Category Archives: Software tutorials / reviews

*Topaz Time – Huge discount on Topaz Plugin Bundle

by in General ramblings, Software tutorials / reviews | 2 Comments

topaz labs plugin sale

 

I’ve not been shy about my love of the Topaz plugins.  They are powerful, fun and offer some of the very best values for the buck.  Right now, Topaz is offering their entire bundle (which includes Adjust, DeNoise, B&W Effects, ReMask, Lens Effects, Detail, Simplify, Clean, InFocus and DeJPEG – 10 Plugins!) compatible with Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture, (at a savings of $350 off of the per plugin price) for $199 (normally $299)  if you use the code “july4” when checking out here at Topazlabs.com.

While I wish that they would include the recently announced and released Clarity (click to see my review) in the bundle, it is still an amazing value with all of the other tools included.  (I’d strongly suggest checking out Clarity with or without the bundle, it’s rad)

I personally use and LOVE DeNoise which I feel is the best noise reduction plugin currently available, Adjust (haven’t reviewed this one yet but use it often), Clean which is a really cool plugin for skin retouching and Fractalius like effects, and even like to dabble with the newly updated B&W Effects which is a great, affordable black and white conversion plugin.  I’ve yet to use many of the others, but I am very curious about ReMask, Lens Effects and DeJPEG for their specific skill sets.  Perhaps I’ll try them out myself and report back 😉

You can check out, buy or download free trials of any of these, or any other plugins Topaz offers at the Topaz Website HERE.  Remember to use the code “july4” to get the 33% discount off of the bundle if you do choose to buy!

Topaz offers really good sales on their plugins often.  Sometimes its a bundle discount like this, or sometimes it is an individual or more general discount.  I keep up with their sales, so if you’re waiting for a particular plugin to go on sale, feel free to subscribe via email (at the top right of the page) or on Facebook or Twitter to keep track of them if you’d like. 🙂

Happy Summer, have fun, thanks for the read and happy shooting!

Tyson

*Alien Skin Exposure 5, the best keeps getting better.

by in Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Exposure 5

There are quite a few film emulation plugins to choose from.  Looking at the sheer multitude of cross processed filters or “film” replications on offer from different plugins can be daunting.  To me, the difference is in the details, and none does a better job in my opinion than Alien Skin’s Exposure has.  When choosing a plugin, the biggest and most important features lie mainly in interface, tools available and when discussing a film replication, the actual grain structure and implementation is key.  Like past Exposure releases, Exposure 5 gives you a full library of Black and White as well as Color film filters.  Many plugins emulate a similar result, but none has paid as much attention to detail, grain reproduction and fidelity as Alien Skin Exposure 5 has, to my eye.  With Exposure 5, the new release adds a new user interface and some sweet new controls.  Read on for some of the details…

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*How to shoot HDR Composite imagery with people

by in HDR 101, Lighting tutorials, Photography tutorials, Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

indbeautyhdr

Sure, we’ve all seen the images that have been run through an HDR-like tonemapping, contrast increasing filter, making the grungy, saturated and contrasty images we’ve all come to accept as HDR, or at least, HDR-like shots.  While the “HDR” look can bring about photographic debates bordering on political or religious polarity, there is a way to actually capture and process the actual dynamic range of a scene, not just try and make it look like a processed, HDR image.  If you’re not a fan of HDR, by all means, feel free to ignore this post, but to and for me HDR can be a very useful tool, and one that, in this particular situation can help stretch a limited budget by being able to get a good range of exposure for a dynamically diverse scene without tons of lighting.  Now, the trick here when wanting to do this with human subjects is that you’re needing to take multiple frames at differing exposure values, which means, in short, a person or people would need to stay statue still to make it work, right?  Not so.  C’mon in and I’ll show you how to get around this unfortunate challenge…

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*Brand New Topaz Clarity Announced, discounted until the end of the month!

by in Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

IMG_6634

Just announced, and available HERE, (use code “claritynew” for a 40% discount!) Topaz Clarity is a new plugin that helps further define detail in your images. I’ve been playing around with the Beta version for a while and just got my hands on the full plugin last night. I can say that it is going to become part of my workflow, especially for landscape and interior work. Read on for examples and more details on this new, cool, affordable plugin…

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*Moving upward and onward!

by in General ramblings, Photography gear, Photography tutorials, Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment
backyard shenanigans

don’t worry, there were no kids harmed during the photoshopping of this image.

Hello everyone!  You may have noticed that I’m quietly adding content to the site.  This is being done to try and make a more complete resource for those visiting the site to reference specific tutorial articles or find gear reviews, etc.  The biggest changes are the new “Tutorial” “Review” and “MyGear” pages up at the top of the page.  I will be trying to catalog the more popular tutorials and reviews for easy reference, and the new gear page has allowed me to link certain cameras, lenses and miscellaneous gear that I use to my affiliate links at B&H.  Yup, you read that right.  I’ve finally succumbed to the monetary necessity of trying to make a little coin to keep the site going.  Read on for my reasoning and ever cheesy gratitude…

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*Topaz Black and White Effects 2.1 Update, free for existing users, discounted for the rest of us!

by in Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

topaz B&W Effects

Hello All.  You may remember my original review of Topaz B&W Effects back a little while ago.  It was, in my opinion, a great black and white plugin for the money.  With B&W Effects 2, they streamlined the interface, added more filters along with a few other bells and whistles.  With the 2.1 upgrade, (which is a free upgrade for existing users of B&W Effects, or available for new users at a 30% discount using promo code “BW21” here at TopazLabs.com) They’ve added an 11 Zone review system along with a new smattering of awesome borders.

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*Share the love, Alien Skin plugins 30% off!

by in General ramblings, Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

share-the-love

 

For the next week, Alien Skin is offering 30% off of all their wonderful plugins.  I use and love Exposure 4, Snap Art and Bokeh 2 personally and feel that Alien Skin does a wonderful job at providing a really solid product for the money.  You can download free trials of any of their plugins before buying if interested by going here Alienskin.com!  While you’re there, download their free iPhone app Alt Photo, it’s radical.

 

You can read more about my personal take on some of their plugins below:

Alien Skin Exposure 4, it just keeps getting better!

Alien Skin Bokeh 2!

Alien Skin Snap Art, release your inner artist!

 

They’ve also just released Eye Candy 7, which is a plugin that is gaining fanfare for graphic designers.  Unfortunately, I’m not a good person to ask about it, but it does seem to be getting a lot of praise, so it may be worth a trial for those interested in that type of stuff.

 

Happy Valentines Day to all, and I hope all is well for everyone.

 

Cheers,

Tyson

*40% off all Topaz Plugins through Dec 31st!

by in Software tutorials / reviews, Uncategorized and tagged | Leave a comment

Topaz-Labs-Sale

 

Another huge discount for the Topaz Plugins!  If you’ve been on the fence, it is a great opportunity to grab one of Topaz’s killer, already low priced Photoshop plugins, or save 40% off of the whole bundle (which is already a substantial discount).  May I suggest DeNoise, or Adjust, both killer plugins that I use all the time.  DeNoise5 is by far the best noise reduction plugin I’ve used, hands down.  Topaz Clean (which is $30 to begin with) pulls double duty while acting as a good skin smoothing filter and can also be used much like Fractalius (see my tutorial HERE) or Topaz B&W Effects which is yet another low priced, yet wonderful black and white filter plugin.   You can find these and many other Topaz Plugins on the Topaz website HERE.  Input “topaz2012” to save 40% off any and all plugins through December 31st!

 

Happy holidays, and happy shooting.

 

T

*50% off All Topaz Plugins!

by in General ramblings, Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

From right now through November 26th, all Topaz plugins are 50% off!!!  Kind of insane actually seeing that so many of them are already so realistically priced.

Click HERE to see the Plugins that Topaz offers (listed at full price) and enter the code “CyberSavings” at checkout to cut the price in half!

Here are some of the plugins that I’ve reviewed:

Topaz DeNoise5 (a killer noise reduction plugin)

Black and White Effects (very budget friendly B&W processing)

Clean (edge detail and skin softening plugin) which also doubles as a Fractalius like plugin for Mac!

I also love Adjust and would highly suggest any (or all) the Topaz plugins, especially at 50% off!!!

Cheers,

Tyson

*FotoMagico4, slick slideshows made easy.

by in Postprocessing techniques, Software tutorials / reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I was asked to review FotoMagico4 recently.  Knowing nothing about the software, I found it an interesting task when I read up on what FotoMagico was.  Being a parent to two young kids, I’m always looking for fun ways to document our events or outings for family and the sake of familial posterity.  Being a photographer, I’m always on the lookout for ways to present a streamlined visual product.  Coming at it from either of my personal directions, FotoMagico seems to tick all the boxes.  Learning a software program from the ground up can be daunting, so I put my head down and got to work learning this new version from Boinx Software.  Luckily, it proved to be pretty intuitive once I got going.  Read on for my experiences and opinions…

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