Topaz Labs has just come out with a new product, and it might just be their best one yet. Which is surprising given how much I like Clarity and ReStyle. But they’ve really hit the mark with Topaz Texture Effects.
In this review you’ll find out what it does, what the interface looks like, and I’ll show you a bunch of examples using my own photos and give you my overall impressions.
What It Does
Topaz Texture Effects is photo processing software that works as a stand alone program, or as a plugin with Photoshop, or an external editor with Lightroom. It allows you to add textures and other effects to your images in minutes.
There are over 150 presets from heavy grunge effects to soft lighting effects and they are awesome all on their own. You can apply cool effects with just one click as I did in all of the examples below. Or you can choose a preset and then add your own customizations to it.
In addition to textures, the plugin allows you to add other effects including: basic adjustments like brightness, saturation and clarity; borders; split toning; color overlays; adding dust, scratches and grain; lighting effects; blurs and vignettes.
The Interface
The interface is slightly different from the other Topaz products, but it still works the same way and is very intuitive. You first select a category of presets, and then thumbnails of your photo with the presets applied to it are displayed for your selection. Or, you can click the browse button and see thumbnails of the presets in all categories.
Once you’ve selected a preset, you can further customize it using a variety of sliders if you like.
But this is totally optional. In the examples below, I didn’t customize the presets at all, I just picked one.
You can even create and save your own unique effects.
Examples
When I made these example images, I started with a variety of photos I picked at random since I wasn’t sure what type of images would work best. These examples should give you an idea of the options that are available. I simply opened each photo in Topaz Texture Effects and picked the preset that looked the best for that photo. I didn’t try to pick a preset from each collection or anything, I just picked one I liked for that photo.
I clearly have a preference for the “Gritty Grunge” collection since most of the presets I chose were there.
White Sand Dunes
Before
After
Soft Grunge Collection – Wilting Violet Preset
Wigwam Motel
Before
After
Gritty Grunge Collection – Distressed Contrast Preset
Kodachrome Basin
Before
After
Gritty Grunge Collection – Seeing Red Preset
Monument Valley
Before
After
Gritty Grunge Collection – Vibrant Grunge Preset
Archway in Balboa Park
Before
After
Earthy Collection – Chamoisee Glaze Preset
Eucalyptus Tree and Balboa Park Bridge
Before
After
Vintage Collection – 1950’s Print Preset
False Creek
Before
After
Gritty Grunge Collection – Urban Grit Preset
Yellow Flowers
Before
After
Soft Grunge Collection – Crisp Morning Run Preset
Last Light on Saguaro
Before
After
Gritty Grunge Collection – City Soot Preset
Superstition Mountains
Before
After
Earthy Collection – Oceanside Glaze Preset
Two Lion Cubs
Before
After
Vintage Collection – Fairy Light Preset
Wildebeest Walking
Before
After
Gritty Grunge Collection – Urban Grit Preset
Cannon Beach
Before
After
Ethereal Collection – Breaking Through Preset
Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw
Before
After
Gritty Grunge Collection – Seeing Red Preset
Bisti Badlands
Before
After
Soft Grunge Collection – Skyscraping Mood Preset
Overall Impressions
I love it! Before Topaz Texture Effects, you had to create your own textures or find some on the internet, and then use layers and masking to apply them to your images. More often than not, the texture wouldn’t look so hot and needed a lot of adjustments. With Topaz Texture Effects, the textures have been hand crafted for this purpose.
There were a few photos I tried that didn’t work well with the presets. Those tended to be photos that already had a lot of detail to begin with, so adding texture didn’t contribute much to the image.
I found that the presets worked best on images that were flat, had clean skies, and not a lot of texture in them to start with. I’m not sure that I prefer the after version in all the examples, these are just the photos I used to play with the software initially.
The best way to find out if it works for you is to give it a try! Pick up a free trial version of Topaz Texture Effects and try it out yourself on some of your own images.
Update: The plugin is on sale until January 31, 2016! You can get $20 off using the coupon code EASYTEXTURE. That brings the price down to only $49.99.
Did you ever get the “The Headlands” in New Mexico.