Tag: Adobe Photoshop

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

Posted on 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

HDR of Robyn Keith at Work

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Robyn Keith #2
Robyn Keith #2

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The woman in this image is Robyn Keith. Robyn is a carpenter and I wanted to capture her at work with the rising sun behind her. The light was really rich the morning I shot this and the sparks flying from her cutting wheel also caught me eye. I also liked the way the morning sunlight was reflecting off the surface of the concrete form that she was working on and tying the sparks, the sunlit sky and the reflections together.

This HDR image was created in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 from my standard bracket set of +2, o and -2 EV. Because she was moving slightly while cutting off the rebar, I had to apply 80% anti-ghosting to eliminate some ghosting around her head. When applying anti-ghosting I always strive to use the smallest percentage possible to avoid creating other artifacts in the image. In this case 80% was the lowest amount I could use; anything less than that amount left ghosts of her head and hands. I could have dealt with that issue inside Photoshop but the anti-ghosting settings in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 usually are a much simpler approach and work very well in most cases.After merging the three frames I applied the Balanced preset to do my basic tone-mapping. I like to use that preset because it adds a small amount of contrast to the initial merger and sets the stage for me to adjust the shadows and highlights without adding too much of an over-processed HDR feel to the merged files. As usual I returned the merged files to Aperture 3 where I completed adjusting it and sharpened it.

Foggy Morning on the River Crossing Project

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ironworker #2
Loading Steel Onto The Construction Barge.

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Yesterday morning the Ironworkers were loading more steel onto the barge they are building the caisson on. The caisson is the internal reinforcement for the bridge pier which will be lowered into the steel casing before the concrete is poured. The size and amount of steel that goes into one of these caissons is incredible. The horizontal elements in this caisson are at least two inches in diameter while the rings around it are close to one inch in diameter. Loading the steel onto the barge is a very controlled process that requires coordination among the ironworkers on the barge and the crane operator to accomplish safely and efficiently. The man in the photo is communicating with hand signals to the crane operator to lower the load onto the steel beams that will support it while it is on the barge deck.

I processed this image from a single frame using Topaz Clarity to reveal the colors in the scene and to show the river fog engulfing the Kennedy Bridge in the background. I find Topaz Clarity to be very good at allowing me to control the contrast and colors in an image while avoiding halos and artifacts that sometimes occur within these types of images. After applying the Topaz Clarity adjustment I returned the image to Aperture 3 where I adjusted the sharpening and applied a small vignette.

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Download a free trial of Topaz Clarity at the link below and give it a try; I think you will agree it is a great addition to any photographer’s workflow. Plug-ins like Clarity really speed and simplify my post processing and allow me to experiment with different approaches to my images in a timely way without spending hours looking for just the right combination of adjustments and enhancements in Photoshop CS5. With a project as large as this one where I’m shooting nearly every day Topaz plug-ins allow me to maintain a relatively fast paced post processing workflow while still creating photos that reflect my feelings for the subject matter.

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

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onOne Software Announces Perfect Photo Suite 8

Posted on by Nick Roberts

boxes_3 editions

OnOne Software Announces Perfect Photo Suite 8, a complete photo editor for every workflow. The new Perfect Enhance module, Perfect Eraser, Perfect Batch utility, and re-engineered Perfect Effects module create a complete photo editing solution that seamlessly integrates into any workflow.

OnOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative and timesaving solutions for digital photography, today announced Perfect Photo Suite 8—the photographer’s choice for photo editing. Perfect Photo Suite 8 is a full-featured, standalone photo editor that integrates seamlessly with Adobe® Photoshop®, Lightroom®, Photoshop Elements, and Apple® Aperture® and it includes all the best tools a photographer needs to create extraordinary images. Key new features include the Perfect Enhance module for essential photo adjustments, the Perfect Eraser with content-aware fill technology, the Perfect Batch processing utility for applying workflows to multiple images at once, and a re-engineered Perfect Effects module with twice as many filters, customizable presets, and integrated FocalPoint™ technology.

The new tools and capabilities alongside Perfect Photo Suite 8’s eight modules—Effects, Enhance, B&W, Portrait, Mask, Layers, Resize, and Browse—allow photographers to enhance, retouch, and stylize images in a layered workflow, replace backgrounds, create high-quality enlargements, prepare images for output, and batch process workflows. The modules share a unified interface, each targeting a specific image processing task. Each module provides only the tools necessary to complete the job at hand, eliminating screen clutter and confusion for the user.

“We listened intently to the digital photography community about what they wanted for their image processing in today’s world of plug-ins, online apps, and subscriptions,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “We made it a priority to respond quickly and design a cohesive new product that continues to focus on photography and is built for photographers of all levels, from enthusiasts to professionals. We’ve leveraged our extensive experience as a plug-in company and evolved the Perfect Photo Suite into a complete and powerful photo editor that, unlike existing plug-in collections, works as one, elegantly designed product that seamlessly integrates into any workflow.”

New in Perfect Photo Suite 8:

• Perfect Enhance module – Perfect Enhance provides essential tools for basic enhancements. Use it to adjust brightness and contrast, remove a color cast, remove dust spots and power lines, and add sharpening and vignettes. It is an ideal module to start with when using Perfect Photo Suite 8 as a standalone application or when quick corrections are needed.

• Perfect Eraser – Using content-aware fill technology and simple brush strokes, the Perfect Eraser removes objects and automatically reconstructs the image with realistic results.

• Twice as Many Filters – The Effects module now includes new adjustable filters including: HDR Look, Dynamic Contrast for tonal clarity, Vintage, Grunge, Antique, and more.

• Customizable Presets – All built-in presets included in Perfect Photo Suite 8 may be deconstructed by their filter settings and personally customized.

• FocalPoint is now in the Effects Module – The best parts of FocalPoint technology to create bokeh, tilt-shift, and selective focus effects after the shot, are now in the Effects module as the

Lens Blur filter.

• New Browse module – Images can be browsed and directly accessed from Perfect Photo Suite wherever they are stored—on the computer, an external drive, a connected network, and even on a cloud-based storage service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Apple’s photo stream.

• Perfect Batch Utility – Powerful batch processing of actions from one or multiple modules, including the insertion of a watermark.

• Multiple File Handling: As a photo editor, you can now open and work with more than one image at a time. Move between images to edit or copy layers from one file to the next.

• Improved Masking Bug: Redesigned Masking Bug in the Effects and Layers modules make mask creation easier and more intuitive.

• Higher Quality Effects: Performance enhancements improve effects by minimizing artifacts without sacrificing processing speed.

• Improved RAW file handling: Open and process RAW files faster and with better quality. Support for new cameras also added.

Availability and Pricing

The new Perfect Photo Suite 8 will be available November 26, 2013. Pre-orders are available immediately at www.onOnesoftware.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=459. Perfect Photo Suite 8 is available in three editions: Premium, Standard, and an edition for Adobe Lightroom & Apple Aperture. The Premium Edition works with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop Elements, and as a standalone application. Owners of previous versions of Perfect Photo Suite Premium Edition can upgrade for $99.95. New users may pre-order the Premium Edition for $179.95. For a limited time, pre-orders of Perfect Photo Suite 8 Premium Edition will include a complimentary Essential Video Guide to Perfect Photo Suite 8, which provides a comprehensive collection of getting started training videos for Perfect Photo Suite 8 ($40 value).

Perfect Photo Suite 8 for Adobe Lightroom & Apple Aperture works with Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop Elements, and as a standalone application. It is available for $129.95 | $79.95 upgrade. The Standard Edition works as a complete standalone photo editor and is available for $79.95. New users who pre-order Perfect Photo Suite 8 will immediately receive a complimentary license for Perfect Photo Suite 7.5. Customers who pre-order Perfect Photo Suite 8 will receive all upcoming Loyalty Rewards that will be delivered monthly to owners of the Perfect Photo Suite 8. For those who have purchased Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 on or after August 1, 2013, onOne Software will issue a complimentary upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 8 via download when it is available. For more information on Perfect Photo Suite 8, visit http://www.onOnesoftware.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=459

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc., is a leading developer of innovative software tools and apps for digital photography and offers time-saving software solutions for photographers of all levels, from enthusiasts to professionals. Leveraging its extensive history as successful plug-in developer for Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, and Apple Aperture, and continued development of cutting-edge technology, onOne publishes unified solutions that offer both full-featured photo editing capabilities and the flexibility of traditional plug-ins.

For additional information, visit OnOne using the link below:

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

HDR Images Using Topaz Restyle and OnOne Perfect Effects

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #1
Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #1

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This first image was created in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 from a three frame bracket set using +2, 0 and -2 EV. Because it was evening I shot it with a tripod to allow for the long exposures needed to capture such a low light scene. After merging the three frames in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2  I returned the image to aperture 3 where I made some adjustments to the color channels and applied sharpening.

Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #4
Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #4

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This second image was created by taking the same HDR image as above into OnOne Perfect Photo 7.5 and then opening it in Perfect Effects where I first added a layer with the  Daguerrotype effect I then added a second layer where I overlaid the Palladium Print effect after that I added another layer where I applied one of the Border effects to complete the image. As you can see it gives an entirely different feeling to the image which is one of the strengths of the Perfect Effects application.

Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #3
Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #3

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For this third version I took the HDR image into the newest Topaz Labs product, Topaz ReStyle, and applied the preset named Saffron Sunset. I was amazed by the transformation that Topaz ReStyle made to the image. I didn’t stop with simply selecting the preset; instead I then adjusted the sliders in the preset to give the image the feeling I was looking for. Topaz ReStyle has over 1000 different presets built into it and by previewing them in groups I was able to find one that I liked for this scene. One of the interesting feature of Topaz ReStyle is the ability to select a color pallet to work with and search the entire preset library to find variations that use the colors you have selected. You can then preview the presets with your image before committing to one of them.

I hope these three images help you to see the potential of combining different software options from Topaz, OnOne and NIK to create an image that expresses your personal vision for a particular image. Topaz ReStyle is going to become another tool for me to use when I want to explore variations on a theme and I think over time it will be as valuable in my workflow as the many other plug-ins that I already use.

Topaz ReStyle is on sale for $29.99 (a 50% discount) until August 31  if you use the link below and the promo code restyleit 

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