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July 22

Photo Editor Question

I am trying to use Microsoft Photo Editor to increase the contrast of a photograph of a document. My first question is what function I can use to sharpen the contrast, and I realize that this may involve tweaking other things. So I think that my second question is whether there is a manual for the photo editor that tells me what I can do with it and how. Thank you in advance.

Oh yes. I am using Windows 10, since I realize that I didn't mention that. I am not sure what other configuration questions I am about to be asked, so go ahead and ask them if necessary. I can't think of other questions. Robert McClenon (talk) 17:25, 22 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I wonder whether you're really using Microsoft Photo Editor, which was replaced in 2003 by Microsoft Office Picture Manager, which in turn was removed from the Office suite in 2013, with Microsoft Photos provided separately as a replacement. Are you really using this software which is a component of Microsoft Office XP (or older)? Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just checking you've got the name right.

If in fact you're using the Windows 10 Photos app, the dismal, perfunctory help on editing photos says nothing about adjusting contrast, which I think means that it can't. However, the update released for Windows 11 can (I just tried it). Perhaps this link to the Photos app on the Microsoft store will update your version to the version with contrast adjustment? If you can get this new version, you will then need to click the icon with the tooltip "edit image", which is the leftmost icon at the top of the screen, and then the contrast icon, which is a half-black-half-white sun symbol. Card Zero (talk) 19:49, 22 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

User:Card Zero - Yes, I named it incorrectly. I am using Microsoft Photos as it comes on Windows 10. Can I upgrade to the Windows 11 version if I am still running Windows 10? I have a desktop computer that is not eligible for Windows 11, and I am not eager to shell out the money for a new computer when the one that I have is working. Robert McClenon (talk) 06:42, 23 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

It should be available on Microsoft Store. That is itself a component of Windows 10: you should be able to locate and launch Microsoft Store. You'll notice the link to the Photos app page on the Store website, above. If I look at that page from Windows 11, I see a button in the top right which says "Get in Store app". Clicking it produces a dialog which says "Open Microsoft Store? https://apps.microsoft.com wants to open this application." I think this should work the same for you. (The same happens if I fool the page that my operating system is Windows 10. On the other hand if I tell it my operating system is Android, the button changes into one that just says "share".)

I don't know what you will then see in the Store. Perhaps it will allow you to install the new version, or upgrade the old version. The possibility also exists that Microsoft will deny you the right to upgrade your Photos app, in an attempt to force you to update to Windows 11 (thus also forcing you to buy a new computer), in which case I'm going to suggest you use GIMP, a free and vastly more empowering image editing program, not designed to work on mobile devices or to manipulate its users, and thus not an "app". However, GIMP is somewhat bewildering, and you asked about Photos. Oh, another alternate suggestion: Irfanview. This is a program designed for image viewing, similar to Photos, but it allows sophisticated adjustments, such as contrast. Card Zero (talk) 09:09, 23 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Between the two, Irfanview is miles ahead of GIMP in terms of ease of use. GIMP is a like a single-seater race car that requires three hands to drive: frustrating to almost everyone but magnificent for an extremely small subset of the populace. Matt Deres (talk) 12:25, 23 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not going to deny that Irfanview is lovely and friendly to users (as no doubt is the author, Irfan Škiljan). GIMP however offers a curves function, which shows a adjustable graph (initially a straight diagonal line) with input lightness on one axis and output lightness on the other. With this, all the pixels in the photo of the document which are lighter than the text - and, importantly, lighter than the fringes of the text, where relatively light pixels help define the shapes of the letters by antialiasing the edges - can be set to pure white, while the darker pixels composing the text are left unchanged. So, a more selective kind of contrast adjustment. (I'm sure there must also exist even smarter ways of cleaning up scanned documents based on edge detection. Finding out about that would be an interesting mission.) Card Zero (talk) 13:05, 23 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

EPSON scanners have a "Document Mode", which has a setting "Text Enhancement"^[1] that – in my experience – does a good job in recognizing and sharpening fuzzy character edges; On some models one can additionally select "Remove Background". So good algorithms exist, but those used by Seiko Epson Corporation may be proprietary. I know other brands (e.g. CANON) have similar functions, but I have not seen these in action. I'd guess there are some apps for this, out there. --Lambiam 21:01, 23 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]