New Topaz Lens Effects
I just received a trial kit for the new Topaz Lens Effects plug-in. Within minutes I was easily able to create the sample image (above). I have included the original capture (below). I used a combination of two of the presets. I first opened my image in Photoshop and duplicated it using Ctrl J. By working on a duplicate copy I will be able to make some final adjustment tweaks to the filtered image via a layer mask or with the layer palette opacity slider in Photoshop. Next I opened my plug-in. FILTER> TOPAZ LABS> TOPAZ LENS EFFECTS. Once inside the program I chose Filter- Single Tone from the Effects Palette located on the left of the interface. Once I selected my effect I was then able to choose the Preset “Morning” from the preset menu located on the left below the Effect Palette. I decided to use the Morning preset because my original image had a lot of cooler tones and needed some warming up. What I liked about this program is that I had the option to keep a realistic look to my image and selectively adjust the focal point with lighting and/or blurring. Or I could opt to do something fun and creative. For this image I wanted to emphasis the bird and the curved perch while toning down the background to make the bird stand out more. So after I applied the morning preset I chose to add the Graduated Neutral Density Filter from the effects palette and from the presets menu below the effects menu I chose Top Half 2 Stops. Once you make those selections- on the right hand side there are a few sliders to adjust the brightness and transition of the filter, there is also an Effect Position options that you can click on which will prompt you to click on the image and make a selection of the focus center. After I did that I made a few more minor tweaks to the sliders. The result is natural and subtle. When I am finished applying the filters my image is brought back into Photoshop for minor tweaks including noise reduction and unsharp mask if needed for web presentation. I will be experimenting with this plug-in some more during the next couple of weeks. Check out my blog www.deniseippolito.com to see more images that I will be processing in the near future with this program.
The official release for Topaz Lens Effects is scheduled for Thursday, May 5, 2011.
From Topaz Labs:
More about the program:
Topaz Lens Effects simulates realistic lens, filter & specialty camera effects. With new interface features and a simple method of creating effective depth maps, Lens Effects makes it easy to emphasize your focal point, create beautiful bokeh effects and have creative control of your image after the shot.
Easily create things like:
bokeh
vignette
miniatures
motion
old school style
color balance, color enhancement and color subtraction
and much more...
)
