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LIGHT Photographic Workshops blog discusses everything photography related. Adobe updates, computer suggestions, accessories that can save your life and more!
Topaz is offering a great deal on their complete plug-in collection from 29 November through 02 December. Enter the code "blackfriday2013" and the collection is only $199.99 (normal price is $379.99).
I am a regular user of Clarity, Detail, Adjust, DeNoise, DeJPEG (client photos for print), and Black and White Effects 2. Moreover, if you own only one plug-in, make it Clarity.
Hal will be presenting a webinar on the 8th of October at 1:30 PM PST live from the California Photo Festival. Follow the link below to sign up!
With over 14 plugins now it can be a bit confusing to know what to use when. In this webinar Hal talks about which Topaz Plugins he prefers to use for different tasks/results.
One click ReStyle effect.
Two days left in the ReStyle launch discount. Use the code "restyleit" for the 29.99 price at the link below.
Hal is doing another webinar with Topaz on the 10th of September at 4 PM Central Time.
The title is "Which Topaz Plugin is right for you?" With so many options available, which plugin goes with what? Register by clicking on the link below.
Take a look at the new plug in from Topaz Labs called ReStyle. Hal demonstrates and discusses the plug in this quick video. Restyle offers one click access to create stylized interpretation of your original image. You can easily make dozens or hundreds of variations when using the 1000+ presets available in ReStyle.
The presets are awesome; single click mapping of tones and colors to create unique images, but what makes ReStyle even cooler are the additional controls. Once you apply a preset you can modify the settings, mask the effects, and even change Blend Modes!Blend Modes are one of my favorite features in Photoshop and it is great to have them available in ReStyle.
Topaz Labs is offering their Bundle for $199.00 (regular $299.00) from now until 07 July. Use the discount code "july4". Good product at a good price.
Fiat Lux!
Topaz Labs released a new program/plugin called Clarity this morning. Quick video to show some of the new features. I am a fan of Topaz and have been working this one for a couple weeks. I really like where they are going.
Clarity is 49.99 but you can use the code "claritynew" until the 31st of May and pick it up for 29.99.
My recent Topaz DeNoise webinar is available to watch on YouTube.
Enjoy.
Fiat Lux!
A recent video showing my Topaz Denoise and Detail process.
Thanks for the questions that help generate these videos!
Fiat Lux!
Great to be back home after a somewhat wet, windy, and no electrical power trip out east. The school has been busy working the California Photo Festival and I am very impressed with the work the staff has done. Should be another killer week of fun, photography, and learning.
Even though hurricane Irene let loose with an unreal amount of rain I was able to make some interesting images over the four days I was in New York.
The following images are from a little indoor HDR trip just down the road from Rick's place.
3 Shot HDR with Nik's HDR Efex Pro
Same 3 Shot HDR with HDR Soft's Photomatix Pro
I often use multiple methods to process my HDR and then pick the best option. Of course, there are times I pick and choose different parts to use from different finished images. Whether using Layer Blend Modes or Layers/Masks, there is no limit to what you can do.
The B&W Effects conversion, for giggles.
All shots are from a Canon 7D and an EF 14mm f/2.8L. I processed initially in Lightroom and then sent to the respective plug-ins.
Fiat Lux!
Topaz will release B&W Effects tomorrow. It has been fun as part of their beta test group. What has been even better is they made quite a few changes based on input we submitted.
I think this is a strong entry into the black and white conversion market. There are some good features you will not find other places. I am a big fan of the brushes for local adjustment to tone, detail, smoothness, and color.
I should have some tutorials up soon and hopefully a webinar on B&W Effects in September.
Baby humpack having fun.
The day was very muted so with little color to begin with black and white seemed a natural option.
Topaz Labs just posted the webinar I did with them a couple weeks ago. Enjoy and, as always, send me any questions, comments, or concerns.
Fiat Lux!
Bull
Very Old Ice with a little Topaz and Photoshop.
Hal will be presenting a webinar on the 29th of this month, noon on the West Coast, 1 PM Mountain, 2 PM Central, and 3 PM East Coast.
He will discuss using Topaz Detail and Adjust combined with Adobe Photoshop to enhance your HDR and image optimization workflow.
Register at the link below.
29 July Webinar
Hope to see you online!
Fiat Lux.
Here is the replay of the webinar I did with Topaz Detail a few weeks ago.
The mask process I quickly describe is available here.
Please send me any of your questions or comments to hal@Lightworkshops.com
You can find other Topaz webinars here.
Fiat Lux!
Working on an eagle from one of my Alaska tours.
I will be holding a free webinar on the 19th of April. The basic content of the webinar is listed below. As many of you know we do a lot of printing and print testing here at Light. I have been looking at incorporating Topaz Detail into my sharpening workflow, both for content and output, for a while now. The simplicity, speed, and effectiveness is definitely worth a look
Click on the link to register. Hope to see you online. 19 April Free Topaz Detail Webinar
-"Join Hal as he builds and demonstrates an effective and efficient output sharpening workflow using Topaz Detail. Output sharpening is one of the most challenging and contentious subjects in digital imaging. With a strong understanding of sharpening Why's and How's, and a simple, repeatable workflow using Topaz Detail, you can master this critical step."
The full April schedule for Topaz Webinars may be found at Webinar Schedule
I guess the subtitle of this post could be "uses for out of focus images."
Fired off an HDR series while travelling at 25 mph in a fishing boat on the Kenai River a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, I couldn't make the images match up perfectly when I merged the three shots to complete the HDR. So I had a fairly cool, but motion-blurred image. Sometimes when there is a lot of motion blur it works. Kind of like the old expression, "Take one shot it's out of focus, take a series and it's a style." This did not qualify. So what is a photographer to do?
I will often use shots that cannot stand on their own as a photograph and use them as a starting point for a digital painting. Whether using Topaz, Photoshop, or Corel Painter you can end up with some incredible results. Let your creativity take over when using the amazing software and create something new, different, and maybe even extraordinary.
For my shot here, I processed the three images with Nik's HDR Efex Pro and then sent the resulting TIF to Topaz detail and tried for the "painted" look.
If you want amazing instruction on creating digital paintings, check out Jane Conner-Ziser at the Photo Fest later this month. She has workshops Wednesday and Saturday, Jane's Painting.
OBTW, all I could catch fishing the Kenai were pink salmon (also known as Humpies.) Fun to catch, not so tasty to eat. Catch and release all day for me.
See you all later this month.
Fiat Lux!
Space Invaders Anyone?
I was cleaning up my shots from Japan today and started to work an HDR project with a quick bracketed series of grab shots. I noticed the old "space invaders" character on the side of the building and decided to shoot it on the way to dinner. The three shots are below.
0 E.V.
-2 E.V.
+2 E.V.
Not the most inspiring shots as singles so I decided to try a couple different HDR methods. I first went from Lightroom to Photoshop CS5's HDR Pro. I tried to build a realistic image although I did bump up the Detail slider. The result is shown below.
Photoshop HDR Pro
Definitely better but I wanted to check and see what Photomatix Pro could do so I sent the images over and processed twice, once for realism and the other for grungy. The results are shown below.
Photomatix Pro Details Enhancer (realistic)
Photomatix Pro Details Enhancer (grungy)
Between the three I decided I liked the Photomatix Pro versions but neither really grabbed me. As I sometimes do I took the two TIFFs and sent them back to Photoshop as layers. After blending a few copies and desaturating the sky I ended up with this one.
Composite HDR after some basic Photoshop
To kick this one up just a bit more I went to Topaz Adjust and played around for a bit. The current version of the image is shown below. Not sure if it is finished or if I'll ever show it again but it was a good exercise.
Topaz Adjust
Well back to the studio. Just received four new backgrounds today and must hang them for immediate use tonight. I'm working a studio project over the next week and have seven shoots scheduled. The first will be tonight and should be a great time. The final result should be an iPad app ready in just a few short weeks.
Hope to see you soon here at Light or during the festival,
Fiat Lux!
