My friends over at Topaz Labs have done it again with the latest release of Topaz Impression, their plugin for adding artistic effects to photos. I didn't get a chance to review this product the first time around, so I was delighted to be able to check it out this time and play with all the presets on some of my photos. I had a blast seeing what kinds of effects looked good … [Read more...]
Noise Reduction with Topaz DeNoise
From February 24 to March 20, 2016, Topaz Labs has a great deal on their noise reduction plugin, Topaz DeNoise. So, I thought this would be a good time to share a bit of information about what noise is and how I get rid of it. (Spoiler alert: I use Topaz DeNoise!) Causes of Noise One of the biggest advantages of digital photography, as opposed to film, is that you can … [Read more...]
Topaz Texture Effects Review
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 … [Read more...]
Dramatic Contrast with Topaz Adjust
Topaz Adjust is the Photoshop plugin that I always recommend to people who don't own any plugins yet because it has the most variation in styles and the most versatility. You can use it to add all sorts of effects to your photos. Everything from colour toning, creating dramatic contrast and clarity, making your photo look like an HDR image, or even a painting! There … [Read more...]
Get More Than Black and White with Topaz B&W Effects
One of my favourite plugins, Topaz B&W Effects, is on sale this month, so I thought you might like to see some examples of photos I have made with it. Not only does it do regular black and white conversions, like this classic example, but it does lots of other nifty things too - things using colour, which you wouldn't expect from a plugin called Black and White … [Read more...]
Topaz Clarity Loves Me Back!
My friends over at Topaz Labs have chosen one of my images to show off my favourite plugin: Topaz Clarity! Now on the Topaz Labs home page you can see before and after versions of my image Southwest Blue. I absolutely love the subtle and natural look you get by using Topaz Clarity to adjust colours and contrast in an image, so I was delighted when they asked to use … [Read more...]
Sony NEX 6 Digital Camera Review
If you're still asking yourself whether or not you should go mirrorless, check out last week's post to find out why this trend is here to stay and if it's the right answer for you. The fact is that today you can wield as much creative control with a mirrorless camera as you can with a DSLR, in a smaller package and at a smaller price. So the question becomes which one? … [Read more...]
Mirrorless Cameras – The Answer to our Woes?
If you've been following technology advances in camera equipment, I'm sure you've been hearing a lot of buzz about the new mirrorless cameras. But are they really the answer? The first mirrorless digital camera was introduced in 2004, but they've really only come into their own in the last couple of years. With the recent success of the Sony NEX, Olympus PEN and … [Read more...]