First Impression

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Greetings. I use the Topaz set of filters quite a bit, but have missed a simple tool for that painterly look (BuzSim in Simplify works pretty well at times). So seeing the recent threads from Kerry & Mitch, I had to give it a whirl. This is not vanilla Impression work. The brush stroke appearance is blended in. I also did some work with Nik Silver Efex (there was a specular highlight that had to be toned down). A number of artifacts required cloning... mostly white unbrushed spots in the dark areas in the corners and along the edges.

All in all, I like the range of options and ease of use (speed, especially). I'm loathe to give up on detail (isn't that what painterly does... smear detail?), but the options and PS plugin format allow for detail preservation to my taste. Any way looks like another nice tool from Topaz.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Nancy Bell]

Good analysis and good "first impression". Fine composition with the strong vertical stems and the vertically oriented lobed leaves. I like that you left the dark corners as they give the rich greens some framing & provide some contrast.

[Dennis Bishop]

Wow. Nice job. The colors, the lines, and the overlapping shapes are great. I like the amount of detail, too.

[Kerry Perkins]

Very nice Michael, you are using the plugin as a tool and not the total solution, which is what I have found to work best. Giving up detail is THE hardest part of making painterly looks in my experience. Even using a physical brush (digital pen) to paint on images rubs the photographer in me the wrong way. When I was taking the course on painting in Photoshop, this was reported by virtually every photographer on the course FB page. What I'm finding to be the biggest challenge is simulating brush strokes while still maintaining a degree of detail that works for the eye. I'm still reluctant to paint or filter away a lot of detail, but I'm going to try some impasto treatments to help me learn to get over the fear of smudging. I'm glad you mentioned this, I think it's important to think about for us digital painters!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

The saturation is great, and I like all the repeating lines in the comp. I like all the seed thingies and the detail there. Not a fan of dark vignetting, but I think it's just me.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Michael, I haven't succumbed to the new filter yet but this is a nice preview of what it can do. I like the verticals and the dark vignetting.

[Arthur Morris]

I like the framing, the textures, the colors, and the effect.

[Randall Farhy]

wow, this one really holds the eye. Well processed with an eye for maintaining detail, I love the saturation and composition. I'll have to give those filters another look!

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Nancy, Dennis, Kerry, Jackie, Cheryl, Artie, Randall,

Thank you all for your comments. They are much appreciated.

Kerry, thin brushes overlaying the original and tightening the detail after ;-) Elsewhere I discovered darker color blend works well on flat skies to pick up the painterly and leaving the subject less effected. The painting programs can paint over photographic flaws and improve low resolution shots (they paint in resolution), so there is benefit there.

Cheers,

-Michael-