User's Manual

17
Photomatix Essentials 4.0 User Manual
Section 3: Preferences
Photomatix Essentials oers a few options that you can adjust in the Preferences window.
To access Preferences, click the Preferences… button located at the bottom left of the Step 1 window.
3.1 Single Image Selection
The Select thumbnail when a single image is loaded in Step 1 option applies to the case when you load
a single photo instead of a set of bracketed photos. By default, the box for the single image’s thumbnail is
unchecked and you will need to check it to go further. If you enable the Select thumbnail when a single image
is loaded in Step 1 option, then the thumbnail box will be already checked when you load a single image.
3.2 Skip Merge Dialog
When the Skip dialog for alignment and deghosting options is selected, alignment and cropping defaults
are set here in Preferences. When it is not selected, you will have the opportunity to set alignment options
individually for each bracketed set as you process it, using the Alignment and Deghosting dialog which appears
just before Step 2. Refer to the Alignment and Deghosting Dialog section on page 10.
3.3 Noise Reduction Options
Noise Reduction is often useful when using presets such as Painterly, Surreal or Grunge, because these
presets enhance local detail, which has the drawback of accentuating noise. Noise reduction is particularly
recommended when processing RAW les directly in Photomatix Essentials, or when processing just one photo,
especially when this photo is underexposed.
You can turn Noise Reduction on or o, using the Reduce noise menu options, or you can be prompted after
Step 2 whether or not to apply it. Noise reduction is most helpful when applied to the darkest images in a
bracketed set. Since reducing noise takes time, you can choose to process just a subset of your source images
with noise reduction by adjusting the Apply noise reduction on option.
The Preferences window