A short while ago, onOne software announced the pre-sale of Perfect Photo Suite 7. They recently announced that Perfect Photo Suite 7 would ship on October 31st.
Today they sent me a beta version for evaluation. Installation was straight forward. I’m a PC so I just downloaded the file, closed out Lightroom, Photoshop CS6 and Bridge and clicked on the install executable. After a few minutes it was installed and ready for use as a stand-alone editor, and a plugin for Lightroom 4.2 and Photoshop CS6.
In true suck-it-and-see style, rather than watch or read any training material, I grabbed the images I was going to post tomorrow and ran them through one of my common workflow approaches. In this case I took three images with a 4EV range in Lightroom, dusted and cropped them (should be crop dusted?) and brought them into Photomatix 4.0.2 to generate an HDR. I then took the result of that into Photoshop CS6 to blend the components some more to something I like.
At this point in my workflow I’ll dive off into one of the onOne suite of products, a Nik software product or a Topaz plugin. Plugin’s make creative adjustments so much faster and easier to accomplish. Today I decided to go to the beta copy of onOne Perfect Photo Suite 7 and selected Perfect Effects 4.
I immediately liked the new layout of the panels and the dark grey background to the panels.
.jpg "onOne Perfect Effects 4")
The panel layout has similarities to CS6 but also Nik and Topaz. On the left hand side there’s a panel of effects for want of a better phrase. When you click on an effect name, the panel expands and you can see your image with the filters applied. just click one to apply it to your image. The image is in the large desktop in the center of the screen. Various tools are located at the corners, including the bugs, brushes, compare and size buttons. All familiar from previous versions. On the right hand side is a panel that includes the navigator to help you move around an image that you’ve zoomed for more control, a layers panel that allows you to combine multiple filters, change the opacity, etc, and a panel that gives you ultimate control over the effect you’ve selected through sliders and a curves panel.
I found this very easy to navigate and find the user interface to be an improvement over the layout of Perfect Photo Suite 6. I also think the added controls enhance your creative options. I also prefer the effects panel on the left rather than running across the screen at the bottom.
I often convert my images to black and white so I was eager to try the new Perfect B&W 1 which is part of Perfect Photo Suite 7 and so, was included in the beta evaluation copy. I started out in the black and white world as black and white film was so much cheaper and easier to develop than color prints or slides.
Starting from where I left off with my color image, I launched Perfect B&W1 and the screen came up with the same three-panel layout of Perfect Effects 4. On the left is a range of different black and white conversions grouped into similar themes. These are your starting point. The right hand panel contains the navigator, color filter and finishing tools.
.jpg "onOne Perfect B&W1")
Again, the tools are self explanatory with buttons or sliders to adjust the effect. One of the nice touches I though was the ability to control the color of the ‘paper’ through a range from brilliant white to pale straws that mimic aged paper. Since the quality of the white in a black and white print is determined by the ‘whiteness’ of the paper you are printing on I like being able to adjust this. A similar slider allow you to vary the silver tone of the image.
I barely scratched the surface of Perfect Photo Suite 7, only opening up two of the seven tools in the suite, but my first impressions are highly favorable. If you’ve used any of the recent onOne tools or the Nik or Topaz tools then you’ll immediately be at home with Perfect Photos Suite 7. That said, I’m certainly going to watch a few of the onOne Coffee Talk sessions and onOne University sessions to get the most out of this tool set. These learning tools will introduce you to the features and functions far faster than my suck-it-and-see approach.
I think the guys at onOne have done an excellent job with this upgrade. That the suite also installs stand alone is a huge benefit to those on a tighter budget. You can have tremendous creative freedom just using the suite on it’s own, particularly if you just do photography. Given Adobe’s move the the Creative Cloud subscription offering that many photographers, particularly hobbyists, see as putting Photoshop CS6 outside of their budget, using Lightroom, or Photoshop Elements in conjunction with Perfect Photo Suite 7 gives you tremendous creative possibilities.
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY, ships October 31st!
As I was looking around from the location where I took the photo posted yesterday of 1086 Ocean Drive, I noticed an observatory on the top of ‘The Villa by Barton G‘ as it is now officially titled, originally the Casa Casuarina and more commonly known as the Versace House. I thought it quite curious that there was an observatory here. I doubt there’s still a telescope there and I’d wager the light pollution from the local neighborhood would render all but the brightest stars invisible if there is. But what really struck me was how it was hidden in plain sight. There are actually very few places from which you can see it. You can’t see it from the street, you have to be out in the park between Ocean Drive and the beach and then get the right break in the trees. This was, of course, Gianni Versace’s home and he was murdered on the steps to the mansion back in 1997. It’s now a boutique hotel and restaurant.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
I doubt the address is 1086 since that’s the Google Map approximate address and when you search on that it nothing leaps out from the search results. I had returned from the beach to continue south down Ocean Drive. This property is located at the intersection of Ocean Drive and 11th Street. I was initially drawn to the portholes of the building on the left. Then I noticed the common theme of the pastel blue paint framing the windows of the building on the right and tying the two buildings together despite their architectural differences. Curiously the windows of the middle floor don’t seem to have any circular theme. Finally the circular motif is repeated in the balconies of the building on the far left. A closer look, though, reveals that the detail in the gates just left of center and the railings below the portholes are actually octagons. I also did a black and white treatment, below.
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY, ships October 31st!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Miami beach is dotted with these wonderful Lifeguard stations. They’re named for the streets that would intersect the ocean if extended that far. That way, if there’s an emergency, it’s pretty easy to say where you are located. Each shack appears to be different in overall design and decoration. What drew me to this particular station was the aerofoil shape to the roof. Most of the others are more traditional boxes. I was also drawn to the simple purple and green color scheme of this one.
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY, ships October 31st!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
South Beach, Miami, on a Friday morning at around 9:30. Having sauntered south on Ocean Drive to about 12th street I decided to head out to the beach a shade under 500 feet from the hotels and restaurants. Being 9:30am on a regular Friday there were not many people on the beach but the Boucher Brothers crews had been hard at work laying out sun loungers and umbrellas in anticipation of crowds to come. And they probably did, later. Despite being a regular Friday, there seemed to be no lack of vacationers, particularly from overseas. I was struck by the cloud formations so I set down my tripod to capture a few images. Later in the day, these clouds had grown to the point where they could no longer carry their loads of water and I, and others, got soaked, but that’s another story for another day.
Six buildings south of The Betsy Ross on Ocean Drive one finds The Edgewater. While South Beach in general and the Ocean Drive area in particular is known for its art deco architecture, The Edgewater stands out because of its more Spanish Colonial styling on its upper floors, particularly the red Spanish tile roof detail. No points for guessing the time of day when I took these shots! Unfortunately, the guest in the top left room didn’t get the memo to leave the drapes partially drawn to match his neighbors in the center and top right. Of course, I could have Photoshopped it an toyed with the idea briefly but then decided not to.
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY, ships October 31st!
I recently had the opportunity to return to Miami for a day. Unfortunately we were booked out at a hotel by the airport. As this was a ‘day off’ I was only traveling with my Canon 28-300mm lens (B&H). While it has a great range for travel, I would have preferred a wider angle to capture the shot below – I would have liked to have gotten in front of the newspaper boxes, the electrical box, the trash can and the fire hydrant. I toyed with the idea of cloning them out but decided it wasn’t worth the time. The image below is an HDR of three frames with a four EV range. I was fortunate that the two guys under the awning didn’t move between frames so I didn’t have to deal with any ghosting. It took a while and a few series to get a clean view with nobody walking or driving through the frame. I was inspired to take this series by a picture hanging in our hotel room. I’ll post the then-and-now of that image later since it was towards the southern end of Ocean Drive and the Betsy Ross is at the north end. I couldn’t really decide which I liked better, the color or black and white version I made so I posted both. A cop-out I know, but my inspiration image was a black and white. Oh, and given a free choice between staying at the Betsy or out at the airport again, I’d most certainly take the Betsy!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Here are two ‘portrait’ framed versions of yesterday’s shots from flight UA1142, shortly before landing at Fort Lauderdale airport. Flying over or just south of Eisenhower, Lehigh Acres, Florida and looking back to the south-west and the Gulf Coast of Florida and the southern end of Estero Bay, just south of Fort Myers. The vertical framing of this shot has changes the overall exposure with the layer of cloud above the aircraft more dark and ominous looking. The sun is setting on the far side of the cloud wall with rays of sunlight streaking through the gaps in the clouds lighting them up like they’re on fire while sheets of rain fall on the communities just inland of the coast. As with yesterday’s post, I’ve also included a black and white version.
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY for a free companion DVD, Value $140!
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY for a free companion DVD, Value $140!
As an older teen and through my early working years I would occasionally read ‘Viz’ a boys comic aimed at the young male adult. They used to have this section called ‘Top Tips’ purporting to be readers writing in with useful self help tips. A recurring theme was the use of boxes of cornflakes to lessen injury in trips or falls. Another that sticks in my mind was a grouse about why the pilots get to sit up front. After all, they fly all the time. They should sit in the back and let those passengers that rarely fly get to see the great views to the front through the windshield! On this particular day, while I could see thunder clouds to our south, apparently the pilots of UA1142 saw a break in the clouds as our transition through the cloud wall was unremarkable. But looking back I got this fantastic view of the sunlight from the setting sun streaming through the gap in the clouds with sheets of rain from the storm falling just inland from the coast. I once again turned to my Canon S100 (B&H) to capture the scene. From the features on the ground, the aircraft would have been over or just south of Eisenhower, Lehigh Acres, Florida. You can make out the Gulf coast and the southern end of Estero Bay between the two sheets of rain in the center of the photo. Again, I produced a black and white version also, posted below the color version.
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY for a free companion DVD, Value $140!
Enter discount code rdavisphoto for a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 7. Click on the image below for this offer. Pre-order TODAY for a free companion DVD, Value $140!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Conventional wisdom is to take the shot in both landscape and portrait formats. Although you can crop one to the other, framing each individually maximizes your opportunities and choices. So, after capturing the shots I posted yesterday, I turned my Canon S100 (B&H) vertically and framed a this shot. By the EXIF data, this series of shots was taken one minute and fifty one seconds later. The cruising speed of a Boeing 737 is a shade over 500 miles per hour (all things being equal) so we’d traveled about eight miles closer to the cloud wall. Add to that the cloud wall was moving west, towards us and that yields the change in the cloud shapes between the two photo-sets. This set has also picked up more yellow from the setting sun. Also, this composition shows the approaching night sky in the way the to left corner is almost black. Again, I like to play with black and white conversions and I’ve provided a black and white version below.
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by Richard Davis
[...] I’ve seen Scarface. Three shot, 4EV range HDR finished in a beta version of the imminent onOne software Perfect Photo Suite 7. The color version is below the black and white.Order a Limited Edition Print of this photoEnter [...]