Nik Software Announces Silver Efex Pro™

Nik Software announced their new Silver Efex Pro photographic plug-in for use with Adobe® Photoshop® and Apple® Aperture™. Silver Efex Pro is an advanced solution which allows users to create black-and-white photographs which closely emulate real world films. It uses advanced imaging algorithms to protect against unwanted artifacts, and emulates 18 black-and-white film types. Silver Efex Pro also features a state-of-the-art grain engine that according to Nik software, "truly mimics the silver halide process and creates the highest quality black-and-white images possible from scanned or digital color photographs." For more information about Silver Efex Pro, and to download a free 15-day fully functional trial version, please visit silverefexpro.

FocalPoint 1.0 Released

onOne Software, Inc., announced the release of their new software plug-in, FocalPoint 1.0 for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. FocalPoint is a selective focus and vignetting plug-in designed to help photographers easily blur and/or vignette areas of an image. It is available for immediate download at onOne.

Nik Software Ship Viveza

Nik Software have begun shipping Viveza, their new and innovative colour and tone correction plug-in for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Viveza makes selective adjustments simpler to perform than using Photoshop's own tools. It is built around the U Point technology which first appeared in Nikon Capture NX. From all appearances Viveza looks like an excellent workflow improvement tool. I'll hopefully be taking a closer look at it in the next few weeks.

Silver Oxide Intro Orthochromatic Filter

Silver Oxide, have introduced a new filter which emulates the look of Orthographic film. Until 1925, Hollywood studios used orthochromatic Eastman Standard Negative stock. Orthochromatic film was only sensitive to the brightest natural light, so large ultraviolet lamps had to be used during shooting. It also registered only blue light, so anything colored red showed up on the film as black. Silver Oxide produce excellent digital filters which do an excellent job of emulating classic Black and White films. The new generation of SilverOxide filters also work as Smart Filters in CS3. For more info and demos visit SilverOxide.

DFT Announce Power Stroke 1.0

DFT have announced the release of Power Stroke version 1.0, a stroke based color correction, colorization and special effects plug-in. Designed with the digital photographers, graphic designers and artists in mind, Power Stroke uses a simple, interactive stroke-based interface to quickly and intuitively perform targeted adjustments. Instead of meticulously selecting regions or hand- painting masks, regions of interest are isolated by drawing a few simple brush strokes with adjustments then made only in those areas. Strokes can be assigned multiple corrections and effects such as color correction, recoloring or desaturation, colorization of black and white images, blur, fill light for dimly lit image areas and diffusion/glow. "Based on the concepts of luminance-weighted chrominance blending and fast intrinsic distance computations, Power Stroke produces high quality results at a fraction of the complexity and computational cost of previous techniques." From what I can see DFT have created yet another easy to use and useful tool for imageers and photographers. Power Stroke is based on research and technology by Liron Yatziv and Guillermo Sapiro from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, and is exclusively licensed by Digital Film Tools. For more information visit Digital Film Tools.

DFT Announce Power Mask 1.0

Power Mask version 1.0, is according to DFT, the first real time, interactive masking tool. As you paint along the edge of the object to be extracted, either the mask or the final composite can be revealed instantly. Powermask simply updates the object to be extracted in real time. Power Mask can extract almost any object in an image -- fine hair detail, smoke, or reflections can be handled with ease. Once a mask is extracted, using Power Mask the foreground object can be seamlessly composed onto a new background in Adobe Photoshop as well as apply filter and image corrections only within the area defined by the mask. Power Mask is based on unpublished research and technology by Jue Wang from the University of Washington and is exclusively licensed by Digital Film Tools. For more information visit Digital Film Tools

PictoColor Releases iCorrect Editlab Pro 5.5

PictoColor® have released Version 5.5 of their iCorrect® EditLab™ Pro plug-in for photographers. iCorrect Editlab Pro provides a simplified approach to color correction and color editing. Using this solution you can edit and correct digital photos using their simple step by step interface. Visit Pictocolor for more information.

Focus on Filter Forge

Review by Mario Georgiou Filter Forge - http://www.filterforge.com/ Stand Alone and Photoshop Plug-in Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 2000, Windows Vista Basic $99, Standard $199, Pro $299 I am a big fan of the work being done by third party Photoshop Plug-in creators and have a sizeable collection of plug-ins. When Filter Forge came to my attention a few weeks back, I dropped a line to the creators of this interesting and powerful tool to request a copy for review. What I experienced with this really cool tool brought a smile to my face. Filter Forge is exactly what it sounds like, a tool for producing and applying filters and procedural textures, and a whole lot more besides. Filter Forge comes in 3 versions, a $99 Basic edition provides unlimited access to the Filter Library but cannot create filters. The $199 Standard edition allows photographers and graphic artists create their own filters, including effects, textures, distortions, patterns, backgrounds, and frames. The $299 Professional edition was designed with the needs of 3D-content and game creators in mind. Providing support and features useful in architectural visualization, 3D Rendering and Design and includes support for bitmaps as large as 65000x65000 pixels, 16- and 32-bit images, and floating point based file formats such as OpenEXR and PFM. I was fortunate to be able to review the Pro edition and was extremely impressed by the performance and the range of filters available via the online filter library. Once accessed and downloaded you can transport your filters with relative ease however you do need an Internet connection which will give you access to well over 2000 filters and textures. The creation of filters is facilitated via a visual node-based editor which is both extremely powerful and quite easy to use once you can get your head around the concept. Filters are created visually by connecting components in a flow diagram to combine effects and functions. Available components include Brightness / Contrast, Channels, Gradients, Noise, Colour Adjustments, Distortions, Patterns, Curves, Curve Operations, Image Processing Controls and much more. For Pro-Level users this is a very powerful and welcome tool. The editor allows the user to create some very useful tools and effects, and one of the best features of this tool is the ability for users to be able to share their created filters online via the free filter library. The only omission in this powerful is support for user definable formulae - something for the future I guess... For the Animator, designer and texture creator, the ability to create seamless and resolution independent textures and patterns. Add the capability for creating bump and normal maps and you have a really useful production tool. The filters are also resolution independent and capable of some many effects that you'll find yourself suffering from option paralysis. There is even a Randomizer which shakes things up a bit by allowing you to generate filters on the fly. Core features and technology include support for Dual-core CPU's, HDRI Images, 8, 16 and 32 Bit image modes, Floating point file formats and a really useful smart anti aliasing feature which uses antialiasing only where, and when it is needed. The only drawback for many users will be the cost, but this is somewhat silly when you bear in mind that the Pro filter is aimed at pro level users and that the average imageer doesn't really have a need for the advanced capabilities the editor and pro feature will afford. Support is excellent with an extensive online help system and very active online user forums. The overall tone on the forums is one of cooperation and reveals a real sense of community, with contributors even offering to share credits with other users... Cons. Price. Learning curve for the Filter Editor. Pros - Easy to use. Powerful, Scalable. Excellent Support, Large number of filters. As a tool Filter Forge really has no equal, it is more than just a single effect tool, it is a library of effects and treatments that work as both a Photoshop Plug-in and also as a stand alone application. I found it both powerful and easy to use. This is one tool any imageer, artist and photographer should have in their toolbox. Highly recommended.

AKVIS Updates Noise Buster

AKVIS LLC have released Noise Buster v. 4.0, a digital image noise reduction plug-in. The new version of Noise Buster includes the ability to save user settings and presets, compatibility with Windows Vista, and a change in Mac installation instructions. V4 is now a universal binary for Macs. Registered users can download the latest version for free. Visit AKVIS for more info.

Public Beta of Fluid Mask 3

Vertus, announced the Public Beta of Fluid Mask 3. Fluid Mask 3 is a powerful and intuitive masking and high-quality image blending tool. Fluid Mask 3 is available as a stand-alone and Photoshop Plug-in. With Version 3 there have been enhancements with the edge detection and performance along with added improvements with blending and a new "Save Settings" option; a "Color Work Space" palette which now includes a "Color Sampler", and which enables users to select specific colors from an image and to see where else the same color appears. Also available is the "Color Work Space", a new 2-D color map enables more accurate color selection. There are several new brush tools and an improved "Localized Edge Detection System" which enables users to perform more detailed edge finding and more refined blending. The new "Patch" system allows users to make localized changes. For more information and to download the public beta, visit Vertus Tech

OnOne Software Announce Photoframe 3.1 Update

OnOne Software have announced that the PhotoFrame Pro 3.1 update is available as a free download for all registered users of PhotoFrame Pro 3. The Photoshop plug-in provides photographers with thousands of frame and matte selections that add that extra bit of final detail to any digital image. PhotoFrame Pro 3 allows imageers to apply a wide variety of edge effects to any picture. The choices for customisation with PhotoFrame Pro 3 are extensive and varied. The available selection of border and edge effects such as drop shadows, bevel, glow, border and texture are also impressive. For more info please visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/

RealGrain 1.0.1

Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou Published by: Imagenomic Requires: Photoshop CS/CS2/CS3 or Elements 3/4 or a recent edition of a plug-in compliant program; Windows 2000, XP or Vista; Mac OS X 10.3.x/10.4.x; 256MB RAM, 10MB available hard disk space MSRP: US$99.95 Of all the tools Imagenomic makes, RealGrain is my favorite. The main reason for this is its versatility and the accuracy with which it emulates a wide variety of film types and film development processes. With this useful plug-in you can emulate black & white or color films from Agfa, Fuji, Ilford and Kodak. You can even emulate effects such as cross processing, split toning, black & white or color infrared, sepia toning and a whole lot more. The range of film stocks which are emulated is awesome. RealGrain is available separately or as part of the Imagenomic Professional Plug-in Suite along with Portraiture and Noiseware Professional. Like all other Imagenomic offerings RealGrain really needs no manual. The user interface in the filter speaks for itself. I got to grips with it quickly with no need to refer to the manual and had hours of fun trying things out. The ability to automatically adjust grain size so that it is based on an images physical dimensions and resolution is another feature which puts this plug-in ahead of its competitors. The ability to control how grain is generated is one of the best implementations I've seen yet with only one competitor producing better results. Even though the addition or manipulation of digital grain isn't quite perfect, in RealGrain it is still by far the most versatile with control over the tonal range, balance and intensity as well as grain size. The only way to improve upon this would be to develop a method of modeling the shape of chemical film grain so that you could more accurately represent the real world equivalents. With the range of film stocks and looks being emulated it is hard to see what could be added to improve this easy to use tool. Nonetheless, I have some suggestions for Imagenomic for emulations I'd like to see: selenium toning, sistan toning, cyanotypes and lithprinting among others. Cons: Would like to see some more control over the look of the grain. I think there's still some work to be done by Imagenomic to create more realistic looking grain. It would be nice to be able to access all the presets in one place. Pros: RealGrain is fast and easy to use. Highly configurable. Excellent selection of film types. Great value for the money. This is without a doubt one of the best tools of its kind. With a few small improvements in how film grain is handled and the addition of a few more film type effects it will be hard act to beat. Highly Recommended.

Portraiture 1.0.1

Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou Published by: Imagenomic Requires: Photoshop CS/CS2/CS3 or Elements 3/4/5 or a recent edition of a plug-in compliant program; Windows 2000, XP or Vista; Mac OS X 10.3.x/10.4.x; 256MB RAM, 10MB available hard disk spaceMSRP: US$169.95 The Portraiture plug-in is designed is to simplify the process and shorten the time it takes to carry out digital photo portrait retouching. With features like intelligent smoothing and blemish removal, an auto-mask feature that recognizes optimal skin tones and controls for fine-tuning the effect, you really can't go too far wrong. Portraiture is available separately or as part of the Imagenomic Professional Plug-in Suite which also includes Noiseware Professional and RealGrain. The presets that come with this powerful plug-in, are more than enough to retouch most digital images. However for the user who requires finer control over the look and feel of retouched images there are a wide array of fine control sliders which will allow exacting Retouchers to adjust things to their hearts content. The plug-in is really easy to use. In fact, I very quickly began asking myself if that was all there was to it. Obviously, there has been a lot of effort put into this tool and it's pretty evident when you see just how simple it is. My only complaint is that although I can see the benefit in time saving alone, I can't understand why Portraiture v1.0.1 is a full $100 more than the Noiseware Plug-in which is also part of the Imagenomic Professional Plug-in Suite along with Portraiture. Version 1.0.1 is the latest release of Portraiture and fully supports native Intel Mac systems, as well as Microsoft's Vista operating system. Portraiture v1.0.1 is also optimized to support Photoshop CS3 in both its release and public beta versions. Although there is no built in spot removal or blemish removal tool, the absence is forgivable mainly because those sorts of photo repair tools are almost invariably already part of most photo editors. I did find the Skin Tones Mask capability very impressive. By using a selection tool I was able to restrict the application of the filter to a narrower range of tones making the effect all that more effective. Cons: The absence of an integrated blemish and spot repair tool is a minor gripe, but the high price is a bit of a concern. Pros: Fast and easy to use. Highly configurable. Skin Tones Mask feature is very well implemented. The Portraiture v1.0.1 plug-in is the ideal tool for photo studios that deal with portraiture, glamour and fashion imagery. Portraiture is available by itself or as part of the Imagenomic Professional Plug-in Suite. Highly Recommended.

Noiseware Professional 4.1.1

Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou Published by: Imagenomic Requires: Photoshop CS/CS2/CS3 or Elements 3/4 or a recent edition of a plug-in compliant program; Windows 2000, XP or Vista; Mac OS X 10.3.x/10.4.x; 256MB RAM, 10MB available hard disk space MSRP: US$69.95 Imagenomic creates tools and Photoshop plug-ins for imageers, designers and photographers. The Noiseware Professional plug-in consists of a standalone program and a couple of plug-ins which are designed to remove noise and grain, while also preserving most fine details. Noiseware Professional is available separately or as part of the Imagenomic Professional Plug-in Suite along with Real Grain and Portraiture. Noiseware Professional supports 16-bit images, a necessity for any professional photographer who is shooting RAW images. Users can apply a number of presets — up to 14 in all — which cover pretty much any situation. You can create and save your own presets and recall them at any time for use on specific projects. Noiseware Professional is extremely useful for the photo editor, production artist or photographer who is shooting high ISO images or who has very little time to adjust scanned images which contain excessive noise. The effects of this filter can be quite subtle in some situations, but the beneficial effects are useful and noticeable nonetheless. Noiseware Professional is also designed to deal with some of the problems caused by JPEG compression artifacts, a real bonus in my mind. The feature is well conceived and I think Imagenomic should definitely put some additional development effort into the next version. Noiseware does a lot of the work up front by calculating the noise levels in your chosen image. The presets will usually allow you deal with most issues immediately. If you are not happy with a preset, you can then make use of the control slider arrays. Even the most tweak-happy editors will be pleased with the controls too. With four tabs for Detail, Frequency, Tonal Range and Color Range, and over 35 control sliders, you can play for hours. One of Noiseware Professional's more thoughtful functions allows you to apply different processing levels by auto bracketing the setting to same image. You can view the effects in a tabbed view from which you can then select the desired result. This would work better without the tabs and in the form of a display matrix. Like the JPEG compression artifact component, auto bracketing is clearly area that Imagenomic can expand in future plug-in releases. Cons: The tabbed interface for the auto bracketing feature would be better served by a matrix type preview. My only real concern is that some detail can be lost, but well exposed and well focused images aren't really affected. Pros: Intuitive and fast. Highly configurable. The auto bracketing feature is really nice. Great value for the money. Noiseware is aimed at all users who need a tool for controlling noise in their images. Working with Noiseware you can appreciate the work that's been put into this excellent and easy to use plug-in. If you don't have the luxury of time then you owe it to yourself to try Noiseware Professional. You won't regret it. This release is also optimized to support Photoshop CS3 in both the release and public beta versions. Highly Recommended.

Akvis Sketch Version 3.0 Released

Akvis have released version 3.0 of their Sketch plug-in for Photo Centric Software such as Paint Shop Pro, Adobe PhotoShop and others. This revision is a relatively minor upgrade and addresses a few bugs and compatibility with Windows Vista. AKVIS Sketch is a plugin for converting photos into pencil sketches and watercolor drawings. For more information visit the Sketch plug-in page at AKVIS.