More Jayci

OnOne Software Releases Plug-In Suite 5

I'm a big fan of OnOne Software's Plug-In Suite, and yesterday they announced the release of version 5.

With support for Photoshop CS2, CS3 and CS4 the onOne Software Plug-in Suite 5 now includes the new onOne Panel which provides quick access to all products, Windows 64 bit support and the ability to access select plug-ins from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture 2.1. Plug-in Suite 5 will be available in November.

Plug-in Suite 5 includes full versions of the following onOne Software products:

FocalPoint 2 - Like bringing the camera lens inside Photoshop, this new version of FocalPoint 2 gives photographers the best way to add the most realistic depth of field and selective focus control to any image after it is photographed. Photographers now have an incredible amount of flexibility and control over the look of the blur with FocalPoint 2's new blur algorithm, FocusBrush, Lens Presets and multiple FocusBug features.

PhotoTune 3 - Getting great color doesn't have to be so hard. This new version of PhotoTune 3 uses patented eye-fidelityTM technology, originally developed by and licensed from imsense to optimize the dynamic range, color and sharpness of images so that they look more true-to-life. The improved Wizard offers fast color and tone correction in as little as two steps while giving pro users direct access to advanced and innovative controls. SkinTune, which represents two years of research and analysis of thousands of skin tones, now offers one-click color correction of portraits and the option to correct just the skin in an image.

PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition - With PhotoFrame 4.5, you can add the perfect finishing touch to your images with over 100 exciting new professionally designed frames, backgrounds, textures and layouts including over a dozen from professional photographer Kersti Malvre. With one thousand design elements like film edges, borders, textures, backgrounds and adornments, PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition even has complete layouts where users can simply drop an image in and they are done. It is the easiest and fastest way to add an authentic darkroom touch with a film edge or to create beautiful albums or scrapbook pages

PhotoTools 2.5 Professional Edition - PhotoTools 2.5 is the highly acclaimed Photoshop plug-in that allows photographers of all skill levels to maximize the full power of Photoshop with it's ability to preview and combine Photoshop Actions in a single, intuitive interface. Designed by photographers for photographers, PhotoTools 2.5 Professional now includes a new MaskingBug control based on the FocusBug control from the award-winning FocalPoint plug-in. The new MaskingBug allows photographers to create high-quality masks to selectively apply effects to images. With over 30 new creative effects, for a total effect library of 280, photographers can easily find, combine and save the results to create images that truly stand out.

Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition - The industry standard for enlarging photos, Genuine Fractals 6 enlarges images up to 1,000% while maintaining sharp edges and important image details. Genuine Fractals 6 now includes an automated gallery wrap feature and output options for tiling an enlarged photo. No other resizing plug-in is as widely used by more professionals than Genuine Fractals.

MaskPro 4 - For those times when you need to extract a subject from a photo, Mask Pro 4 uses a color-based method that allows users to easily remove unwanted backgrounds from your photos. Mask Pro's unique Color Decontamination technology allows users to get realistic results by maintaining transparency in hard to mask objects like hair, smoke and glass in a fraction of the time using traditional tools.

The new Plug-in Suite 5 will be available in November to new users for $599.95; purchased separately the products would normally cost $1,300. Existing users of Plug-in Suite version 1, 2, 3 or 4 can upgrade to the Plug-in Suite 5 for $199.95. Customers who own any one or more of the products in Plug-in 5 will be able to upgrade as well by visiting http://www.ononesoftware.com/upgrade/. For more information on the Plug-in Suite 5, please visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/.

More to come soon,
Chris

Tip Tuesday - Magic Wand Tool

Okay - sorry about yesterday's missing post. I was on my way home from dropping off the kids and made a detour that changed my whole day. Luckily, it was a good detour as I netted a contract job - that started immediately! So that brings us to Tuesday - which is Tip Tuesday here on the blog. So here it goes...

To select similar colors throughout the image with the Magic Want tool (as opposed to being restricted to those similar pixels that are touching) uncheck the "Contiguous" option in the Options bar.

Also, while using the Magic Wand tool, tapping the return/enter key will automatically highlight the Tolerance option for the tool in the Options bar and allow you to enter a numeric value.

Both big time savers!

Since I'm missing that everyday post goal, I'm changing my sign off from "See you tomorrow," to...

More to come soon,
Chris

Jayci Smith - Senior

She's magnetic. As in, Jayci draws people into her sphere, and she's cute enough to placed--in miniature form--on your refrigerator.

I met Jayci online back this summer when she approached me to take her Senior pictures. At the time, I did not have the drape required by her school, and sadly, I lost the opportunity to photograph her.
Fast forward a few months. I needed fresh new shots< for my website and marketing promotion I was about to kick off, and I wanted to do something different. I was tired of the 'usual' head and shoulders Senior shot. So I called Jayci to see if she'd be interested in modeling for the shoot. I explained that I would be asking her for some weird locations and poses. She seemed excited and we agreed to meet one day when she was out of school.Jayci was AWESOME! Such a cool girl - very striking and had gorgeous eyes, and she could talk with her eyes as well as anyone I've ever met! Photographer's know just how cool this is, and men better watch out! If I asked for a smile, I got it (without the cheese you get from a fake smile), when I wanted serious, I got it. She was a true angel to photograph. We shot from 2:00pm until almost 7:00pm - and I put her in some strange locations including rusted and rickety stairways, back alleys, trash dumps, tobacco barns, laundromats, and even turn the water hose on her! She braved it all and we came away with some really cool shots.I loved the time I spent with Jayci, and I hope she'll call me again when she needs pictures taken.

See you Monday,
Chris

Lightroom 3

Big news today... Adobe has once again released a public beta of the new version of Lightroom. Lightroom 3 Beta was announced and is now available as a free download for anyone (not just existing Lightroom users). I'll give you some of the main points here but, honestly, Scott Kelby, RC Concepcion and Matt Kloskowski have each created various videos and articles over at NAPP's Lightroom 3 Beta Learning Center. Check it out!

The Main Stuff:
• The Beta is for everyone
• Big changes in the Import dialog
• Noise removal has changed quite a bit
• Slideshows can now be exported as videos (with music)
• Custom print templates in the Print module
• And finally!, we have watermarking!

So here's what you need to do:
1) Don't complain about the beta. Remember, its not finished yet. Its a beta.
2) Head over to NAPP's Lightroom 3 Beta Learning Center
3) Download the Lightroom 3 Beta from the Adobe Labs website

That's it for today, and sorry about missing the post yesterday - school emergency!

See you tomorrow,
Chris

Tip Tuesday - Blend Modes

I've been all over playing with Blend Modes lately, so today's tip has to do with using Blend Modes.

All blend modes have their own keyboard shortcut. They all begin with Option (Mac)/ Alt (Win) + Shift + a letter - most often the letter is the first letter of the name, N = Normal, M = Multiple, O = Overlay etc.

If you want to quickly cycle through the painting tool’s blend modes, hold the Shift key and hit the “+” (plus) or “-” (minus) to move forward or backwards.

If you'd like to cycle like this thru the Layer Blend Modes, use the same shortcut - BUT - don't havea painting tool selected.

See you tomorrow,
Chris

Where have I been?

A quick apology. After meaning to stick with the blog regularly - I didn't count on the entire family getting wiped out by the flu. Yes, for three weeks, me or a member of my family was wiped out with the flu - naturally, the blog took a back seat. I'm sorry for the void and am now back on track!

Coming up this week is a report on a trip with a friend, a photoshoot with a lovely young lady, tips, seminars, etc. Stay tuned!

See you tomorrow,
Chris