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Free photo editing Plug-in and quite nice

 
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1375
Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 8/28/2004, 7:50 am    Post subject: Free photo editing Plug-in and quite nice Reply to topic Reply with quote

Check it out. I was converting some images to B&W with it last night and it is really something. You can use color filters to some really great impact much like with B&W film. You know, it they don't color the image, they change the way the light reacts to different colors. There are some good pre-sets for other applications as well. The interface is excellent. It says it will work in many photo editors. I put it in Photoshop CS. If you like B&W work and shoot digital this is a great way to get control for some good images.

Take note you portrait shooters. I have seen some stunning results from this, landscapes and still-lifes as well. Hard to believe it is free with no time expiration.

It's not just for B&W. There are many color actions as well. I'll probably use it for B&W myself but there are a couple of color applications I'm going to experiment with.

http://www.optikvervelabs.com/
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Arizonaheat
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Joined: 04 Jan 2003
Posts: 1741
Location: Mesa, AZ

PostPosted: 8/28/2004, 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Thanks Glen.
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Daryl





Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1168
Location: Everett, Washington

PostPosted: 8/28/2004, 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to playing with it. Everything it does, you can do in Photoshop, this just makes it a lot easier.
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1375
Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 8/28/2004, 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

That is exactly what I thought Daryl. There are a lot of methods for getting the best B&W out of Photoshop but I find this very easy and a great extraction. I like how you can easily select different colored filters or make your own custom filter for B&W with sliders to give you just enough Cold or Warm and different color contrast for that beautiful B&W ambience and subject standout while quickly reviewing them. Wheew that was a long sentence. I still like the filters in PS as well.

Here is another free bit of software for noise reduction. I have only played with one image so far but this looks pretty good as well. I need to go shoot some ISO 1600 and see how it stacks up. Go to the bottom of the Community Edition features and you will see free download. There are a few pre-sets that look easy and some other sliders which I have to read up on and experiment. Normally I would just try to shoot at a low ISO but if you have to freeze some lower light action with a smaller f/stop this might be a good solution.

http://www.imagenomic.com/see.asp
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
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Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 8/28/2004, 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I tried shooting a subject at ISO 1600 with the Rebel. I got 1/80 sec and f/8. It came out so clean that it didn't need any noise cleanup. In bright light with a fast enough shutter this CMOS sensor is awesome. I need to try some more of this. I know I've done some in lower light where there was noise.

Kent, if you use that lens of yours near the 100mm fol I bet you can get some dramatic portraits of your favorite hiking buddy that might translate real well to the B&W conversion in that first plug-in. I would love to see some of those. That is one focal length I lack but I am considering a Canon 85mm 1.8. That is not all I considering either. Don't know if anyone has heard but the Canon 20D has been announced and that is on my list when it is available later this year. Very Happy 8 megapixels with lower nosie than ever before. I have seen some pretty interesting photos at both ISO 1600 and 3200.
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desertgirl





Joined: 19 Jan 2003
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Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: 8/28/2004, 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Has anyone tried NeatImage for noise cleanup ?
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
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Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 8/28/2004, 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I haven't but I've heard some very good things about it. The danger of any noise cleaner is the loss of detail and a too smooth look. I have played around with a couple of more images in the free noise cleaner above and it works very well for some images and not so well for others. I have a long way to go to get it figured but I bet it depends on the image.
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Daryl





Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Location: Everett, Washington

PostPosted: 8/29/2004, 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Neat image works well when used in moderation. Just use it only when needed and only as much as needed. You can download a free unlimited version at www.neatimage.com. It's a stand alone program, if you want the photoshop plug in you have to pay.

You can also get several free photoshop plug ins here:
http://www.flamingpear.com/products.html

I like the flood plug in. You can add water to any picture with full control of the wave size and shape plus the reflection. That's how I made this (I also used neat image on this to clean the noise in the clouds):

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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1375
Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 8/29/2004, 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Cute Daryl but that goes way past my use for Photoshop. When you add or take away from an original photo it turns into digital alteration/arts & crafts. I look for ways to bring out the detail of the original image while keeping it intact as a real photograph. Remember that guy who lost the Pulitzer for digitally removing components from the composition. A lot of the serious photography sites have strict rules on just how far you can go before you no longer have a photograph.

That is the very reason I will use the opikvervelabs plugin for B&W conversion only. It's simply a good way to desaturate the image without altering it's composition while preseving the punch of traditional B&W imagery. Even that goes too far for at least one place I frequent but the new Canon 20D has a B&W mode which will qualify there. Colored filters should work the same way they do in traditional B&W film shooting. I never did like the long drawn out wet darkroom work either. Mr. Green

I guess I value the creative time behind the camera most of all.
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Daryl





Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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Location: Everett, Washington

PostPosted: 8/29/2004, 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I agree with you on photography. I wouldn't submit that picture any where and call it a photo. It's just fun to play with. My normal photo editing is normally just colors and sharpening. I try to take the picture so there is no need to even crop.

Adding and removing stuff on photos makes it digital art, which is a whole different skill/talent/catagory.
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