Sagelight Version 4.1.5 Release Notes

 
Sagelight Version 4.1.5 (beta) was just released (May 18th, 2011).  It is considered release-ready and stable, and is in beta form while some documentation on the new and changed features are updated.
 
Version 4.1.5 is the next-to-last release that will complete the version 4.1 release in-full.
 
 
4.1.5 Release Notes
 
 

  • B/W & Color Tone Blender

 
The Tone Blender allows you to blend solid and duotone colors with an image in various blending modes.  It has replaced the Color Contrast and Blend Colors function
 
Features
 
  1. 60+ Presets. The 60 presets range from simple sepia duotones, burned color effects, washed out effects, etc. These set controls and may be used as a starting point and a way to learn how to use the controls.  The preset window can be used with the mousehweel so you can run through all presets.
  2. Advanced Vignette functions.  The vignette may be controlled by size and shape, but also blending mode.  You can create harsh and color-burn effects with the vignette.  You can also set a color for the vignette.  Between the size/shape controls and color modes, you can use the vignette to create simple vignettes or less-than subtle color effects.
  3. Simple Mode. The simple mode allows you to blend a solid color in various forms.  You can blend it is a solid color or with a version of the image toned to that color.
  4. Advanced Mode.  In the more advanced, "Multi-Color" mode, you can use the controls to form very subtle duotone effects to harsh effects.  These are the same controls that used to be in the Color Contrast function.
  5. Modes Supported:  You can blend in the basic modes, Blend/Mixture, Soft Light, Hard Light, Overlay, and Vivid. You can also blend in the more advanced modes Multiply, Color Burn, Linear Burn, Screen, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, Luminance, and Color.  All modes were chosen for their specifically useful properties.
  6. Keep Luminance and Sagelight Luminance Protect technology.  You can keep the luminance steady which allows you to perform very interesting effects on top of the other controls.  Sagelight's Luminance Protect technology keeps the light steady and faithful to the original light.
  7. Layer Thumbnail.  You can see the layer that is being created and blended, as well as press it to see a larger view of it.
  8. Black and White and Post Saturation Sliders.  You can adjust the image to blend it in full color, black-and-white, or anywhere in-between.  The Black and White slider performs a C*I*E Lab L-channel grayscale conversion for high quality.  You can also use the Post Saturation Slider to add or remove color to/from the result image.
  9. Sagelight Vibrance.  You can also select Sagelight Vibrance as the post-saturation/desaturation method.  This gives deeper effects for saturating the result image, and more lighter/washed-out effects for desaturating (i.e. removing color from the result).
  10. Random Preset.  To give you ideas, you can press the Random Preset button to pick a preset for you.  The same preset will not be chosen until each preset is seen once.
  11. Curves. You can open up the Sagelight Curves Box to edit the curves on the layer being blended (the layer is formed from the current image and the selected colors, as shown in the layer thumbnail)
  12. Load/Save Profile, full histogram support.
 
 

  • Blend Undo Image Layer

 
The Blend Undo Image Layer function allows you to blend two layers together in one of ?? blending modes.  It is a complete rewrite of the previous Blend Undo Image function.
 
Features:
 
  1. Blend Modes Supported: Mixture/Blend, Soft Light, Overlay, Vivid, Linear, Multiply, Color Burn, Linear Burn, Darken, Screen, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, Lighten, Add, Subtract, Difference, Difference Map, Exclusion, Luminance, Color, Hue, Hue II (see next sections), Saturation
  2. Advanced Luminance, Color, and Hue Modes.  These blend modes use XYZ, LAB, and other colors spaces to perform these calculations for greater integrity.  The HUE algorithm uses Sagelight's LAB/RGB color space for extreme Hue and Light accuracy, but also supports an XYZ-based Hue (Hue II) for compatibility and for harsher (and sometimes more interesting effects).
  3. Blend Channels Supported.  In addition to normal blending, you can blend on just the luminance or color channels, which allows for wide-range of complexity with blending modes. These are calculated in C*I*E LAB color space.
  4. Blend Color Spaces supported.  You can also blend in C*I*E LAB mode, on the L channel or AB (color) channels.  This differs from the C*I*E LAB Blend channels, as the LAB color-space blend only operates in that color space throughout the entire blend operation (i.e. operates on the entire image only in the selected color space), where the Blend Channels blend the layers in the color space but applies the result to the entire image.
  5. Curves Control.  You can open up the Sagelight Curves Box for each layer to control the curves.  This is useful for general toning, but also to control the result of the blend itself.
  6. Switch Layer Order.  You can easily switch the layer order, so you don't have to worry about the layer of the current image vs. Undo Layer.
  7. Layer Thumbnails.  Layer thumbnails allow you to see the untouched image layer (before blending).  You can press on the thumbnail for a larger view.
  8. Interactive Blend Mode design.  As with many Sagelight functions, the Blend Modes are designed for rapid access, so you can switch between blend modes quickly to see the difference, rather than using a pull-down menu.  You can also use the mousewheel to tour different blend modes, channels, and color spaces.
  9. Blend Strength and Transparency.  Both sliders are provided.  Transparency blends the result with the top layer, where the Blend Strength sets the strength for the actual blend.  In many cases they amount to the same thing, but in other cases the Strength slider provides a high degree of quality control over the blend. For example, rather than blending a burned-out image into the original image (as with just using the Transparency Slider), you can use the Blend Strength to pull back on blown-out highlights, which returns much more quality in the image.
  10. Load/Save Profile, full histogram support.
 
Power Box
 
11. Color Tones Button. The Presets and Vignette Controls have been added to the Power Box.  You can quickly select a tone blender preset, or just use the vignetting functions on your image without leaving the Quick Edit Mode or Pro Quick Edit Mode.
 
 

  • High Pass Filter

 
The High Pass Filter allows you to form a high pass filter and then use it in the Blend Undo Image Layer function.
 
Features
 
  1. Fast Gaussian Blur.  Written in SSE2/SSE4 code for speed.
  2. Allows you to set a radius from 0.01 - 2.0.  Anything above 1.0 is not recommended (the curves in the Blend Undo Image Layer should be used).  However, for values less than 1, more subtle effects can be obtained for general image toning.
  3. RGB and C*I*E LAB blend modes.  RGB, C*I*E LAB, C*I*E L, and C*I*E AB (i.e. blur colors) modes are supported.
 

  • C*I*E LAB Support for Gaussian Blur, Unsharp Mask

 
As with the High Pass Filter, the Gaussian Blur and Unsharp Mask can be used in RGB,  RGB, C*I*E LAB, C*I*E L, and C*I*E AB (color) modes.
 

  • Pro Menu Added

 
A Pro Menu was added to collect more advanced functions that are more interesting to hobbyists and advanced users.  It's also in preparation of a coming split between a standard version and advanced version that will emphasize some of the more advanced functionality in Sagelight.
 
If you have Sagelight, you have the Pro/Advanced version already -- this is why there lag in raising the price, as this process needs to be completed first.
 

  • Menu Items Added

 
Menu items for Load/Save Profiles, and windows such as the histogram, Power Box, Toolbox, LightBlender, etc.
 

  • Various Changes and Bug Fixes

 
  1. Orientation Information in Jpeg images.  This was not being removed from the image properly, which resulted in the image being rotated in sites like Flickr.  That has been fixed.
  2. Accept and Rest button overlap in the Quick Edit Mode.  These buttons were overlapping.
  3. The Auto Balance now defaults to "Passive Auto Levels" in the Quick Edit Mode.  This was defaulting to "Auto Color".  After some research, it turns out to be a better starting point to just do the levels, and than have the Auto Color button selected manually.
  4. Blend Undo Image move from the Edit Menu to the Pro menu (under Blend Undo Image Layer).  Since it's a more advanced function, it is better highlighted there.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.