For many of us, Topaz Adjust was the first Topaz plugin that we bought.  It was a one click solution to enhance a variety of images in a multitude of ways.  Many of the newer Topaz plugins have even been born as an expansion from some of the filters in Adjust, so I guess you could call it the OG Topaz plugin.  It has grown over the years to include many more filters and is onto version 5.

It is currently on sale for $29.99, 40% off through July (normally $49.99) on Topaz Labs website HERE (use code julyadjust at checkout).

If you’d like to see and read more about my thoughts on Adjust, come on in!

Adjust gained steam from my memory, as an HDR enhancement plugin, or at least, that is how I found out about it, and Topaz plugins en masse.  It was my gateway intoxicant into the world of Topaz, and I was always impressed when those HDR photographers who could pull off an image with a light touch, provided that little bit extra intrigue to their images.  Often, when in forum discussion or the like, Adjust came up as a ‘finishing’ touch and certainly added a little extra punch without going overboard.  It helped me move away from the clown vomit®* effect that seemed (or seems) so prevalent in HDR photography where I chose to try and utilize exposure blending to really expand the dynamic range of my camera sensors, not necessarily just go for the ‘what the…’ factor.  (*No intended offense to those who enjoy clown vomit® it’s just not my bag of chips).

Adjust was my portal into that world, and from there, it helped me fine tune both my technique, and my final output.

(click the image to see the full screen shot)

Opening an image in Adjust, you’re met with the traditional layout with preset filters grouped into categories on the left.  These are the broad stroke clicks.  Depending on the image, and your desired effect, you can choose from one of many effect filters ranging from one click HDR style filters, to paint or sketch effects, tonal shifts and film effects along with various others.  There really are too many to list, and I’d suggest just downloading a free trial to play around (which you can do via the link above, or below).

After selecting your effect filter, you can then start to adjust (pun entirely intended) your image via the Global or Local adjustments, as well as the Finishing Touches which enable sliders for Diffusion, Grain, Transparency, Warmth, Border, Vignette and Tone.  After fine tuning your filter, you can save it, if you’d like, for easy access later by clicking on the “Gear” menu button at the bottom left which gives you the option to save, import or export different settings.

From there, the world is your oyster.  Go forth and create. Here are the before and after images with this one, which I spent a whole 2 minutes on in Adjust:

It is a great program when looking to punch up an image with a few clicks.  I’ve loved seeing that Topaz has taken some of the more popular filters from Adjust, and expanded them into their own specialized plugins as well, knowing that there is always the possibility for new expansions in the future.  

If you’re new to Topaz, or have yet to try Adjust, it’s a great time to introduce yourself to Topaz’ flagship plugin.  Give it a try for free, and if you like it, you have a couple weeks to get it for 40% off.  $29.99 for Adjust is a pretty darn good deal.  You can check it out, download the free trial, or purchase directly from Topaz Labs website HERE.  Use the code julyadjust at checkout to get the sale price.  If you do choose to purchase it, doing so through my links found here will give me a small, reference commission and continued sway with the Topaz folks to help justify me asking for giveaways and the like on the blog here.  They’ve been great at supporting our monthly Flickr Photo Blog Challenges, and I pump them up because I truly enjoy and value their software.  They are a great company, full of good folks, and I like them. </end shill>

Thanks for the read as always guys and gals.  Connect with me, show me what you come up with via the socials,  Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Instagram. If you prefer email notifications, please feel free to add your email address at the top right of the page here. You’ll get email alerts as new articles are released.

Happy shooting!

Tyson