Photo-editing
nce scanned the images can be manipulated using a wide variety of software. I recommend two. The shareware Paintshop Pro is excellent for basic functions and for general viewing, it has a browser which can be very useful, and the latest version can access the large PhotoCD size. The somewhat more expensive Adobe Photoshop is the high end choice. The range of functions and power of some of the algorithmic processes in this software are tremendous. Just a few functions, balancing colours through levels and USM to sharpen can transform an image without affecting the butterfly.
Some care is needed to keep the colours matching the original butterfly, it is all to easy to oversaturate the colour and get a very beautiful looking picture, which unfortunately doesn't actually look like the original species!
Real doctoring can also be done, I removed 3 or 4 blades of grass which were partially obscuring a Spanish marbled white Melanargia ines leaving the butterfly to be seen clearly! |
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You can also patch damaged specimen, although one can argue for the interest of a tatty specimen. This Dingy skipper, Erynnis tages has obviously been nipped by a bird, I added the wing tip back in. |
| A less scientific result. Converting a photo to an image that could be used as a letterhead or email signature or as some other emblem. |
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