PhotoFXlab from or with Topaz??

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Can anyone tell me if the standalone program PhotoFXlab from Topaz encompasses all the basics of photoshop or Corel paintshop??

i can't do photoshop on my home computer, I have Lightroom, and have used Corel paintshop for the past several years.

corel is not easy to deal with even though the newest paintshop is very comparable to ps elements.

asked my father about the one from topaz and he doesn't know about the standalone.

any input??

[John Chardine]

Hi Linz. The quick answer is no. PhotoFXlab is really just a place to go to gain access to all of the Topaz filters- "one-stop shopping"- rather than go to each filter separately.

I should have thought that Lightroom and the Topaz filters would be a good combo if you can't run Photoshop.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Thank you John, that might be doable with Lightroom then. Could still use Corel on the side if needed.

thanks for the input, the fx lab seemed like a good deal right now.

[Greg Basco]

Linz, FX Lab does have layers and some pretty nifty masking effects so, while not a complete substitute for PS, when paired with LR, you can do quite a bit. I have it installed but to be honest have not used it that much since I also have Photoshop. I think it's worth checking into in combination with Lightroom.

Cheers,
Greg Basco

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Great Greg thanks for letting me know about the layers, that really helps.

i have a friend who teaches Lightroom that is going to help me out so this might work great.

corel doesn't work well with Lightroom and I've had layer issues with icc profiles.

[Greg Basco]

Good, Linz. I'm glad this was helpful. As I mentioned, I've not done a whole lot with the Topaz suite so it might not end up being the solution you want. But, I think the layers and selective adjustments could indeed be a good complement to LR for you.

Cheers,
Greg