Kandao Technology has introduced Kandao Raw+, a new editing software that uses computational photography techniques to improve the noise and stability of images taken in low light.
Kandao says its Raw+ software is effectively a new smart tool that helps produce a new version of your image with increased detail and dynamic range, while decreasing noise levels.
Kandao Raw+ works from a burst of shots in raw format with short exposure times. The software then aligns these shots automatically, and multiple images are merged to reduce noise and bring out more detail.
What’s more, Kandao says with Raw+ you no longer need a tripod nor worry about camera shake that is the bane of many night photographers when shooting at longer shutter speeds because the images are taken in burst and Raw+ will reduce the blur during the image processing. How does this work in practice? Kandao explains:
You can start by taking a burst of full-resolution raw images with your hand-held camera (suggested to turn on AF-S autofocus and shoot in the highest burst rate). Then import up to 16 frames into Kandao Raw+. It will begin the alignment according to a reference image that you choose (by placing it on top of the file list) and merge them into a high-quality DNG file for better post-production.
Kandao Raw+ also promises a new method of increasing dynamic range that’s simpler than exposure bracketing for HDR images. Kandao suggests shooting your scene in burst mode with the same exposure time, but making sure you don’t blow your highlights (eg expose to the right).
Kandao Raw+ will then combine enough shots together to remove any noise from the shadows and produce a 16-bit color depth Raw file from the 12 or 14-bit images, and a nearly 4EV theoretical increase in dynamic range.
And the software works for non-static scenes, as well, the company says. Because shots are taken at short exposure times, aligning images of people, for instance, can be done with accuracy.
You may find the Raw+’s image processing works in a similar way like Image Stacks of Adobe Photoshop, which landscape photographers love to use for static scenes, to reduce noise and improve image quality. Unfortunately, image stacking causes the moving objects in the scene to be “ghosted”, which makes it hard for photographers to create portraits or capture movements in low light. In this situation, Kandao Raw+’s robust alignment will take one image in the burst for reference and merge accordingly, to avoid motion blur or ghosts of moving objects.
While similar technology has been deployed by several smartphone manufacturers, Kandao now refines to make it compatible with most mirrorless/DSLR camera in the market, allowing more users to explore the next generation computational photography technology. Furthermore, Raw+ will be available for Kandao’s new 360/3D camera QooCam which unique 3 lenses and interchangeable body, which is about to officially hit the market in August this year.
Click here to download Kandao Raw+ software for Mac and Windows.