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Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 - part 2 of 1 2

by Terry Hansen Published 01/04/2005

A couple that grabbed my attention. Feeling arty? How about cross processing C41 to E6 or if you prefer E6 to C41, all available at the touch of a button. One filter I found very useful is the Graduated Neutral Density - I bet you are thinking - landscape, darken the sky, handy to have. I found a great use for this in portraiture. Consider this scenario - a large family group, children in the front to adults at the back maybe four to five feet behind the children. So what happens? The children who tend to have paler skin are also receiving more light than the darker skinned adults at the back. The result a big difference in the density in the skin tones. This is where the Graduated Filter comes into its own. Using the slider controls, you can lighten the adults and darken the children, all with control of the transition point and the density in each part of the picture. If this picture was one of a set you can hold the setting and work through the rest of the set and repeat the manipulation quickly and efficiently, thus speeding your workflow.

Another of my favourites is the "Dynamic Skin Softener"- great for flattering your portrait subjects. Using an eyedropper tool, sample the skin and then soften it in a controlled manner without having to mask eyes, lips, mouth, etc.

"Black and White tonal enhancer" removes the need to open your image in Photoshop so you can view the image channels. The filters give control over the contrast method, brightness, contrast, and the colour spectrum.

Infrared is popular these days and we are offered two methods; infrared colour or infrared black and white. We can select infrared method, lighten highlights, brightness, and contrast. Result - instant "arty" effect.

I usually take a rather jaundiced view on software having been disappointed in the past but this Nik software is something else, you really do need to try it out.

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1st Published 01/04/2005
last update 09/12/2022 14:56:58

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