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DStretch Workshop

Thursday, May 26, 2011
Shilo Inn Conference Center in Idaho Falls



Jon HarmanFor the 2011 ARARA Conference, Jon Harman will conduct a 2-hour workshop on DStretch — the ImageJ plug-in he developed for image enhancement which is now being used worldwide. This hands-on workshop will be held on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the Shilo Inn in Idaho Falls. Using images from around the world, Dr. Harman will discuss the basics of DStretch enhancement and more advanced topics. Bring your computers! Dr. Harman will install DStretch for those who don't have it and will help you to get the best enhancements from your own images. The workshop fee is $20 and can be paid along with your Conference registration.

DStretch is a tool for rock art researchers who wish to enhance images of pictographs using decorrelation stretch, an image enhancement technique first used on aerial photos. Jon has modified and implemented this technique to provide options for rock art research. It is a plugin for ImageJ, a free image processing and analysis program written in Java that needs to be installed first before you can use DStretch.

CA-TUL-19 pictograph     DStretch LDS colorspace     DStretch LRE colorspace
Tule River Painted Rock (CA-TUL-19). Left: original, Center: DStretch in colorspace LDS, Right: colorspace LRE.

DStretch is a useful tool for archaeologists involved in the study and documentation of rock art. Its enhancement techniques can bring out very faint pictographs almost invisible to the eye. Subtle differences in hue are enhanced which can give clues to superposition. Pictographs can be enhanced for publication or presentation to viewers not inclined to puzzle out faint elements. Use of DStretch can be as simple as just hitting a button, but it also contains sophisticated tools for the manipulation of false color images.

DStretch can bring out faint pictographs that are invisible to the naked eye. It works on digital camera images and no special filters or lighting are needed. To see what it can do, check out the slide shows at Jon's web site, www.DStretch.com, and join us for the DStretch Workshop in Idaho Falls.

Photographs courtesy of Jon Harman, from www.DStretch.com.