Photoshop Plug-ins Make Photoshop
Even Better
Photoshop plug-ins still have a role to play, in spite of the comprehensive nature of the program. Here are a few more.
Alienskin
Exposure
Film (remember that?) has its own characteristics and feel. Every film creates its own atmosphere and Exposure is a Photoshop plug-in which adds that look and feel to digital images. Fuji goes for strong colours; various Ektachromes have a more subtle and realistic feel; black and white Recording film is very fast with interesting clumpy grain.
Grain puts a kind of depth into the surface of the image. Films have their own dynamic ranges and degrees of sharpness. Exposure can simulate a large range of films both existing and deceased. Cross-processing is also covered. It is the effect of processing colour negative film as transparency and vice versa.
On the right is the effect of transparency film processed as colour negative.
Effective chrome can be tricky to produce, but the AlienSkin Chrome filter makes a good job of it.
With it come effects for bevels, glass and perspective shadows.
Their Lightning and Electrify plug-ins both do a good job. Motion trail is worth a look too.
It will give a blurred movement trail, but with a curve. It also creates a very realistic appearance as it fades away into nothing. This is something Photoshop can only do with a certain amount of messing around.
www.alienskin.com
AV Bros
Page Curl gives a very realistic page-turning effect.
There is a clear and efficient interface with many features.
Users can set the direction of the curl, as well as the shape and amount of the curl.
Shadows both under and inside the curl and be adjusted, but perhaps the best feature is the ability to add an image on to the back of the curl. It can be the same image as the front, flipped horizontally, or it can be another image which represents the next page.
This second image can also be automatically scaled to fit.It is possible to create the same result manually , but if you are going to do them on a regular basis, then this Photoshop plug-in is a good buy at a modest price.
Page Curl Pro will do all the page curling, plus making folds and perspective distortions. It will also adjust the lighting and add textures. Some of these results are much harder to do manually and for such graphic effects, the Pro version is worthwhile. They are the sort of plug-ins one wants to find uses for because they can look so attractive.
Circumscriber and Collector are 2 free Photoshop plugins that are worth anybody's money and can be good time-savers.
Puzzle Pro can create jigsaws and numerous puzzle shapes. An image can be split into these shapes to great graphic effect.
As with all their stuff, not expensive.
www.avbros.com
Aurora
The Aurora Photoshop plug-in can add a range of extras to images.
Add a sun, moon and stars. Change the size of the sun and add a halo; put in the phases of the moon and add clusters of stars.Newly created clouds can be stormy or light and fluffy; control their thickness and shape. Waves and water can be put in. Waves can be controlled for size, colour and depth. Scenes can be be placed underwater, with the lighting adjusted. Lightbeams and searchlights can be created, with controls for shape and perspective. Beams will work through layers, making it possible to create sunlight going through leaves.
www.digi-element.com
DreamSuite
DreamSuite One from Autofx plug-ins is a package of 18 effects.
They include:
- Bevels is more advanced and versatile than those in Photoshop.
- Chisel will give a surface and hammered, chipped or dented appearance.
- PhotoDepth is more than just a basic drop shadow, but will create depth all round and can add on a frayed look.
- Crackle and Crease will create wrinkles and cracks, folds and creases. There are precise controls and the creases run along paths.
- PhotoTone has a variety of ways of emulating old photographs, with glows, tones, colour blends and romantic halos.
- Create tears in paper and images with the RipTear section.
- With Liquid Metal you can paint with mercury. The paint effect can look molten or mottled.
- PhotoBorders will produce a range of frames around images although people keen on borders should look at their specialist Photo/Graphic Edges package where the choice runs into thousands.
Most of the 18 sections have a good range of controls and each can be bought separately.
www.autofx.com
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