Nik Viveza 2

Nik Software’s Viveza is one of our favorite Photoshop plug-ins (it’s also compatible with Photoshop Elements, Lightroom and Apple Aperture).

By The Editors

Nik Software’s Viveza is one of our favorite Photoshop plug-ins (it’s also compatible with Photoshop Elements, Lightroom and Apple Aperture). The company’s innovative Control Points eliminate the need for complex masks, allowing you to quickly make dramatic, localized enhancements by dropping Control Points on an image and tweaking with slider... Read more

onOne Software: FocalPoint 2

By The Editors

Achieve the popular look created by a tilt-shift or fast-aperture lens even if your budget doesn’t allow you to buy one right now with the second generation of onOne Software’s FocalPoint application. Your lens and aperture setting most often control what area of a photo to make sharp and what to leave out of focus, but FocalPoint 2 allows you to... Read more

10 Essential Plug-Ins For Pro Results

Plug-ins provide fast, fun and effective ways to get stellar results from your image enhancements.

By Dave Willis

Plug-ins provide fast, fun and effective ways to get stellar results from your image enhancements. Designed with simplicity in mind, the best plug-ins are by no means any less effective than Photoshop. Unlike the limitless possibilities of Photoshop, they’re designed from the ground up as singular solutions for specific problems, and performing image... Read more

Alien Skin Snap Art 2

Sometimes a photograph is better looking as a painting. But instead of busting out a brush and palette, let Alien Skin Software’s Snap Art 2 do the work for you.

By The Editors

Sometimes a photograph is better looking as a painting. But instead of busting out a brush and palette, let Alien Skin Software’s Snap Art 2 do the work for you. Using sophisticated algorithms, the program is able to simulate brush strokes and canvas textures that transform your stills into unique works of art. It’s compatible with Adobe... Read more

Portrait Professional Studio 9

Nobody’s perfect. Hollywood makeup artists earn their livings on this fact—but most of us don’t have a stylist with us every time we shoot a portrait.

By The Editors

Nobody’s perfect. Hollywood makeup artists earn their livings on this fact—but most of us don’t have a stylist with us every time we shoot a portrait. That’s where software like Portrait Professional can help smooth out the rough edges for the most flattering results. Recently updated to version 9, this smart software does most... Read more

Manage Your Photo Library

Make image management the first step in your workflow, and you’ll free yourself to spend more time doing the more interesting digital darkroom tasks.

By Dave Willis

Make image management the first step in your workflow, and you’ll free yourself to spend more time doing the more interesting digital darkroom tasks. Whether you prefer the total control of creating your own file structure or letting your software manage your files automatically, there are many excellent applications for keeping images tagged,... Read more

Auto FX Mystical Tint Tone And Color 2.0

Ever wonder how the pros create the cool photo effects you see on billboards and advertisements?

By The Editors

Ever wonder how the pros create the cool photo effects you see on billboards and advertisements? With software plug-ins like Mystical Tint Tone and Color from Auto FX, you can replicate professional photo effects without needing any special technical skill in Photoshop. Big Variety Of Effects Version 2.0 offers 60 different effects, 22 of which are... Read more

Classic Black & White

In an over saturated world, the elegant, timeless appeal of black-and-white is in its simplicity. To get frame-worthy results, with a beautiful range of tones, you don’t have to be a student of the Zone System—but you do need to start with a proper exposure and then use software tools to perfect the final image.

By Dave Willis

APPLE APERTURE In an oversaturated world, the elegant, timeless appeal of black-and-white is in its simplicity. To get frame-worthy results, with a beautiful range of tones, you don’t have to be a student of the Zone System—but you do need to start with a proper exposure and then use software tools to perfect the final image. CAPTURE IN COLOR? When... Read more

Video-Editing Software

Now that professional still cameras are evolving to provide high-quality, high-definition video capture, the line between photography and video is blurring even further.

By Dave Willis

Now that professional still cameras are evolving to provide high-quality, high-definition video capture, the line between photography and video is blurring even further. Movies are called motion pictures, after all, and thanks to the ease and popularity of posting video online with sites like YouTube, photographers now have an extra outlet for showcasing... Read more

Touching Up

Retouching a portrait usually takes several steps in Photoshop to make a well-exposed image effectively stand out.

By Adam Crawford

Retouching a portrait usually takes several steps in Photoshop to make a well-exposed image effectively stand out. Pros use techniques like cloning, burning and dodging; various filters; and localized color enhancements with layer masks to get a stunning portrait. It’s a fine art that takes a lot of practice. Luckily for those who want great results... Read more

Image Browsers

Aimed at keeping the work flow for photographers fast and fun, image browsers are designed to offer organization functionality at affordable prices.

By David Willis

Aimed at keeping the work flow for photographers fast and fun, image browsers are designed to offer organization functionality at affordable prices. Most browsers are centered around simple interfaces to help you sort through images quickly, make the best selections and output them as prints, use them on the web or send them to family and friends. The... Read more

Framed!

One way to add interest and importance to a photo is to frame it.

By The Editors

Black-and-white images are particularly well suited to colorful frame treatments. For a color photo, try using a woodgrain or metallic pattern, or use Photoshop’s Desaturate command to change a color pattern into a monotone one (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate). One way to add interest and importance to a photo is to frame it. This is as true... Read more

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