Some of my "Toys" for Rudra & Others.
 

Ok Rudra - I'm rising to the Challenge - Apart from the photographs of the old prints - most of my abstract work is done in Photoshop CS3 using NikSoftware plugins - Here is a Link to their Web Site in Europe: http://www.niksoftware.com/products/en/entry.php
They have other sites worldwide.

I use the four products shown on the Page:

Dfine 2.0: which is a noise reduction tool.

ColorEfex Pro 3: which contains 50+ assorted effect filters - several of which have multiple settings to play with, Eg: B/W conversion, Solarization, Foliage enhancement, Polarization, High Key, etc.

Viveza: A colour control tool.

Nik Sharpener Pro 2: A sharpener tool.

The main advantage of all these programs is what they call their "u point" technology. Basicall you can place one or more control points anywhere on a photo that you like - then - depending upon which of the above plugins you are using you can determine the area you wish to change/play with and precisely control just the area.

Here is the original of one of my posts Attachment 4113

I took this shot and converted it to B/W on Color Efex.
I then put the colour back in the beak with Viveza and created the cathchlight in the eye.
I then went to the background layer and created a new one by duplicating it and solarizing it with ColorEfex. I used a clone stamp to create the Cachlight on this one - taking the colour from the beak.
In CS3 I then created a suitable size canvas and having reversed the solarized picture I placed the layers on the canvas and cropped. I then filled in the border.
et voila!!
Attachment 4114


or voila!!
Attachment 4115

from a rather ordinary shot which was a little overexposed originally - Don't tell anyone but somehow I had set the camera at EV +1.7 - I have produced what I think is quite an interesting and acceptable shot??

Th "u point" technology is very, very useful - for a full explanation I recommend you visit the web site and look at the short videos they have such as this one which explains things far better than I can. Watch the introduction video - it explains what is common through out the range - exact control points.http://www.niksoftware.com/viveza/en/entry.php


All comments are gratefully received - even if you think it is rubbish - please let me know.

Andy, I reckon you'd be better having a play around with the duotone function in Photoshop rather than playing with filters that look too obvious

Ah but Adey I think this sort of stuff is much more fun!
Attachment 4117

But you can do all sorts of things within Photoshop without resorting to third party plug-ins!
Don't forget the old 'rule' about Photoshop filters - 'try them once to see what they do, and never use them again!'

Hi again Adey - that's my trouble - I do use them again and again because for me this is the essence of my photography - seeing beyond the image. Many years ago I used to tour the camera club circuit giving talks about Cokin Filters and Abstract Processing. Digital for me opens Pandora's Box because in the computer I can do so much more and so much more quickly. I have just posted thishttp://www.worldphotographyforum.com...2&limit=recent

There are two old people centre right - Both faces were like hers - his has had the colour corrected with Viveza - I do not know how to be so precise and to do it so simply in Photoshop on its own - perhaps that's just me - but I prefer simple -

Thank you for entering this thread so enthusiastically - your comments and advice are always appreciated - Andy

Andy, thanks for starting a thread like this. I have a feeling this thread is going to extend..

Third party plug-ins have their restrictions and if you ask me..so is the case for most of PS filters too. Not all the time but most of the time.
I totally agree with Adey's comment like..
At the end of the day it's interesting to know what these third parties are developing and even more interesting to play with them. How much of it is going to be used in actual application is the question. :)

Thanks Rudra - I agree a lot of filters are interesting to play with and may never be used again - but there are some that are invaluable. How many of us use Noise reduction and Unsharp mask without thinking? They are often the last two things we do to an image. I am not a technically good photographer, ie image in camera is pin sharp, exact dof, perfect lighting and white balance etc. Most of my stuff is "snapped" and needs some post processing. But what I find so useful about the Nik software is its precise control and how it does not spread into areas I wish to leave alone. Also it is non-destructive of the original. I would recommend people to follow the links to Nik in the first post and watch the learning videos.
I feel that these filters may be very useful to those who specialize in portraits, weddings etc because selective use may mean the difference between having an album/portfolio and not - particularly for those of us who cannot afford a camera tied to two 30" Apple Displays where each shot is checked in Aperture or it's equivalent as it is taken - face or dress slightly off? a quick fix of that part of the picture with the appropriate Nik filter saves time.


Here is a crop from the Spring in Bury post showing the older man and woman - their faces were "burnt out" a little and have been restored with Viveza.

Attachment 4119

place control point - size to face - alter saturation with live preview - done

Andy, I think most of these things, apart form the play filters, are an integral part of Capture NX

However in a way that is the point, capture NX is for optimising an image, CS for playing with it and turning it into something else. However you might still be better of shooting RAW and doing most of the work in NX and only transferring to CS for pics you want to mess around with

Hi Chris - Interestingly, Nik Software bundle their stuff with Capture NX - and I have to admit it is a program I have never really got to grips with. Now I'm on holiday I'll give it more time - but as an avid Aperture 2 user ...... My trouble is I have too much software - CS3; Lightroom; Capture NX; Elements 6 and more!!!

Andy, I need some time to reply on this. I should be able to do that as soon as I reach home... Say in couple of hours.

As I thought before...this is one rocking thread!!

Fine Rudra - see you later.
Chris - I've just been looking at the Nik website again and I've refreshed my memory with Capture NX - I think that they have developed this for Nikon. The upoint control in NX is identical and I'll try it out some more - It does make these adjustments so easy to use and almost intuitive - I'll get back later. Thanks.

Absolutely agree with you here.
I’ll take it as too humble a comment. :)
Trust me Andy, that’s applicable to all of us here.
Every single third party software/plug-in comes with one good feature and that’s always the reason for us to buy that.
I’m sure you’re pretty spot on here because you’ve tried these. I’ve no first hand idea/experience on these products and I shouldn’t be putting any comment.
Again Andy, I’m not for a moment saying anything against these products. I came from a very different point of view…
..and even after engulfed in various gadgets, photographers and image composite guys need to go through various steps for correcting those images.
Yes and no. A photographer friend was forcing me to use vanishing point filter for one particular job. I wasn’t convinced at all and told him to do it and show it to me. What he did was unacceptable and wrong.
I did his image composite and I didn’t use any filter there. Beyond a point these filters don’t work and this is my point of view only.
I’ve seen the image and it’s perfect according to me. One should go for a product like this.

But in a larger scale, these products play a very small role..if at all.

I don’t know if it’s the right thread to put up this example. But probably it’ll give some idea. This needs a little background to understand, hate or appreciate the composite:

Client needed an outlandish image for their new bike named FLAME. Bike should be parked on a terrace (don’t ask me why) and another bike should be there to show one of their so-called features in close up. Right outside the terrace there has to be a glass faced building, which should reflect evening setting sun sky.

Bike was shot in studio. Different lighting to enhance it’s various curves and all. See the bluish hue on the bike. Nine shots were blend together.Close-up of exhaust tip should have that superficial multi-coloured matt effect. Rest should be reasonably dark.

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3232/bike1ek0.jpg

Building was shot in Singapore. Look at the angle and choice of lens due to lack of space.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/1374/glass2at6.jpg

Terrace is not a terrace but an open space with railing. Shot in Singapore again.

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3076/woodcs3.jpg

Sky was bought from Image bank or some such.

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7313/skyao1.jpg

And here’s the final image for billboard. building shifted to left. Balcony was painted. Glass area and wall panels were totally touched up. No use of any filters. There are two more in this series.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4435/f2tsthp3.jpg

I've used imageshack and it's not taking our server space.

Passing interest up till now.

Rudra you have me hooked. Stevie looking over my shoulder in AWE
That is one cool final image. :cool:

Don't want to use too much server space .............. :D :D

I could/should nominate this for post of the year.

Don

I too was only looking at this with a passing interest up until now. It really makes me realise just how much work goes into a final "product" shot. Bravo.

Andy, here are those two other composites. Client had insisted to keep the speedo at 70 to show the fuel consumption. How absurd and dumb it can be?...

Now let's get back to our original topic. :)

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4403/f1ms2.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/4027/f3jc7.jpg

Rudra thanks for that - I agree it is awesome - making composite shots is something I have not tackled yet and the mastery you show is breathtaking - although come to think of it - I used to have a folder of B/W negatives of skies to be added to various shots "in the old days". Can I ask - did you just rush that off for me? Or is it one of your jobs from the past? I "google" you from time to time with Team BHP.COM Digital Grin and the Bangalore Photographic and admire your work immensely - but I notice you are in advertising - so that means - correct me if I am wrong - that none of the images used in the final composite were necessarily taken by you - Image Shack? A collection of more or less perfect photos that can be bought for various uses? Although in this I assume you did take them all? What comes first? The job, then the idea/concept, then taking or finding the Photographs for the final result. In this case I think you may have had a list of requisites - like the speedo at 70.
Now you say "Balcony Painted" - a filter?
Glass area and walls touched up - filter? or is all this Wacom work with a pen and airbrush? Rudra this is fascinating - thanks so much for this time - I think it is being appreciated by many.

Have you got any filters that will wake the guy asleep on the back bench Andy. :)

I am sure I posted a comment on this thread but no sign today :confused:

OK Johnny - Just for you !!!
Attachment 4121 :D :D :D

This is a current job and billboards are all over the country now.
In this particular case, yes. I’ve done the composites only. This was a package deal from my photographer friend. He shot all of those except the sky. Sky was bought from Corbis if I’m right.
Imageshack is a photo/video hosting site. I used it for this thread for the links only. Check www.imageshack.us
That’s never the case. Sometime we buy a photo to use as is or part of a composite as you’ve seen here.
Idea/concept>photography>composite if needed.
Wow..tell me about it! Clents can be really painful at times!
No filter Andy, all pen tool path and brush.

Wacom is a must for my kind of application. Using it for last 15 years. :)

Thank you so much Rudra for all this - I think that one of the things I need to develop is more patience and care over what I shoot. Mastering the basics, your equipment and more is a must for anyone who wishes to follow your path and also for those like me who just wish to take photo's to enjoy. I now see your and Adey's point about filters - they have their place, but are not necessarily the final solution. But I have to admit I will continue to have fun with them. So now for a lot more practice with the Wacom, I saw your point about fine tuning the pen and am working on that. Thank you again for what I consider a Master Class in photography and for opening my eyes to more possibilities. Andy

As for the original point about my "toys" I have had my eyes opened by Rudra and Adey. Nikon Capture NX has the same "u point technology" as the packages I've mentioned - I think it was all developed by the same people - it has its limitations and there is no substitute for a well handled tablet and pen/brush. But as with all things I suppose it is horses for courses - I wonder now what others are thinking.

I guess it depends on your style Andy. I was never into cross processing in the wet darkroom days nor did I get into the Cokin filter system as it was just not my style. In the film days I was primarily into Technical Pan ( b&w ) and colour was primarily transparency Kodachrome 25 & 64 and Fujichrome 50. That all suggests fine grain and high resolution were my drivers.

Along came WPF before which I had spent most of my time in the previous few years Model Engineering so took very few pics.
WPF fired the enthusiasm again and I quickly found the limitations for me in the D100. Primarily I could not use any of my old lenses so was limited to 28-105 zoom. For my flash stuff the dark viewfinder and manual focussing were just a pain. ( Manual focus used to get focus at a precise point while still filling the frame as much as possible to maximise the available pixels A/F points always in the wrong place. )

I then took a concious decision to throw all the available budget into the finest grain - read - sensor resolution body with a decent viewfinder available within that budget and recognise I would be using my old M/F lenses, even to the point of making adaptors to allow the use of old enlarging lenses for macro. This probably marks me out as the WPF oddball.

Next problem with digital was processing. Before Foxy visited and through reading the various threads in the forum I was pretty clueless. After a bit of experimentation I discovered the difference between RAW and Jpeg and decided I had to always shoot in RAW. On the D100 the differences are quite marked even on a straight raw conversion. With a lot of help from Foxy I was on the way using Nikon Capture 4. Photoshop is a complex program ........ easy for those who know how but not for initial use. Along came NX and I was happy as it is so easy to pick up. Quality of posted images improved.

A few images posted in the gallery such as Rudras -
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...user=3028&sl=r
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...user=3028&sl=r
then fired the desire to get a bit of a better handle on CS. Not that I don't think NX could make a fair job, but possibly I could get better B&W conversion in CS. Now Rudra has been kind enough to post his composites and some of the original images that made them up I am even more fired up. No cash to spend, so no Wacom tablet or other processing progs so it will all have to be done with what I currently have. But then thats the challenge.

Don

Thanks for that Don - I agree it depends on our styles - also the wider the appreciation of those various styles - the better it is for all of us. I'm so glad I started this thread because the way Rudra has picked it up and run with it is something I hope all of WPF can appreciate. He is truly inspirational and his explanations are clear and to the point. I too am pretty clueless with a lot of PS - it is such a complex program. On the Dovedale meet - Clive (Gidders) had a laptop with him and was using PS during lunch - he was very informative as well. Derek and I both got fired up by him. We are all going to have our own styles and foibles and for me WPF is the best place I've found - bar none for us to share and help each other develop - ( I'm also on Nikonians, Nikon Cafe, pBase, Birdforum and some others ) but none comes close with the helpfulness I find in WPF nor with the number of members who are prepared to pitch in on a problem. It does the team behind WPF great credit, which perhaps we do not appreciate at times.

Andy,

Nik did develop NX in conjunction with Nikon to replace NC4.4.
If you want a quick refresh then there is a thread on NX.
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...ead.php?t=1341

Don

Andy, are you talking about my equipments? :)
You must and for two reasons. One, to know those products better and two, to teach us more about them.
Yes, it’s a fantastic tool for almost every single image application. Be vector or raster.
:) . What I do in my professional life is fight a cutthroat game. Most of the professional photographers here have very little idea about offset printing. They try to do their own image correction before handing over those images to their clients. Problem starts from that point. We get absolutely hard contrast images in 8 bits. It becomes a mammoth task to bring them back in some shape. It’s not always the case but most of the time. What looks nice on a monitor may look totally different after processing and proofing. What looks correct in my monitor may look disastrous on pre-press setup. An acceptable balance has to be there. Through applying one filter one may get a better tonal value from a burnt face. And it may look perfectly ok on monitors, especially in small size. But what gives us that confidence that it’s perfectly ok for a huge blow-up? There’s no change in tonal value from face to other exposed part of the skin?
These are all my assumption. May be that particular software has taken care of all these issues. Only time will tell. And of course your playing with them.
And in India it was problem galore. Kodachrome use to come out like OROWCHROME from the labs. I remember sending Kodachrome to Germany for right processing. We used to wait for weeks like expectant father for the results. Fujichrome 50 and Velvias of the world were easy in comparison. E6 and Tetanol were the saving grace.

Along came WPF before which I had spent most of my time in the previous few years Model Engineering so took very few pics.
And how! How many of us can think of making an adaptor for practical usage?
One of the most practical discovery if I can say so. Joint Photographers Expert Group format was created for small image discussion via internet.
I believe most of the camera makers software are good. Only we don’t explore them properly. Though no great shake…I still use my Canon Digital Photo Professional only for raw/tiff thingy.
Do not spend a farthing Don for now. I don’t have Wacom in my office machine. Purely to keep in touch with mighty mouse…

Andy, I come back to the same as I said before. Keep this thread alive. Requesting every member to pitch in. Guys, all your views are important.

Thanks Don, I contributed to that but had forgotten about it - I notice that Viveza is being prepared for the New Aperture 2 which now takes plugins. So far all that seems to be available in that line are plugins to transfer photographs to various sites such as pBase - however Viveza is an editing tool, and as such, Mac /Aperture users may be about to get some of the CS3 capability - an interesting contest perhaps?? I will certainly be watching to see what is developed. So far - Aperture 2 is my main storage and sorting software and I transfer copies of my originals from there to a Photoshop Folder on a separate hard drive that I use for Photoshop work.

Thanks Rudra, I think our postings crossed. I agree with you about monitors and printers - I think they are probably the most frustrating part of a photographers world - get it right in the camera - the monitor shows something different - synchronize them - the printer produces nothing like what is on the screen - change ink cartridges from the same manufacturer and they produce a different result again!!. Surely Printer, Monitor, Ink and Camera manufacturers are capable of following or agreeing a standard after all these years?

Back to Viveza for a moment - you can correct your "face" colour and you can duplicate the control point as many times as you wish - so you can copy the setting to the hands individually, if necessary. I think you can also save these settings and name them for future use. I'll check that.

I have to say however that when I play a lot with a particular photo - say 30 - 40 filter effects - I sometimes got a slowing down on the machine - so I've increased my RAM from 4.5Gb to 8.5Gb - now its lightening!!

I also agree about trying to get as many people as possible to look at this and contribute - I don't know how we'll do it - I may pm a moderator for advice

I'm generally in agreement with Adey on this. For the likes of Rudra, the ability to (massively) manipulate images is important, it's his job to come up with the goods his clients demand. For me as an enthusiast, It doesn't really float my boat. As Adey says, there's many filters and effects that you have a play with for a bit of fun just the once, and then never use again.

There are some highly creative members here apart from Rudra who create some pretty stunning artwork with highly manipulated images. Brian's "Andy Warhol Mini" composite that has recently been dug up and commented on springs to mind. I enjoy looking at this kind of image, and certainly admire the work that's gone into them, but I can't say I have any real enthusiasm for trying to go down that path myself.

Each to their own, but I'm certainly learning much by reading others ideas and opinions.

Duncan, it's such a pain in the back.....!! Most of the time!!

Could you kindly format a note for everybody to contribute in this thread? All of us use comp and what have we to post our images. It may get even more informative.

What say Andy?

Are we talking about special effects or unusual processing techniques here.

30 - 40 filter effects on a single image :eek: ........... cannot even get my head round that unless you post a pic and some sort of explanation. :)

Don

Hi Duncan
Let me start by saying I admire your work a lot but I am unaware of what sort of post processing you do. Do you not think that in these new software tools there may be something that helps you shorten the time on the computer - allowing you to spend more time with your first love? I mean Debbi of course - I know the photography comes second but joking apart - you know what I mean. This sort of thread I feel can help a lot of us - I'm certainly learning - and in spite of his advanced position I think Rudra is as well. We learn from each other - I don't know how many of us had tried any Nik software before - but as it is from the same stable as Nikon Capture NX I assume there are many who would like to know and try some of it. As it is going to be integrated into Aperture 2 in May that will also help its popularity.

I started this thread in order to share with others what I thought was a very interesting development that could make post processing simpler and more accurate. These "filters" - Dfine; Viveza; and Sharpener Pro do what I think 99% of us do almost every time. They reduce noise, correct colour and sharpen - simply and non destructively.
The only real "toy" is the Colorefex Pro 3 which is a straight, multiple effect filter set.

I look forward to your thoughts and those of others.

Andy,

Kind of links into my previous post.
I am still trying to get to learn my current progs. Even if I had the cash to get another, I would not, unless it could do something I specifically wanted that could not be achieved by what I currently have. Example CS3 gives an easier route to B&W conversion but that would not justify its purchase.

As you have NX and CS2 perhaps you can advise other than the filters, the advantage this package offers.

Re processing - my current state :-

Noise reduction ......... Never use it, then again I do not shoot over ISO 400.
Sharpening ......... CS is fine for me. I would need to see a comparison that shows Nik sharpener pro can better than what I am currently quite happy with.
Colour correction ........ I sometimes use Black or White point in NX but not always, otherwise none.

Don

Hi Don,
Thinking about this in particular I suppose that Dfine; Sharpener Pro and Viveza are most of benefit to Capture NX and Photoshop CS3 users, though they are designed to be compatible with any program that use Photoshop Plugins. Certainly CS2 and CS3, and Aperture 2 to follow.

I suppose then that the main advantage is that they are integrated within the main program ie they become part of CS2; CS3; - When you install them they create a separate Nik Software Folder in the plugin/filter folder among all the others. So instead of going to sharpen - unsharp mask - I go to Nik Software - Sharpener Pro and carry on as I would with unsharp mask. They all - also have a built on Loupe window with a preview so I can see the effect it would have - if applied - variable up to 400%. This I think is a big plus for them. Also you can save settings to use again if needed. The ColorEfex also works as part of the parent program and has the same built in loupe windows / live preview and the ability to save settings.

The preview / loupe window definitely saves me time - speaking personally - I've lost count of the number of times I reduced noise and had to undo the effect and re-calibrate strength etc. With it - you can see the result of the effect fully - before you apply it. In the words of the TV show "to Buy or not to Buy" - you can "try before you buy" - no commitment to a final result.
Also all these programs / filters come with a free trial period.

By the way 30-40 was an exaggeration - most I've managed - trying to push it - was 14 separate filters before CS3 crashed.

As far as I can see only the Efex filters are an addition to Capture NX and nik software and Nikon are pretty much part of same group.

So Don you would be using the other things as part of the NX workflow anyway (if you do). This does slightly explain why NX appears to have such a battery of tools with overlaps, some descended from Capture 4, some from the Nik groupees.

It might be convenient to have the Niks up one's sleeve within CS3, but apart from u-point again I would have thought duplicating what is already there. Likewise efex as a plugin for NX if one should want it.

In NX you can see the effect of what you are doing at any scale you want and each 'step' can be either damped down by reducing opacity, turned off for time being or deleted if totally discarded.

While on 'u-point', anyone using it should be aware that its effect can be far more obvious on prints than on screen; it should not be used with the gay abandon Nikon tutorials suggest if intending to print, and always with edge feathered.

Thanks for that Chris - I agree with you. Printing definitely becomes a different ball-game and I suppose that is why people like Rudra will use large proofing machines and other commercial software to match photo to print.

As for Dfine, Viveza and Sharpen I do think they expand NX a bit - not much perhaps - but a bit so perhaps they are superfluous if using Capture NX - but I find them very good with CS3.

Andy - going back a few posts - don't stop having fun with photoshop filters and effects! If you don't earn a living from photography then it should always be fun, or relaxing, anyway.

I often have a play around with an image to see what happens. In the 'good old days' of film I tried everything from Technical Pan up to GAF (Anscochrome) 500 via Photomicrography Colour film (PCF 2483) and Extachrome Infrared slides to add a bit of variety to 'straight' shots. The trick is not to show about 50 'pink-foliaged' shots one after the other to an increasingly bored friend - rather, stick the odd one in amongst the normal shots for effect.

Of course, one man's 'effect' is another man's 'normal practice' - I often use photoshop's duotone for B+W shots as I prefer it to the neutral tones that come with a straight B+W conversion. It's easy to overdo the effect, probably because great subtlety goes unnoticed! Again, the odd dramatic shot won't go amiss as long as you don't do too many.

The preview window for the variable effects in photoshop can be zoomed up to 800% to check on the fine details at pixel level.

Thanks for that Adey. I've just re-checked - the Nik previews also go to 800%. Overnight I have been thinking about this thread - and apart from the "toys" I hope I'm encouraging people to "think beyond the image", a phrase I often use and one that was instilled in me by a late friend who took me under his photographic wing in my earlier days. I was in my late twenties and had left home and he rekindled in me the passion that my father, my original mentor, had had. I think that this mentoring is possibly the most important part of being a photographer of any sort - passing on all we can to those who follow us into this great hobby/pastime or occupation. This site has some great photographers and many newbies and beginners. We all began somewhere and some of us may never wish to go beyond snapping family pics, but even there we can learn and encourage one another. Some may feel comfortable and safe where they are in their photographic journey, but unless we are continually pushing at the boundaries - as these software developers are as they bring us new "toys" - and we experiment with them - then we are in danger of stagnation which is very dangerous to our "art".

Hi again all - I've just spent most of my day at a memorial service at Manchester Cathedral and again I have reflected on this thread. Many of us who read it will I hope agree with me that we owe Rudra a great debt of gratitude for lifting the veil on, what for me certainly, was a real revelation about the work and care that goes into advertising photography. Yet for me his signature work is still those shots of the mountains and valleys with the rolling thunderous clouds, other shots also leap to my mind, you may recall them yourselves - a simple flight of stairs, a superb record of a machine made by the photographer, some great shots of Cambodia, of a girl called Freya, a mandarin duck, a snipe, a tulip, of aircraft, trains, ships, of Whitby and its Abbey, numerous portraits and experiments - in fact they are too many to mention.

So what is the purpose of my "toys" as I call them? In many ways my photographic heart is in landscape, architecture and abstract or experimental forms.

The "TOYS"- the software has two functions - in the landscape and architecture its function is to enable me to do any post processing necessary as quickly and easily as possible. In the abstract or experimental form it is to enable me to go as far as possible in turning out what I consider to be a work of art, a concept that goes way beyond the record of the original subject.

This I think best explains my love of effect filters.

If a byproduct of that is something that I feel makes normal post processing easier and for me more intuitive then I feel I must share it with others. If they don't agree - fine - we all develop our own ways of working - just as some of us use Canon's or Pentax and Windows instead of Nikon's and Apple Mac's. And let's face it - some of us even still dabble in developer, hypo and fixer !!

All the Nik software mentioned comes in FREE TRIAL VERSIONS - If you like it - fine - If you don't - fine. But unless we try these things we never know - for example - Photoshop CS3 better than CS2 ?? Of course it is - its on another planet! Too expensive ? Way over the top! but that's the price of progress and anyway once we find what suits us why bother changing?

Thanks a ton Andy. They're are my choice too.
You said it Andy! There's so much to learn from this forum!
Andy, me for instance like to see these products. One never knows What Lies Beneath...:)

What happen? Nobody has anything more to share or what?
Actually, I was expecting Sassan to make some comments here...

Hi again Rudra - I think you'll find that the sun came out briefly, over here and those with cameras were probably scampering about taking pictures - I used to work nights and I remember once that I slept through what little summer and sun we had - went to South of France that year to find some sun! It's interesting - unless people contribute - we do not know how many have actually read this thread - so I'll add what I think is a nugget and see if we get any response.

FREE ADMISSION: From the 30th May until 12th July there is an exhibition entitled

"The Treasures of the English Church" at The Goldsmiths Hall, Foster Lane, London EC2V 6BN
Tel:020 7606 7010. or www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk

- this is near St. Paul's Tube Station

It consists of Church Plate and other Silver and Gold items ( over 300 exhibits ) from 800 - 2000.

By the way I also use some of the Fred Miranda plugins and they have been updated recently along with "Autopano" which I find is the best panorama software for the Mac. It's a stand alone program that drops easily into CS3 or other programs.