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Anyone discovered a cheap, reputable place to buy this software from?
And is it suitable just for portraits or is it useful for landscapes as well?
And is it suitable just for portraits or is it useful for landscapes as well?
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Stephen
A camera takes a picture. A photographer makes a picture
Fuji X system, + Leica and Bronica film
My Flickr site -
John
"A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth of a second there � even if you put them end to end, they still only add up to one, two, perhaps three seconds, snatched from eternity." ~ Robert Doisneau
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Re: Silver FX Pro 2
That's a great effect - just what I'm looking to achieve. Thanks.Stephen
A camera takes a picture. A photographer makes a picture
Fuji X system, + Leica and Bronica film
My Flickr siteComment
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Re: Silver FX Pro 2
Consider that there is some criticism being aimed at the use of such post processing by eminent publishers (National Geographic being the most critical)
While its B&W conversion is good, there is so much more that it can do that it's so easy to get drawn into the whole HDR/Tonemap look.
Graham
We often repeat the mistakes we most enjoy...Comment
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Re: Silver FX Pro 2
I don't think that's the only thing preventing me from being published in National Geographic!Originally posted by Graham_of_Rainham View PostConsider that there is some criticism being aimed at the use of such post processing by eminent publishers (National Geographic being the most critical)
While its B&W conversion is good, there is so much more that it can do that it's so easy to get drawn into the whole HDR/Tonemap look.
But I'll take the hint and tone it down a bit next time.
John
"A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth of a second there � even if you put them end to end, they still only add up to one, two, perhaps three seconds, snatched from eternity." ~ Robert Doisneau
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Re: Silver FX Pro 2
Stephen it was free with my last Corel upgrade
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I Lurve Walking in our Glorious Countryside; Photography;
Riding Ducati Motorbikes; Reading & Cooking ! ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photomagicf1_chevvy/sets/
the ONE photo albumComment
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Re: Silver FX Pro 2
Awesome which preset did you use for that please as ive got the Nik Complete collection
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Re: Silver FX Pro 2
The presets in Silver Efex are great and I am finding them marvellous in helping me achieve the "look" I want. However, I don't find them consistant, as in what seems to work well for one picture doesn't necessarily work with another, even quite similar, image. So I do a bit of trial and error, clicking on a selection of different presets that look like they might do the job, until I find the closest to the effect I want. Even then, I often make small adjustments to structure, brightness and contrast.Originally posted by Rooky007 View PostAwesome which preset did you use for that please as ive got the Nik Complete collection
Increasingly I'm finding it better to select a film type rather than a preset, once again through trial and error, then making the adjustments mentioned above. The truth is, I cannot remember whether it was a preset or film type I used, or whatever extra adjustments I might have made. I could have noted them down but it probably wouldn't have helped me much with my next picture.
Over time I should get a feel for the software and get the result I want more instinctively and with less trial and error. At the moment I'm still very much a beginner with this software and one thing I do need to take on board is not to over-process. I think my picture shows that Silver Efex can be great for landscapes; it's dramatic and it has great impact. But look at it in more detail after the initial impression has worn off. Graham made subtle reference to the processing, and he is much, much more accomplished at B&W than I am. Look at the furthest three wooden posts in particular, where their outline meets the sky. Is that a bit of haloing I can see? Maybe it's not too obvious except to a critical viewer, but usually it's a sure sign of overprocessing. It's one which definitely needs re-visiting once I have a little more experience of the program.
So my advice is to experiment with presets, film types and brightness, contrast and structure to get a feel for what suits your images. By all means go for the dramatic look but be careful not to over-process. If anyone with greater experience of Silver Efex wants to jump in with other advice I would be grateful myself.
John
"A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth of a second there � even if you put them end to end, they still only add up to one, two, perhaps three seconds, snatched from eternity." ~ Robert Doisneau
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Re: Silver FX Pro 2
I use Silver EFex Pro on a regular basis and I agree with John that you need to treat each photo on it's own. No one preset works on every shot. My method is to give each photo the minimum amount of processing and use EFex Pro for final adjustment. If you look at the colour shot you can see a small amount of haloing around the first and second posts, EFex Pro tends to exaggerate this. It's a bit like sharpening a picture as the first thing you do and not the last.
As John suggests, experiment to find the effect you want but be careful not to over process.Regards - PaulComment
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