Hi. My name is Dave. And I'm now a (ahem) digital photographer.
5D purchased and on its way. I thought I'd hold off for the new Canon announcement on the 24th when I realized that the 5D/24-105 L kit sells for a really nice (new) price with warranty and the body could be eBayed for upgrade later quite easily.
So, in short, I'm in. Feel free to start the snarky remarks about another LF guy who "converted" (even though the 8x10 will still be an integral part of my gear and get hauled around with much cursing and spitting) anytime.
That leads me to a necessary Photoshop upgrade to handle this fancy-schmancy deegy-tall stuff. 7.0 isn't going to cut it...I'm moving to CS3 but all those tools that I was able to previously ignore may actually be useful now. So my question to you all is this:
What are your favorite/absolutely necessary/really desirable PS plugins or add-ons? I'm talking about things like DxO, NoiseNinja, etc, etc...
What have you NOT been able to live without now that you have it?
-D
Posted by Jesse Speer on January 9, 2008 at 1:39 PM
Lightroom, PhotoKit Sharpener, Imagenomic Noiseware are my "can't live without" tools.
EDIT: and DOP upsizing (FREE) for enlarging photos. CS3 is very good at resampling now. But for large prints, I use DOP for better results. (Better than any commercial plugin I've tried too.)
4x5 or Canon the list is still the same. And except for lightroom for the Canon the workflow is the same for me.
PhotoKit Sharpener, Gen Fractals (occasionally), and Lightroom for the Canon (I can really whip through a ton of images fast with it which is really useful when editing wedding stuff). I also have used Noise Ninja a couple of times. For me I limit the output size of my Canon shots to 16x24 and this mix seems to work well for me.
I really dont think you need a ton of plugins plus they take away memory which really hurts when I am working with the 4x5 drum scans. But the list above should be default with any nature photographers PS install IMHO.
RichieV
Posted by John Mumaw on January 9, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Noise Ninja and PTLens:
http://epaperpress.com/ptlens/
What I <i>really</i> treasure are the many PS actions available!
Tony Kuyper's Luminosity Mask Layers actions: http://www.goodlight.us/writing/luminositymasks/luminositymasks-1.html
..and to a lesser degree, his Saturation Mask actions:
http://www.goodlight.us/writing/saturationmasks/satmask-1.html
Those Luminosity Mask adjustment layer actions have been a tremendous asset with my editing workflow.
I also use several of a whole raft of excellent (and free!) actions from Action Central:
http://www.atncentral.com/download.htm
..and The Light's Right:
http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/photoshop-tools.htm
The Light's Right offers a version of PhotoKit Sharpener that's every bit as good as PKS, and the price is right.
Enjoy!
Posted by Les Barstow on January 9, 2008 at 2:18 PM
NoiseNinja is my only must-have; it's consistently and visibly much better than any of CS3's NR tools. I have TLR's Sharpening Kit installed, but don't use it as often as I might have in CS2.
John, thanks for the link to TK's masking actions; I've been wanting to try them out.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on January 9, 2008 at 5:13 PM
Noise Ninja is one I use when needed for noise reduction. Neat Image is my second favorite noise reduction program.
I really like Nik Software's Color Efex Pro filters (there are a bunch that simulate real camera filters like polarizer and infrared for instance and can add other effects like vignetting). I also use Nik Sharpener Pro to sharpen before making prints.
I have Genuine Fractals (got it free with a scanner) for upsizing.
Focus Magic is cool for those photos that just need a little more sharpening because of blur.
And I know you are a film lover so look into Alien Skin's Exposure 2.0 filters that simulate the color balances of a bunch of emulsions like Velvia and Kodachrome for fun.
Posted by Les Barstow on January 9, 2008 at 7:28 PM
Joshua, how does Focus Magic compare to Photoshop's Smart Sharpen set to remove Lens Blur? Both are supposed to be deconvolution filters...
Posted by Kalin Wilson on January 9, 2008 at 9:07 PM
Everyone else has touched on most of the tools I use but here is my set anyway:
1. Lightroom for downloading raw and image cataloging (processing later)
2. DxO for body/lense specific distortion, aberration, and focus adjustments. This is digital only. 4x5 scans don't go through this tool. I convert the .cr2 to dng at this stage and save the original raw (Lightroom stacking). Occasionally I'll play with DxOs color and lighting adjustments but normally I prefer Lightroom for global color and tone adjustments.
3. Lightroom for global adjustments
4. CS3 - Noiseware (if needed)
5. CS3 - PK Sharpener (capture sharpening)
6. CS3 - Tony Kuyper's luminosity mask action if a blend is in order
7. CS3 - PK Sharpener creative sharpening
8. CS3 - PK Sharpener for all output sharpening
I'll print to sizes where my native resolution gives me 180-200dpi. If I need to upres beyond that I use Qimage (Hybrid SE mode). The DOP action that Jesse mentioned came in a very close (and cheaper) second. I use Qimage to easily print multiple images, particularly on roll-stock.
I also use Photomatix (which has a plugin) for HDR work (now and then) and Autopano for pano stitching.
In terms of plugins, PK Sharpener and Noiseware are indespencable for me. All of these tools have been well worth the cost. Specialized tools usually have a place in any workflow. You can duplicate most of what any of these programs (except may DxO) does manually in CS3 but the time savings can be significant.
Have fun!
Posted by Nat Coalson on January 9, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Congratulations Dave! I'm sure you'll love shooting and processing digital.
I'll cast my votes for Noiseware and PK Sharpener as essential Photoshop add-ons.
But I'm doing lots more processing in Lightroom than in Photoshop these days. So I am really looking forward to the integration of 3rd party modules in LR, and it's likely that PK Sharpener will be one of them.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on January 9, 2008 at 11:57 PM
Forgot to mention, I use Pixel Genius Photo Kit Color 2.0 a lot too. I primarily use the RSA nuetralize filter. I run just about every image through it after capture sharpening to see what it does about any color casts. It saves me tons of time, when I need to use it. I'm very impressed with Pixel Genius products.
Posted by Nat Coalson on January 10, 2008 at 12:24 AM
Lots of choices here... I'm really becoming a big fan of the "less is more" approach to imaging software. The fewer tools necessary, the better. More time spent getting the shots right in the camera has really cut down on the amount of processing I'm doing. Most of my time is spent editing for selects and making collections... and of course exporting for web etc.
I have DxO Optics, too, and In rare cases where I absolutely had to have sophisticated lens distortion correction, there's no equal. But this is rare for my style of shooting.
Posted by John De Bord on January 10, 2008 at 6:22 AM
Lots of choices here... I'm really becoming a big fan of the "less is more" approach to imaging software.
Truer words were never spoken...I'm definitely a fan of capturing it right and doing minimal processing. All the other stuff sounds interesting, but I'll be focusing on the in-camera capture, just like I do with my current 35mm setup and LF as well. Sounds like almost everyone recommends PKS, so I'll look into that...I've already been using TK's Luminosity masking techniques in 7.0 and consider them indispensable...Very helpful, everyone. Thanks!
I'm on a PC, John. I gave up my Macs years ago.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on January 10, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Les, sorry for the delay. FM and PS smart sharpen are pretty comparable. I like the shadow/highlight adjustments you get with smart sharpen, but FM seems just a little bit more powerful and I like how it differentiates based on the source of your image (there are settings for digital captures, film, scans from newspapers/magazines, etc.) FM probably does a little better job on extreme blur cases, but for slight touch-up sharpen jobs either filter would work great.
Discussion
13 replies5D purchased and on its way. I thought I'd hold off for the new Canon announcement on the 24th when I realized that the 5D/24-105 L kit sells for a really nice (new) price with warranty and the body could be eBayed for upgrade later quite easily.
So, in short, I'm in. Feel free to start the snarky remarks about another LF guy who "converted" (even though the 8x10 will still be an integral part of my gear and get hauled around with much cursing and spitting) anytime.
That leads me to a necessary Photoshop upgrade to handle this fancy-schmancy deegy-tall stuff. 7.0 isn't going to cut it...I'm moving to CS3 but all those tools that I was able to previously ignore may actually be useful now. So my question to you all is this:
What are your favorite/absolutely necessary/really desirable PS plugins or add-ons? I'm talking about things like DxO, NoiseNinja, etc, etc...
What have you NOT been able to live without now that you have it?
-D
EDIT: and DOP upsizing (FREE) for enlarging photos. CS3 is very good at resampling now. But for large prints, I use DOP for better results. (Better than any commercial plugin I've tried too.)
If I were using a PC, I'd probably use Qimage.
http://www.outbackphoto.com/filters/filters.html#upsizing
PhotoKit Sharpener, Gen Fractals (occasionally), and Lightroom for the Canon (I can really whip through a ton of images fast with it which is really useful when editing wedding stuff). I also have used Noise Ninja a couple of times. For me I limit the output size of my Canon shots to 16x24 and this mix seems to work well for me.
I really dont think you need a ton of plugins plus they take away memory which really hurts when I am working with the 4x5 drum scans. But the list above should be default with any nature photographers PS install IMHO.
RichieV
http://epaperpress.com/ptlens/
What I <i>really</i> treasure are the many PS actions available!
Tony Kuyper's Luminosity Mask Layers actions: http://www.goodlight.us/writing/luminositymasks/luminositymasks-1.html
..and to a lesser degree, his Saturation Mask actions:
http://www.goodlight.us/writing/saturationmasks/satmask-1.html
Those Luminosity Mask adjustment layer actions have been a tremendous asset with my editing workflow.
I also use several of a whole raft of excellent (and free!) actions from Action Central:
http://www.atncentral.com/download.htm
..and The Light's Right:
http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/photoshop-tools.htm
The Light's Right offers a version of PhotoKit Sharpener that's every bit as good as PKS, and the price is right.
Enjoy!
John, thanks for the link to TK's masking actions; I've been wanting to try them out.
I really like Nik Software's Color Efex Pro filters (there are a bunch that simulate real camera filters like polarizer and infrared for instance and can add other effects like vignetting). I also use Nik Sharpener Pro to sharpen before making prints.
I have Genuine Fractals (got it free with a scanner) for upsizing.
Focus Magic is cool for those photos that just need a little more sharpening because of blur.
And I know you are a film lover so look into Alien Skin's Exposure 2.0 filters that simulate the color balances of a bunch of emulsions like Velvia and Kodachrome for fun.
1. Lightroom for downloading raw and image cataloging (processing later)
2. DxO for body/lense specific distortion, aberration, and focus adjustments. This is digital only. 4x5 scans don't go through this tool. I convert the .cr2 to dng at this stage and save the original raw (Lightroom stacking). Occasionally I'll play with DxOs color and lighting adjustments but normally I prefer Lightroom for global color and tone adjustments.
3. Lightroom for global adjustments
4. CS3 - Noiseware (if needed)
5. CS3 - PK Sharpener (capture sharpening)
6. CS3 - Tony Kuyper's luminosity mask action if a blend is in order
7. CS3 - PK Sharpener creative sharpening
8. CS3 - PK Sharpener for all output sharpening
I'll print to sizes where my native resolution gives me 180-200dpi. If I need to upres beyond that I use Qimage (Hybrid SE mode). The DOP action that Jesse mentioned came in a very close (and cheaper) second. I use Qimage to easily print multiple images, particularly on roll-stock.
I also use Photomatix (which has a plugin) for HDR work (now and then) and Autopano for pano stitching.
In terms of plugins, PK Sharpener and Noiseware are indespencable for me. All of these tools have been well worth the cost. Specialized tools usually have a place in any workflow. You can duplicate most of what any of these programs (except may DxO) does manually in CS3 but the time savings can be significant.
Have fun!
I'll cast my votes for Noiseware and PK Sharpener as essential Photoshop add-ons.
But I'm doing lots more processing in Lightroom than in Photoshop these days. So I am really looking forward to the integration of 3rd party modules in LR, and it's likely that PK Sharpener will be one of them.
I have DxO Optics, too, and In rare cases where I absolutely had to have sophisticated lens distortion correction, there's no equal. But this is rare for my style of shooting.
Truer words were never spoken...I'm definitely a fan of capturing it right and doing minimal processing. All the other stuff sounds interesting, but I'll be focusing on the in-camera capture, just like I do with my current 35mm setup and LF as well. Sounds like almost everyone recommends PKS, so I'll look into that...I've already been using TK's Luminosity masking techniques in 7.0 and consider them indispensable...Very helpful, everyone. Thanks!
I'm on a PC, John. I gave up my Macs years ago.