Tag: art

Sorta Silent Sunday

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

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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

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.

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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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HDR Image of the Ohio River in Black and White

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Nick Roberts

B&W HDR Image of the Downtown Span Construction Sites on the Ohio River in Louisville, KY.

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This image was taken from the Big Four Bridge looking west over Waterfront Park and the Ohio River in Louisville Kentucky. It was a busy morning on the river, the construction tug was moving barges for the Ohio River Bridges Project, the Belle of Louisville was headed upriver and a tugboat was pushing the largest size tow downriver, five barges long and three barges wide, that can go through the McAlpine Locks at one time. The Ohio river carries more traffic than any river in America delivering cargo from Pennsylvania in the northeast to the Mississippi River in the west and vice versa.

I decided to make this image Black and White after merging it in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. I first took it into Aperture 3 after merging my three frame bracket set where I applied some additional contrast and a vignette to the HDR image before opening it in Topaz B&W Effects 2.1 where I chose the Platinum preset. I adjusted the paper tone slightly as well as adding some additional contrast adjustments that the Topaz B&W version seemed to need.

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Don’t miss the 50% 0ff sale on Topaz Adjust that is going on until September 30,2013. Topaz Adjust doesn’t go on sale very often and this is a great chance to save some money and get a true workhorse of a program. My entry into the world of plug-ins began with Topaz Adjust and I recommend that anyone wanting to explore that world take advantage of this opportunity. Use the link below and the discount code septadjust when you order.

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

While there consider purchasing the entire Topaz Suite of programs. Topaz has done a lot of improving in the past few years and offers a very good line of software plug-ins that work well with Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture 3.

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This Is Why I Get Up Early Each Day

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Nick Roberts

Iron workers Placing Reinforcement Steel into Concrete Form For Pier Cap.

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I get up every morning hoping to find a sky with this much texture and color. On this particular morning I was given a wonderful start to the day when I saw the colors start to intensify as the sun rose in the sky. The morning light and the wide range of light made this scene a natural for shooting it as a high dynamic range image. Even with such a wide range it was only necessary to use +2, 0 and -2 EV to capture the shadow details as well as the highlights and mid-tones. I try to keep the number of frames I use to a minimum to help combat the noise that inevitably occurs when underexposing the frame to capture the highlights and then merging them to create the HDR image.

The more I use HDR techniques and adjustments the more comfortable I become with them. In my book NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 is the leader for creating realistic HDR images with minimal halos and believable transitions across the tonal range. I want my images to convey a sense of the wonder I feel when I’m shooting them and the natural beauty in the scene. In this image I am very pleased with the balance of warm and cool light and the peaceful mood that accompanies sunrise on the river.