Category: Software

Sorta Silent Sunday

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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I have some affiliate links below and in the sidebar that help me pay the bills. If you are thinking about any of the products from them please click on any of these links to enter their sites. I’ll earn a small commission on your purchase and you will help me continue to write and post here on Speeddemon2 Photography.

onOne Software, On sale though Dec 2013

http://www.onOnesoftware.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=459

Topaz Software, On sale until Dec 2, 2013

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

Thanks for your support.

Nick Roberts

Topaz Black Friday Sale: November 27 through December 2nd.

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Nick Roberts

This is a quick reminder to let you know that the Complete Collection sale starts tomorrow and runs through December 2nd. If you have been waiting for the Complete Collection to go on sale this is your chance. The Complete Collection will be on sale for $199.99 (normally it’s $379.99) with this promo code: blackfriday2013

Please use this link to order the Complete Collection:

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

THE TOPAZ LABS Image Enhancement Bundle is designed for photographers that want the look and feel of hours of photoshop work in less time and with more ease.

The action packed bundle enables photographers to enhance their photographic visions quickly and easily, with flexible adjustments that are easy to apply and customize. With simple solutions essential to the post processing workflow, Topaz Labs’ software makes it easy to achieve advanced corrective and creative Photoshop techniques – often in just a single click!

INNOVATIVE WORKFLOW INTEGRATION

Enjoy simple integration into your existing workflow. No host? No problem. The all new photoFXlab is your One-Stop Topaz workshop! With access to your Topaz plug-ins and extras like an intuitive layered workflow, built-in masking, advanced edge-aware brushes, unique toning ability, and support of select 3rd party plug-ins, your Topaz photo enhancement workflow is now easier and even more effective! Learn more at:

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

Open Up a World of Unlimited Creative Photo Possibilities

Let’s face it, the image your digial camera captures isn’t always what you envisioned. When this happens we all just want a quick and easy way to bring our original vision to life, and give our photos that WOW factor! Topaz software is the most effective way to supercharge your post-processing workflow and get the looks that you want without spending all day on the computer – or breaking the bank. Whether you’re a photo enthu- siast, hobbyist, an advanced amateur or an experienced pro, you can benefit from the flexibility and convenience offered by this robust image enhancement toolset.

1. Browse & Apply presets for a quick 1-click workflow
2. Preview your original and adjusted image
3. Customize your image with intuitive adjustment sliders

Put the Topaz Labs programs to the test with your photos using a FREE fully- functional 30-day trial. Sign up today at: http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html to get started.

Make photos pop with creative exposure, detail and color tools.

Enhance detail and sharpen with no halos or artifacts.

High-quality noise reduction. Remove noise, preserve detail.

Simulate lenses, filters and specialty camera effects.

Masking is made easy with this fast and easy-to-use tool.

Control over unique smoothing, texturing and edge stylization.

Create traditional and stylized black and white images.

Quickly and effectively sharpen, refine and deblur images.

Instantly transform any photo into an artistic work of art.

Restore optimal JPEG image integrity and remove artifacts.

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

Spaghetti Junction Sunrise

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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Today I’m sharing two versions of the same image to show how Topaz Clarity and Topaz Restyle can be used to create different feeling images from the same exposure. In the each version I worked the underexposed frame from the bracket set I shot for HDR processing. I opted to use this frame because I liked the way it emphasized the sky and obscured the foreground. The Clarity version allowed me to bring out the colors in the sunrise sky and the reflection in the foreground while still keeping the equipment subdued yet readable.

Spaghetti Junction Sunrise (Topaz Restyle Version, Fiery Night Preset Version)

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In this second version I used Topaz ReStyle and selected the Fiery Night Preset to really change the sky colors.As you can see it has an entirely different feel from the first image The only difference was the Topaz program I chose to use on the original image.

I intentionally allowed the exposure to be dark in the foreground to lend an air of mystery to the final image. One of the things I like about how ReStyle worked was the way it didn’t create or amplify any noise in the dark areas of the image.

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I have an affiliate relationship with Topaz Labs, and earn a small commission on any sales that are made by using the Topaz Labs link below, which helps support this site. Even if you aren’t ready to make a purchase you can use the link to access a Free 30 day Trial of Topaz Labs products to determine whether or not they will fit your own digital workflow.

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

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Using HDR Photography to Create Your Own Personal Style Workshop

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Nick Roberts

Nick Roberts – Using HDR Photography to Create Your Own Personal Style Tickets in Louisville, KY, United States.

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There is still time to join me for my HDR workshop in Louisville, KY, November 9, 2013. Learn how to use HDR techniques and NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to create images that reflect your own personal style in this hands on workshop. You’ll be taught how to shoot for HDR along with what equipment you’ll need.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

We will also go over shooting handheld brackets, using single frames and software plugins to create faux HDR and applying plugins from Topaz Labs and onOne Software to get unique results without beating your brains out in Photoshop. My past workshop participants have all said it was well worth the time and money to attend and they still share images with me that show how well the class prepared them to build their HDR expertise.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Learn how to create images that defy the cliched, halo riddled, over saturated, grungy look that many people think of when thinking about HDR. After this workshop you will have the knowledge and the tools to create realistic yet powerful HDR images that show your vision for the subject without drawing attention to the technique that you used. In addition to learning how to use HDR to improve your images we will also talk about composition and it’s contribution to successful and memorable images.

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I have an affiliate relationship with Topaz Labs and onOne Software, and earn a small commission, which helps support this site, on any sales that are made by using the links below. Even if you aren’t ready to make a purchase you can use the links to access a Free 30 day trial of any of these products to determine whether or not they will fit your own digital workflow.

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

http://www.onOnesoftware.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=459

One additional thing to note is that both Topaz FX and onOne Perfect Photo Suite can be used as stand alone photo editing programs as well as plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture and Photoshop Elements. Both Topaz FX and onOne Perfect Photo Suite have built in layering features that make it possible to combine their own plugins when using them.

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Using Topaz Adjust to Process Vintage Tin Photos

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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On my motorcycle ride up US 31 yesterday I came across a 1940 Chevrolet sedan sitting outside BABBS Auto Collision Center in Sellersburg Indiana. It was around 12 o’clock and the sun was pretty high in the sky which is almost always regarded as a poor time to shoot anything. I decided to stop anyway and shoot some rusty vintage tin for processing with Topaz Adjust. I knew from experience that the Spicify preset in Topaz Adjust would reveal a rainbow of iridescent colors in weathered dark paint that is streaked with iron oxides from the rust around it. As you can see I was well rewarded and captured some incredible textures and colors in this image. I finished it with a small black border that just felt right to me when I applied it.

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Here’s another version of the same car from another frame that I captured with a normal exposure value. The previous image started out as a 2 stops underexposed frame and this normal exposure produced even more iridescence when the Spicify preset was applied in Topaz Adjust. As with the previous image I added that small black border I have come to like for these sorts of images.

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Same basic processing as the two previous images using Topaz Adjust and the Spicify preset.

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http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

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