A2Beauty Matchbox

A2Beauty is a Matchbox shader that, while targeted at beauty work, can be used in a variety of scenarios where subtle defects need to be removed or attenuated from an image.

Connect the image to be treated to the Front input, and a matte to the Selective input to limit the effect. You can optionally use the Matte input to include a separate matte that would be used in the Fix portion of the algorithm. The A2Beauty interface is split in 4: Fix, Details, Shading, and Viewing.

Fix

Sets the basic parameters to make the defects go away. In general, the larger the Size value, the more important the defect fix is. Ratio allows you to compress the fix region and angle allows to orient it. So if the defects are generally angled the same, you can set the algorithm to that angle. Otherwise, when values are at 0.0 for Ratio and Angle it will use an even amount in all directions. Enabling Use Matte As Fix Region allows you to use the optional Matte input as Fix region analysis instead of using the Selective input which also restrict the affected region in the image.

Details

Determines how much of the grain detail of the image you want to preserve. Recover Amount is the basic recovery value, and the larger this value is, the more the defect removed by the Fix section is brought back. Size is the grain size used, and the Search Radius is the patch size used by the algorithm. Overdrive allows you to control globally the effect of the algorithm without having to change the various individual parameters.

Shading

Brings back Highlight or Shadow details independently.

Viewing

Previews a Dodge and Burn to highlight the area of the image that are being affected by the algorithm. Neutral grey maps the areas of the image that remain unaffected.