<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
,	O
also	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
Helicon	O
,	O
Filter	O
,	O
or	O
as	O
HF	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
commercial	O
and	O
shareware	B-License
photo	B-Application
editing	I-Application
software	I-Application
program	I-Application
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
similar	O
to	O
such	O
programs	O
as	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Photoshop	I-Operating_System
and	O
GIMP	B-Application
,	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Helicon	O
Soft	O
Ltd	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
these	O
other	O
programs	O
,	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
is	O
designed	O
primarily	O
to	O
edit	O
and	O
improve	O
existing	O
photos	O
and	O
not	O
for	O
graphics	O
creation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
's	O
interface	O
also	O
differs	O
from	O
other	O
programs	O
in	O
that	O
compact	O
toolbars	O
and	O
menus	O
containing	O
editing	O
tools	O
are	O
replaced	O
with	O
labeled	O
"	O
filter	O
"	O
tabs	O
,	O
each	O
tab	O
containing	O
labeled	O
edit	O
options	O
specific	O
to	O
a	O
single	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
picture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
some	O
editors	O
used	O
to	O
Photoshop-style	O
programs	O
may	O
initially	O
find	O
this	O
layout	O
unfamiliar	O
and	O
unlike	O
the	O
standard	O
toolbar	O
layout	O
,	O
beginners	O
and	O
those	O
who	O
do	O
n't	O
recognize	O
the	O
standard	O
icons	O
generally	O
find	O
this	O
very	O
helpful	O
for	O
getting	O
through	O
the	O
editing	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
,	O
formally	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
NoiseFilter	I-Algorithm
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
August	O
,	O
2004	O
as	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
1.61	O
,	O
by	O
Helicon	O
Soft	O
,	O
Ltd.	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
based	O
in	O
Kharkov	O
,	O
Ukraine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2005	O
,	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
had	O
become	O
known	O
for	O
its	O
noise	O
reduction	O
ability	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
also	O
had	O
some	O
other	O
basic	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
raw	B-Application
support	O
,	O
exposure	O
correction	O
,	O
color	B-Algorithm
adjustments	I-Algorithm
,	O
red	O
eye	O
removal	O
,	O
and	O
resizing/cropping	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recent	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
have	O
yielded	O
more	O
advanced	O
features	O
also	O
found	O
in	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
CS	I-Operating_System
including	O
cloning	B-Algorithm
,	O
selective	O
color	O
editing	O
,	O
and	O
HDR	O
imaging	O
,	O
though	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
still	O
lacks	O
other	O
features	O
found	O
in	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
such	O
as	O
layer	O
support	O
,	O
full	O
selective	O
editing	O
abilities	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
create	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
's	O
live	O
preview	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
either	O
simple	O
mode	O
(	O
commercial	O
and	O
freeware	B-License
versions	O
)	O
or	O
expert	O
mode	O
(	O
commercial	O
versions	O
only	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
is	O
designed	O
to	O
support	O
plugins	B-Application
which	O
would	O
work	O
with	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
(	O
i.e.	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
in	O
the	O
8BF	O
file	O
format	O
)	O
,	O
however	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
plugins	B-Application
do	O
not	O
properly	O
function	O
in	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
and	O
other	O
programs	O
which	O
claim	O
their	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
Home	I-Algorithm
and	O
Pro	O
,	O
one	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
stack	O
several	O
images	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
subject	O
where	O
the	O
pictures	O
are	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
dimensions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
does	O
not	O
implement	O
layers	B-Algorithm
for	O
customized	O
stacking	O
,	O
rather	O
the	O
program	O
has	O
built	O
in	O
stacking	O
for	O
specific	O
uses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Finally	O
,	O
the	O
program	O
is	O
partially	O
capable	O
of	O
stacking	O
images	O
of	O
a	O
moving	O
subject	O
together	O
to	O
create	O
effects	O
of	O
time-lapse	O
or	O
multi-exposure	O
photography	O
to	O
capture	O
such	O
things	O
as	O
moving	O
stars	O
,	O
however	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
cannot	O
spread	O
out	O
the	O
frames	O
to	O
amplify	O
a	O
subject	O
's	O
motion	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Image	B-Algorithm
noise	I-Algorithm
and	O
grain	O
can	O
be	O
controlled	O
in	O
the	O
Noise	O
filter	O
using	O
the	O
Noise	O
level	O
,	O
Highlights	O
,	O
Shadows	B-Algorithm
,	O
Radius	O
and	O
Chroma	O
sliders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
filter	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
dust	O
and	O
hot/dead	O
pixel	O
map	O
feature	O
which	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
special	O
photograph	O
,	O
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
define	O
certain	O
areas	O
in	O
the	O
picture	O
which	O
would	O
have	O
dust	O
and	O
dead	B-General_Concept
pixels	I-General_Concept
for	O
the	O
program	O
to	O
remove	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
exposure	O
and	O
lighting	O
of	O
a	O
photograph	O
can	O
be	O
improved	O
using	O
the	O
Contrast	O
,	O
Gamma	O
,	O
Exposure	O
,	O
Local	O
contrast	O
,	O
Highlights	O
,	O
Shadows	B-Algorithm
,	O
Black	O
point	O
,	O
and	O
White	O
point	O
sliders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
equalizer	O
to	O
control	O
effect	O
by	O
exposure	O
(	O
with	O
a	O
zone	O
slider	O
for	O
tone	B-Language
mapping	I-Language
)	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
Haze	O
compensation	O
and	O
gradient	O
haze	O
compensation	O
sliders	O
,	O
appear	O
in	O
expert	O
preview	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Colors	O
filter	O
,	O
an	O
image	O
's	O
white	B-Algorithm
balance	I-Algorithm
can	O
be	O
adjusted	O
through	O
color	O
sliders	O
or	O
by	O
selecting	O
an	O
area	O
of	O
the	O
picture	O
that	O
should	O
be	O
white	O
or	O
match	O
a	O
predefined	O
"	O
memory	O
color	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
allows	O
for	O
cropping	O
and	O
resizing	B-Algorithm
of	O
an	O
image	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Retouching	O
tab	O
,	O
brushes	O
can	O
be	O
selected	O
to	O
perform	O
such	O
tasks	O
as	O
removal	O
of	O
imperfections	O
,	O
cloning	B-Algorithm
,	O
brightness	O
correction	O
,	O
color	O
alteration	O
,	O
saturation	O
alteration	O
,	O
focus	O
correction	O
,	O
noise	O
reduction	O
,	O
red-eye	O
removal	O
,	O
distorting	O
,	O
and	O
replacing	O
of	O
a	O
background	O
or	O
subject	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
supports	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
raster	O
graphic	O
file	O
formats	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
JPEG	O
,	O
GIF	O
(	O
import	O
only	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
PNG	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
some	O
less	O
common	O
formats	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
most	O
recent	O
raw	B-Application
formats	I-Application
,	O
JPEG	O
2000	O
,	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
images	O
(	O
PSD	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
both	O
16	O
and	O
8	O
bit	O
TIFFs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Processing	O
of	O
raw	B-Application
images	I-Application
is	O
done	O
with	O
either	O
dcraw	B-Algorithm
or	O
Helicon	O
's	O
older	O
raw	B-Application
conversion	O
process	O
,	O
from	O
Polybytes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Files	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
printed	O
within	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
,	O
emailed	O
,	O
or	O
sent	O
to	O
mobile	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Complete	O
Exif	O
can	O
be	O
viewed	O
as	O
a	O
separate	O
window	O
within	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
may	O
be	O
opened	O
from	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Focus	I-Algorithm
and	O
Helicon	B-Application
Photo	I-Application
Safe	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
other	O
programs	O
which	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
context	O
menus	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
and	O
Picasa	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
used	O
with	O
a	O
Pro	O
license	O
,	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
may	O
also	O
be	O
opened	O
within	O
certain	O
photo	O
programs	O
,	O
including	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
,	O
Corel	B-Application
PHOTO-PAINT	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Corel	B-Application
Paint	I-Application
Shop	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
,	O
as	O
an	O
8BF	O
plugin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Photoshop	I-Operating_System
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
well-known	O
programs	O
for	O
commercial	O
bitmap	O
and	O
image	B-Application
manipulation	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
user	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
control	O
over	O
image	B-Application
manipulation	I-Application
and	O
features	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
functions	O
and	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
,	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
is	O
designed	O
for	O
less	O
experienced	O
users	O
while	O
still	O
providing	O
advanced	O
tools	O
needed	O
to	O
improve	O
already	O
existing	O
photographs	O
;	O
menus	O
and	O
toolbars	O
containing	O
edit	O
options	O
are	O
replaced	O
with	O
"	O
filter	O
"	O
tabs	O
,	O
each	O
tab	O
containing	O
labeled	O
edit	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
this	O
simplification	O
,	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
is	O
unable	O
to	O
perform	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
's	O
abilities	O
of	O
advanced	O
layer	O
manipulation	O
and	O
graphic	O
creation	O
,	O
and	O
Helicon	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
full	O
selection	O
editing	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
element	O
of	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
necessary	O
for	O
advanced	O
image	B-Application
manipulation	I-Application
is	O
use	O
of	O
layers	B-Algorithm
and	O
alpha	B-Algorithm
channel	I-Algorithm
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Layers	B-Algorithm
allow	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
edit	O
elements	O
of	O
an	O
image	O
individually	O
and	O
to	O
move	O
elements	O
or	O
objects	O
from	O
one	O
image	O
to	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
does	O
not	O
support	O
layers	B-Algorithm
,	O
however	O
two	O
common	O
functions	O
of	O
layers	B-Algorithm
—	O
adding	O
a	O
subject	O
or	O
background	O
from	O
one	O
photograph	O
to	O
another	O
and	O
adding	O
text	O
and	O
frames	O
—	O
can	O
still	O
be	O
performed	O
in	O
Helicon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
with	O
these	O
workarounds	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
,	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
layer	O
support	O
,	O
can	O
not	O
do	O
some	O
things	O
that	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
can	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
Helicon	O
Soft	O
has	O
mentioned	O
plans	O
to	O
implement	O
layers	B-Algorithm
in	O
upcoming	O
versions	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
important	O
element	O
of	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
acceptance	O
of	O
third-party	O
plugins	B-Application
,	O
is	O
useful	O
in	O
image	O
correction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plugins	B-Application
are	O
needed	O
to	O
create	O
many	O
effects	O
for	O
an	O
image	O
such	O
as	O
color	O
manipulation	O
,	O
insertion	O
of	O
ripples	O
and	O
other	O
effects	O
,	O
and	O
noise	O
reduction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
supports	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
8BF	O
plugins	B-Application
,	O
they	O
are	O
generally	O
not	O
needed	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
program	O
's	O
built-in	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
noise	O
reduction	O
,	O
aberration	O
removal	O
,	O
perspective	O
adjustment	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
and	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Photoshop	I-Operating_System
are	O
able	O
to	O
blend	O
and	O
combine	O
images	O
in	O
several	O
different	O
ways	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
as	O
multi-exposures	O
and	O
HDRs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
image	O
blend	O
type	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
is	O
capable	O
of	O
while	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
is	O
not	O
is	O
that	O
of	O
panoramic	O
photography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
is	O
able	O
to	O
stack	O
several	O
images	O
for	O
noise	O
reduction	O
,	O
while	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
is	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
features	O
of	O
Helicon	B-Algorithm
Filter	I-Algorithm
which	O
are	O
not	O
found	O
in	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
and	O
which	O
contribute	O
to	O
the	O
program	O
's	O
ease	O
of	O
use	O
are	O
its	O
Erase	O
changes	O
brush	O
,	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
edit	O
,	O
change	O
and	O
undo	O
various	O
aspects	O
of	O
a	O
photo	O
independently	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
edit	O
mapping	O
ability	O
which	O
indicates	O
which	O
areas	O
of	O
a	O
photo	O
will	O
be	O
affected	O
by	O
an	O
edit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
programs	O
are	O
also	O
able	O
to	O
open	O
and	O
save	O
images	O
from	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
formats	O
including	O
the	O
latest	O
raw	B-Application
formats	I-Application
,	O
PNG	O
and	O
JPEG	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
