Inside Topaz Labs BW Effects

• Selective Brush. For easy dodging, burning and color adjustments.
• True Grain Filter & Grain Creation. Choose from your favorite films or create your own grain.
• Adaptive Exposure. The power of Topaz Adjust is infused with B&W Effects to help create dynamic detail and exposure.
• Quad Tone. Allows for 4 different tones to be selected and applied to different tonal regions within an image.
• Creative Effects. Includes popular Topaz effects to creatively enhance images.
• Finishing Touches. Includes effects to give your image the perfect final touch.
• Creative Effect Integration. Features popular characteristics seen in Adjust, Simplify and Lens Effects.
• Curve tool. Includes a curve tool for powerful and flexible adjustments to image tones, contrast and brightness.

I thought it would be fun to do a quick video walkthrough of the new plugin so you can see the simplicity.  I hope it helps for you to make a decision to purchase or not.

Topaz Labs BW Effects in 4 Minutes

Topaz Labs BW Effects vs Nik Silver Efex Pro

I can make this real easy for you.  If you want simple, then go for Topaz Labs BW Effects.  However, if you want the the most extreme control over your Black & White conversion, then I recommend Silver Efex Pro.  Either way you can’t go wrong.

Sunflower Converted in Topaz Labs BW Effects

Topaz Labs BW Effects Discount Code

• Save 15% off Topaz Labs B&W Effects by using the discount code “scottwyden”.
• Save 15% off Nik Software Silver Efex Pro product using the discount code “scottwyden”

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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Here is the challenge

• Photograph something in three. It could be three items, rule of thirds, the third dimension, etc. Something in three. However, make it obvious that it is a play on three. If I can not tell then your chances of winning are slim. Sorry!
• Download the demo of Topaz Labs ReMask 3
• Remove something from your photograph.
• Upload it to your website, server, Flickr or wherever you want and comment with a link to the photo.

Entries will be closed on March 31, 2011.  No submissions will be accepted after.  The winner’s name and email address will be sent to Topaz Labs and they will supply the license numbers.

Have fun everyone,

Scott

About Topaz Labs ReMask 3

A Masking Tool Designed for Simplicity and Ease of Use

Topaz ReMask offers you the easiest way to isolate objects and remove unwanted backgrounds from images. Like a pair of digital scissors, ReMask 3 allows you to easily separate a subject from its background by quickly defining the edges of the element to be masked / cutout.

• Quickly remove unwanted backgrounds.
• Easily extract intricate image details like hair and fur.
• Isolate areas for selective adjustments or bokeh effect.
• Create multiple cutouts for unique compositions.
• Maintain transparency in hard-to-mask objects like veils and hair.

Tri-map

• Green tells Topaz ReMask what to keep in the image for sure. ReMask then compares these areas with the original image and can accurately determine the nature of the “desired” areas based on many image characteristics.
• Red tells Topaz ReMask what to remove in the image for sure. ReMask then determines the nature of the “undesired” areas using this information.
• Blue tells Topaz ReMask which parts of the image to process. ReMask extrapolates the data from the green and red parts of the image to figure out the blue parts with a high degree of accuracy.

I have written many times before about Topaz Labs Plugins.  They are very powerful, fast and fun Photoshop plugins.  They also work with Lightroom, Aperture and iPhone using Fusion Express.

To help get you started, here are some videos

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Today’s gift is from Topaz Labs.  I am proud to give away a free copy of their entire Photoshop Bundle.  That is every Photoshop plugin that they released in one shot.  How cool, right?

Comment below with the name of the plugin from Topaz Labs that you’re most excited to try, use or win from the Photoshop Bundle.

I will use random.org to pick a winner.  Please use a working email address, otherwise a new winner will be picked.  (Double bonus fun points if you tweet this post to your friends… I will still be picking at random but it doesn’t hurt to share)

The easiest way to find out about the next free photography gift is to subscribe to my blog via RSS or Email

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Nikon D700, 24mm, Tilt Shift, ISO 100, f/11, 7 Exposures

During my week off in between leaving Mack and starting at Pivot Point, I spent a morning walking around part of Freehold, NJ. Unfortunately as soon as I got to my destination it started to rain. I managed to get in a bunch of brackets right before it started to really come down.

I shot 13 brackets for this scene but only used 7 of them for the final HDR.  After processing the brackets in Photomatix, I brought the photo into OnOne PhotoTools for further processing, used Topaz DeNoise for the sky and finished up in Lightroom.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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Nikon D700, ISO 1000, 1/8, f/3.5, Tilt Shift, 24mm

For this photo I was handholding the camera with an exposure of 1/8 so I have the motion blur from long exposure movement. I then brought the photo into Topaz Labs InFocus to bring the text back into focus.

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You might have read about the new Topaz Labs plugin, InFocus.  If you haven’t, you should!  I wrote about it on Monday in a post called Topaz Labs release InFocus for photos that just out of focus.

So here is the challenge.  Download the demo version of Topaz Labs InFocus.

It’s Thanksgiving, so photograph a Thanksgiving related subject or scene.  Don’t forget it should not be in focus. (did I say that?)

Using InFocus, fix the poorly focused photo.  Then upload it to your website, Flickr or anywhere accessible to the public.  Comment here with a link to the Before/After

My favorite will be picked on Monday and the winner will receive a free license for Topaz Labs InFocus.

Happy Thanksgiving :-)

Scott

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Topaz InFocus is a completely new sharpening solution designed to restore image clarity, recover lost detail and refine with micro-contrast detail enhancement. The range of achievable sharpening possibilities have been dramatically improved and simplified with this new tool, allowing users to easily increase the sharpness and definition of any image.

With Topaz InFocus you can:

• Simply and effectively improve image clarity.
• Approximately reverse blur, recovering “lost” image detail.
• Refine subtle structure detail through micro-contrast enhancement.
• Effortlessly sharpen and refine image detail for a crisp, clear and vivid image.

With Topaz InFocus, you get a simple, yet super powerful sharpening tool capable of recovering lost detail and restoring clarity to blurry images. Topaz InFocus includes micro-contrast detail enhancement controls which allows users to refine detail sharpness and edges.

Topaz InFocus 1.0 Features

1. DeBlur Tab. Controls control generic, out-of-focus and motion blur.
2. Sharpen Tab. Controls sharpening and micro-contrast detail enhancement.
3. Estimate Blur Button. Automatic estimation option for unknown or complex blur types.
4. Auto Updater. Get software updates instantly.
5. Snap / Recall buttons. Save up to 99 snapshot settings for comparison.
6. Undo / Redo buttons.
7. Collapsible side panels. Expand and collapse the preset and tool panels for an adjustable workspace.
8. Preset Enable / Disable option. Enable or disable the preset preview processing at program startup.
9. Preset Navigation. Use the up / down arrow keys to navigate the preset list and display the selected preset thumbnail (in preset preview window). Use the return (Enter) key to apply the currently selected preset.
10. Enable / Disable Tool Tips. Option to enable or disable the pop up tool tips.
11. Quick Slider Reset. Double click slider name to reset default slider values.

Did I mention InFocus will work in Lightroom, Aperture and more thanks to Topaz Fusion?

Here are two videos with some more information.

For a limited time you can purchase Topaz InFocus for only $29.95 using the discount code SuperSharp which is only valid until 12/3/2010.  If you are reading this and it’s past 12/3/2010 then save 15% off by using my exclusive discount code, scottwyden.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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One of the most often questions I get is, “What is the best HDR software to use?”.  Simply put, each has their own use.  I prefer Photomatix above them all due to its flexibility and controls which allow me to use its powerful sliders for majority of my brackets.

However, I use HDR Expose for most real estate HDR photography due to its extremely natural results when in a controlled environment like the interior of a house.  I have yet to use HDR Efex Pro for a professional job.  The reason for that is I have yet to get a truly clean and natural tone-mapped image.  Majority of the brackets I send to HDR Efex Pro come out a bit over-saturated and with too much contrast.  For me, the sliders are too sensitive for my use professionally.

However, for having fun with HDR, it works extremely well.  As many people have pointed out around the web, HDR Efex Pro seems to had some noise to the tone-mapped image as well.  Have no fear, noise reduction software is here.  Imagenomic has not updated Noiseware to 64bit yet so I have been using Topaz Labs DeNoise 5 for my noise reduction.

The Video

So what I have done is created a video montage for you to see. The video starts out by showing the Lightroom Export panel into the three most popular HDR applications out there. Just like my de-ghosting comparison of these applications, I did not include Photoshop’s HDR Pro because it is the weakest of them all.

After the Lightroom Export panel part of the video I go into processing the same set of brackets in each application. I made the speed faster to not take up too much time so just click pause and control the timing manually if you want to slow it down. The video is best viewed full screen in HD.

At the end of the video you will see the final product, which is also in this post. For the final image I brought the Photomatix tone-mapped image into Photoshop where I used Topaz Labs DeNoise 5 to reduce the noise in the sky. Then, using OnOne Software‘s PhotoTools I tweaked the image to my liking. Finally, I brought the HDR into Lightroom where I made some final adjustments.

The brackets were shot using my Nikon D700, 24mm f/3.5 PC-E Tilt Shift lens. This set of brackets were done handheld as well.

I have exclusive discounts codes on all of the software and plugins I use. Visit my discounts page for details!

Tone-Mapped images.

No other post production. Click on each thumbnail to view the photo larger.

HDR Expose

From Lightroom to HDR Expose you have the option to merge the original photos or the ones with Lightroom adjustments. There are some simple white balance options and ghosting options. Included is the option to align the source images or not

HDR Efex Pro

HDR Efex Pro’s Lightroom module is slightly different from HDR Expose. Their module asks which format you want the photos exported as. This can come in handy for screencasts, but for a professional HDR job you would never want JPG. The only options are TIF and JPG. They also ask which color space you want to use. I stick with ProPhoto RGB for my HDR photos. Compression and Bit Depth are the last two options. Of course, for the best quality you want no compression and 16 bits.

Photomatix

Photomatix takes the Lightroom module to a whole new level. They offer exporting as JPG, PSD, TIF and DNG. When switching to DNG, no compression settings are required. Otherwise, you have the same options as the HDR Efex Pro module. However, Photomatix also gives the option for resizing the HDR which can come in handy for screencasts. Lastly, they include metadata options that can be embedded into your HDR tone-mapped image.

Final HDR Photo

As I stated above, and also in the video, for my final image I used Photomatix. After tone-mapping I brought the image into Photoshop. I used DeNoise and PhotoTools to create a HDR I enjoy. I then made some final tweaks in Lightroom.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,
Scott

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Nikon D700, ISO 100, 20 Seconds, f/11, Tilt Shift, 24mm

Long exposure with self portrait, edited in Photoshop and Topaz Adjust

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With the release of DeNoise 4, Topaz introduced Intellinoise, a new technology that made it easier to restore High ISO images suffering extensive noise. Receiving a large amount of reviews and feedback, we were able to identify the desire for additional tools to offer better, faster results. With the release of DeNoise 5, Topaz has developed a way for the software to run over twice as fast, without sacrificing any image quality! The most significant improvements for DeNoise 5 include:

• Twice as fast, with no image-quality degradation.
• Ability to process images twice as big.
• Debanding Tab – Banding noise is eliminated with our new dual-directional Debanding Technology.
• Correct Black Level slider in the Noise Reduction Menu – This parameter helps reduce any haze or color cast left behind after noise reduction, revealing the true richness in the darkest areas of an image.

Notes:

• It works with CS5 in 64 Bit.
• It works with Lightroom, Aperture and iPhoto using Fusion
• It is powerful!
• It is fast!!
• It’s a free upgrade for current DeNoise owners!!!

Thanks for reading and happy shooting,

Scott

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