OMATOOLS/OmaRAW guide

Guide / Develop tools

Detail

Texture, clarity, dehaze, detail-size contrast and sharpening.

Open “Watch” under a tool to see it change a photograph.

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Judge detail at 100%

Develop → Detail contains four cards: Texture, clarity & dehaze; Contrast & texture; Contrast equalizer; and Sharpening. They alter different scales of contrast. Noise reduction and Capture sharpening live in Prepare.

Use 100% on both fine texture and a smooth area. Fit is useful for overall impact but can hide noise, halos and smoothing. Compare at the same zoom after processing finishes. A sharper-looking edge is increased contrast, not proof that missing focus has been recovered.

Texture, clarity & dehaze

Watch Texture, clarity & dehaze · 1:11

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  1. Texture, clarity & dehaze · see the starting imageTexture, Clarity and Dehaze are independent effects grouped in one card.
  2. Inspect surface detail at 100%Watch fine texture separately from broader light and dark shapes.
  3. Increase TextureFine surfaces become stronger. Watch the branches and foliage.
  4. Try negative TextureNegative values soften texture; excessive smoothing can remove real detail.
  5. Reset Texture before testing ClarityThis comparison isolates the next control.
  6. Increase ClarityClarity changes broader local contrast rather than the finest grain.
  7. Fit the image for DehazeReset Clarity so the following change is easy to identify.
  8. Reduce the atmospheric veilDehaze deepens contrast and colour. It can also reveal noise.
  9. Change the distance estimateDistance alters how the haze estimate reaches through the scene.
  10. Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.

What it does. Groups three independent presence controls. Texture emphasises fine detail, Clarity changes local midtone contrast, and Dehaze counters atmospheric veiling. Their dots and adjustment menus let you compare each separately.

Control What it changes
Texture Positive brings out fine surface detail; negative smooths it. Use it for fabric, hair, stone or skin texture rather than overall brightness.
Clarity Positive adds local midtone contrast and a stronger sense of definition; negative makes the rendering softer. It generally influences broader tonal structure than the Texture control.
Dehaze → Amount Reduces a washed-out atmospheric veil. It can deepen contrast and colour as the haze is removed. Start gently.
Dehaze → Distance Controls how far into the scene the haze-removal estimate reaches. Adjust when near and distant areas need a different balance; it is not a literal measured distance in metres.
Individual status dots / ⋯ menus Bypass, reset, copy or save each effect separately. Folding the combined card keeps all applied effects.
Tool Reset Restores the combined card's adjustments. Use an individual reset if you only want to remove one of the three.

Try it. On a landscape, compare a small Dehaze increase at Fit. Then check foliage and shadow noise at 100%. If fine texture needs definition, adjust Texture separately; if broad midtones need punch, try Clarity. Do not raise all three simply because they share a card.

Watch for. Strong clarity/dehaze can make skin harsh, darken an atmospheric scene or exaggerate colour/noise. Negative Texture can remove pores or fabric detail. Texture at native resolution can take several seconds on a large RAW. An overview can appear before all sharp tiles finish; wait before judging the final detail.

Contrast & texture

Watch Contrast & texture · 1:05

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  1. Contrast & texture · see the starting imageEnhance a chosen texture scale while protecting edges and dark noise.
  2. Inspect at 100%Use the same zoom to compare real detail; Fit can hide small changes.
  3. Increase local contrastAmount strengthens the texture at the selected detail scale.
  4. Target finer structuresHigher Detail level moves the effect towards smaller detail.
  5. Protect strong boundariesWatch outlines against the sky as Edge protection increases.
  6. Protect noise in darker areasNoise protection reduces amplification of shadow noise.
  7. Bypass only this toolCompare the same photograph at the same zoom. The settings are retained.
  8. Restore the adjustmentJudge the change before combining it with other tools.
  9. Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.

Specialist tool — enable it through Customise tools.

What it does. Enhances or softens local contrast at a chosen detail size using an edge-aware filter. Choose this instead of a broad Texture/Clarity correction when you want explicit control over the scale being affected and protection against halos or shadow noise.

Control What it changes
Amount Sets the contrast change. 0% is neutral; positive emphasises the chosen detail and negative softens it.
Detail level Chooses the scale: higher targets finer detail, lower targets coarser structures. This is different from Amount.
Edge protection Higher preserves stronger boundaries more; lower smooths transitions more, but can allow halos around edges.
Noise protection Reduces amplification of noise in dark areas. It protects the contrast enhancement rather than replacing a noise-reduction tool.
Filter passes Repeats the guided filtering to diffuse/refine transitions. More passes cost processing time.

Try it. On stonework, apply a modest positive Amount, then move Detail level until the texture scale you want becomes clearer. Compare the building silhouette against the sky and raise Edge protection if the boundary develops a halo. Increase Noise protection if shaded surfaces become gritty.

Watch for. More filter passes are not automatically more detail. If the desired region and an unwanted region have the same texture scale, use a mask instead of pushing the filter further. Compare this tool alone before combining it with Texture, Clarity or sharpening.

Contrast equalizer

Watch Contrast equalizer · 0:57

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  1. Contrast equalizer · see the starting imageContrast equalizer separates the image into six sizes of detail.
  2. Inspect at 100%Use the same zoom to compare real detail; Fit can hide small changes.
  3. Strengthen a middle-size detail bandThe neutral value is 0.5. Raise Detail 3 and watch the puzzle edges.
  4. Keep the finest noise quieterLower the Finest band while retaining the middle-band enhancement.
  5. Reduce the complete correctionMix scales all adjusted bands together; zero contributes no correction.
  6. Bypass only this toolCompare the same photograph at the same zoom. The settings are retained.
  7. Restore the adjustmentJudge the change before combining it with other tools.
  8. Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.

Specialist tool — enable it through Customise tools.

What it does. Separates the image into six detail sizes and lets you shape contrast in each size. Use it to strengthen a particular texture scale while keeping broader areas or the finest grain calmer. This is a detail-size equalizer, not the brightness-zone Tone equalizer.

Control What it changes
Channel → Luminance Edits contrast in brightness detail. A useful starting channel for structure and texture.
Channel → Colour Edits colour contrast at each detail size. Use carefully on coloured fine patterns.
Channel → Edges Changes the edge-related response at each size. Inspect outlines and textured boundaries.
Coarsest Adjusts the largest structures covered by the equalizer.
Detail 2 / Detail 3 / Detail 4 / Detail 5 Progressively finer intermediate bands. Each belongs to the currently selected channel.
Finest Adjusts the smallest details, where sensor noise can also live.
Band value 0.5 is neutral. Moving above or below the midpoint changes the contribution for that channel/size. Keep neighbouring bands smooth for a restrained result.
Mix Scales the complete equalizer correction. 0% removes its contribution, 100% uses the designed correction; negative settings reverse the direction of the correction and larger positive settings strengthen it.
Effect switch / Reset Bypasses or restores the complete equalizer, including all its channel settings.

Try it. Select Luminance and move one middle-size band slightly above 0.5 while inspecting fabric. Compare the finest band separately on a smooth shadow before increasing it. If the curve is useful but too strong, lower Mix rather than rebuilding every band.

Watch for. The neutral point is 0.5, not zero. Selecting a different channel keeps earlier channel edits. This panel does not expose the engine's separate denoise-band editor: use Prepare → Noise reduction for noise cleanup.

Sharpening

Watch Sharpening · 0:57

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  1. Sharpening · see the starting imageSharpening increases edge contrast. It cannot recover missing focus.
  2. Inspect at 100%Use the same zoom to compare real detail; Fit can hide small changes.
  3. Set a narrow sharpening radiusA small radius concentrates the outline close to the edge.
  4. Increase the edge contrastWatch the branch outlines and the noise in smoother areas.
  5. A larger radius creates wider outlinesThis deliberately strong setting makes the halo trade-off visible.
  6. Bypass only this toolCompare the same photograph at the same zoom. The settings are retained.
  7. Restore the adjustmentJudge the change before combining it with other tools.
  8. Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.

What it does. Adds edge contrast later in the development recipe. Use it to refine apparent sharpness once noise and larger texture adjustments are settled. It is separate from early RAW Capture sharpening.

Control What it changes
Amount Sets how strongly edges are emphasised. The displayed amount rests at zero when sharpening is off. A reset of the amount returns to no added sharpening.
Radius Sets the width of the sharpened edge, in pixels. A small radius suits fine detail; a large one produces broader halos and can look more like local contrast.
Effect switch / Reset Compares or restores the adjustment without resetting other detail tools.

Try it. Start with a small Radius, under 1 px for fine detail, and raise Amount while inspecting a genuinely focused edge at 100%. Stop before you see bright/dark outlines. Also check a smooth shadow for newly emphasised noise, then view the intended output size.

Watch for. Strong sharpening can make noise, compression blocks and demosaic artifacts more obvious. It cannot restore genuinely absent detail. Capture sharpening, Texture, equalizers and export resizing all influence the final appearance, so avoid judging this slider in isolation from the finished result.