We all have images that are good but lacking a little punch. It happens to me all the time; I’ll see an image and think, “This needs something to ramp it up a little.” It is then that I turn to my digital friends, the plug-in programs! These programs can help you, just as they have often helped me with images. Remember, plug-ins won’t always work wonders, but sometimes, if an image has good bones, you would be amazed at how a plug-in can improve it.
What are plug-ins you ask? They are standalone editing programs that can be added to Photoshop and Lightroom. Examples of these are Nik, Topaz, Flaming Pear, Portrait Pro and quite a few others. You don’t need all of them, and you don’t need to get everything in these suites..
These are my favorites:
Nik Color Efex pro
Topaz Adjust 5
Nik Silver Efex pro
These are my primary adjustment programs in addition to Camera Raw and PS 6. When downloaded, these programs are installed in the filters folder of CS6 and are accessible through your filter drop down menu.
The images attached illustrate the capabilities of a few of them.
It is important to remember one thing: if a picture sucks, no filter in the world can save it: delete it. Delete all the junk on your drives…I do it all the time.
PSRI competition angst