Software/Hardware Reviews

The process of converting a color image to black-and-white seems at first blush to have very little complexity; just turn saturation to zero, right? However, one look at Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro and you begin to realize how many considerations can go into the conversion process and how dramatically those considerations can affect the final image. Thankfully, Nik has put clear thought into making those choices available while not overwhelming.

My investigation of Silver Efex Pro was with the Lightroom version. The plugin runs as a standalone application, but works seamlessly with Lightroom, conveniently creating a duplicate of the image (if you so choose) and stacking it with the original. From there you are taken to the main Silver Efex interface.

Beauty Box by Digital Anarchy - A Lovely Package

There are many tutorials that teach you how to retouch photos to tone down or eliminate facial blemishes. A picture is supposed to last a lifetime and most blemishes are temporary, so cleaning up the rough spots on your subject’s face is fair.  Any good portrait photographer does it, and they always have; that or they soften the shot by putting petroleum jelly or a woman’s nylon stocking on the lens.

The only complaint that I have is my procrastion. I was unable to finish my review before the 15 days expired, therefore I used the demo version which adds a watermark over the screen shots and dotted lines across the final image. Being fairly new to plug-ins, I am under the impression that I could still acquire the same effects using just Photoshop. Ozone made it easier and the final result looks much better then, images I have tried to do the same thing with, just using Photoshop.

I started with an image from Stock.XCHNG in Photoshop CS4 (64 bit)

Using the image as a whole did not give me the effects I wanted because the roses drop shadow was changed, which was not the effect I was looking for. The solution was to us the pen tool and create a mask around the rose.

Sparks... Fireflies... Smoke... Rain... Snow... Star fields. Hundreds of  sparkles dancing across the screen. Exactly the kind of visual effects that would cause After Effects SFX artists to contemplate running head first into an oncoming locomotive.   "I hear that train acomin', it's comin' 'round the bend..."-- Johnny Cash

What took Disney animators untold hours to do by hand for Tinkerbell's sparkling trails can now be done with a few Mickey Mouse clicks thanks to Trapcode Particular... and you don't have to the Sorcerer's Apprentice to make it happen! (OK,OK!!  That's the last Disney reference. I promise.)

I’ll repeat: I love Alien Skin products. I’ve never had or used a bad one. Someone somewhere has, so please raise your hand …  okay, no hands, so I stand on my statement. Hey, you’ve got to love a company whose mascot’s head looks like a watermelon with eyes. (Well, it is an alien, y’know.)

Bokeh – pronounced “bo-kuh,” not "bo-kay" – is derived from a Japanese word meaning “blur” or “haze”; it also means mental haze or senility and also happens to be the name of a town in Iran, but I digress.

The first thing I learned when I set out to try AKVIS Alchemy is that it is not a plugin. Alchemy is a bundle of of 13 plugins, (also available as standalone software tools) encompassing AKVIS Software's entire product offering.

There is a lot of discussion about tablet vs mouse among users, however, as a graphic artist/designer/photographer I find a tablet to be indispensable. This is my second pen tablet but my fist Wacom tablet. If you have never used a pen tablet, I would encourage you to try the Wacom Intous4 Bluetooth Wireless.

The Wacom Intuos4 Bluetooth Wireless is specifically designed for creative professionals. The tablet and pen have been ergonomically engineered for ease of use. The programmable features customize the user experience and speed up workflow. The Bluetooth Wireless allows you to "free range" as much as 30 feet. Here is a list of some of the features:

Pad features:
    - Programmable Touch Ring
    - Programmable Express Keys with Illuminated Displays
    - Ergonomic design
    - Bluetooth Wireless
    - Ambidextrous design

The Alien Skin Photo Bundle is a compilation of five plug-ins: Bokeh, Blow-up, Image Doctor, Exposure, and Snap Art.  One of the biggest draws of this bundle is the lower price, a $500 savings over buying the plug-ins individually. 

Bokeh, as the name implies, is used for adding depth of field effects to photographs that have little or no bokeh, giving the user the potential to breath new life into an otherwise less interesting photograph.  This is one of my favorite plug-ins in this bundle.  When using masks in conjunction with this plug-in, there is a lot of control to be had.

For this review we are going to take two plugin from Digieffect and see how they work seemlessly together to take modern video that you can take from any digital camera and age to mimic vintage 8mm film. I would like to thank Artbeats.com for the use of their footage.

First we need to find a good video clip to use, I have one here of a typical beach scene with people having fun.

Now im going to apply the plugin Damage V2 go to overexpose and thats it, no tweeking of any of the setting, just drop it onto your video. This plugin will add haziness to your video, which really helps the aging process that were trying to go for.

Having been a film junkie and an avid fan of science fiction movies for most of my life, I'm always on the lookout for new toys to add to my Adobe After Effects. Yes, I'm new to AE, but I get really excited when I'm able to find a plug-in that lets me create the looks found in big budget films. Knoll Light Factory Pro (KLF) by Red Giant Software was created by Star Wars effects pioneer John Knoll. It provides stunning lens flares and supernova explosions with a few mouse clicks.  INCREDIBLE!

The interface is fairly simple and adjusting the desired effects are even easier.  Believe me, if I can do it, anybody can do it.