aperture?
- Auto Adjust uses the same industry standard algorithms for adjustments found in Photoshop's Image > Adjust > Levels. In this rare case, 'Optimized for iPhone' means 'faster', not 'worse'.
- Can't many more functional photography apps do the same thing?
- Would you use the screwdriver in a multitool if you had a real screwdriver lying around? Auto Adjust is made to do one thing really well, and does it better than apps that do many things 'decently'.
- My photos always show up noisy. Who's fault is that?
- An image that's noisy to begin with will be noisy on the way out. Auto Adjust does not help with this (yet). Most apps that do noise reduction actually just blur (or the results are no better than blurring).
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