Topaz B&W Effects

[Antonio Correia]

Anyone using Topaz Black and White plug in ?
I have Nik's which is quite good returning good results. I have done some great images with it.
But when I use High Structure for example I always have some hallos around the person as you can see here which in fact I tried to disguise with a mask.
Perhaps they are very similar...

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Anyone using Topaz Black and White plug in ?

Hi Antonio,

Yes, I do (although sparingly because I'm mostly a Color/Colour shooter, and I dream in Color). Only when color distracts, will I consider a Black and White version (although it usually requires shooting different subjects to begin with).

I have Nik's which is quite good returning good results. I have done some great images with it.
But when I use High Structure for example I always have some hallos around the person as you can see here which in fact I tried to disguise with a mask.

There is probably a lot of similarity. However, halos do not seem to be as prominent (if at all present) with the Topaz plugins. I like the Quad toning (see, I prefer at least some color) capabilities of the Topaz plugin, and the Adaptive Exposure can do miracles with an image.

Cheers,
Bart

 

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you Bart
I have been using Nik's but I am never quiet...
I have to try a method I saw in a Luminous Landscape video last month by Jeff Schewe and Michael Reichmann.

 

[James Lemon]

Beautiful image Antonio! I don't see any halo,but I do use the Nik siver efex and have experienced the halo problem in a couple of images. It was apparent in a number of presets not just the high structure. I don't know what caused the problem and have never used topaz . Sorry I could'nt be of more help.

 

[Chris Calohan II]

I use CS6's B&W adjustment layer often prior to using the NIK software. In this, I am able to control the luminance or color intensity of each color and combined with NIK, I can use a layer mask to make better blends between the two. When I do use the NIK software, it is almost always with the brush feature and I use multiple passes so I can squeeze every pixel to it's best use. In my recent Day Lily conversion, I used five different presets to create texture, grain, tonality and sharpness.

 

[Antonio Correia]

Beautiful image Antonio! I don't see any halo,but I do use the Nik siver efex and have experienced the halo problem in a couple of images. It was apparent in a number of presets not just the high structure. I don't know what caused the problem and have never used topaz . Sorry I could'nt be of more help.

Thank you James

 

[Antonio Correia]

I use CS6's B&W adjustment layer often prior to using the NIK software. In this, I am able to control the luminance or color intensity of each color and combined with NIK, I can use a layer mask to make better blends between the two. When I do use the NIK software, it is almost always with the brush feature and I use multiple passes so I can squeeze every pixel to it's best use. In my recent Day Lily conversion, I used five different presets to create texture, grain, tonality and sharpness.

In my last images - the flowers posted somewhere - I used another method.
I converted the image in LR playing with the sliders on colours. Then I made the necessary adjustments under Aperture, Clarity and so forth.
I opened in CS5 and apply a new layer in Overlay blending mode. With the blush and white selected I lightened the areas I wanted and darkened others with black selected.
This makes me remember the times when I was drawing in charcoal and at the end we were to open the lights and daken the shadows.
Something like Dave usually does with great results indeed.
Can you understand the quick image herewith ?
Cheers Chris

​

 

[Chris Calohan II]

This is very similar in theory to what David Byrnes accomplishes with exposure layers. I use the method which best fits the subject. I am going to ask a member of another forum for permission to post an edit I did on one of his images using the method I described above, then using a layer blend set for luminosity...I think the results were quite stunning.

 

[Antonio Correia]

Sure. Go ahead and show us
I forgot to mention that the grey layer is a

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I use CS6's B&W adjustment layer often prior to using the NIK software. In this, I am able to control the luminance or color intensity of each color and combined with NIK, I can use a layer mask to make better blends between the two. When I do use the NIK software, it is almost always with the brush feature and I use multiple passes so I can squeeze every pixel to it's best use. In my recent Day Lily conversion, I used five different presets to create texture, grain, tonality and sharpness.

Hi Chris and Antonio,

I'm not too familiar with the Nik plugin, but I believe it does offer a few 'color filter' settings to prevent having to do it in Photoshop, but I understand that it doesn't offer as much control as Photoshop does..

The Topaz Labs B&W Effects plug in also offers those color filters as a quick start, but also has a Color Filter control that offers the possibility to select any intermediate hue and adjust the strength in either the positive and negative direction. In addition, it allows to change the underlying color balance for the grayscale conversion in the six main hue angles, up or down in tonality.

That all ties in with e.g. its Adaptive Exposure correction control. So it's more of a one-stop shopping experience, which really boosts productivity, while offering lots of control. It also offers adjustable edge-aware dodging and/or burning and/or separate detail and smoothing controls. These seem even more powerful/accurate than Nik's U-point technology.

Cheers,
Bart

 

[Antonio Correia]

Well Bart... it is a bit as you say.

Nik is fine and gives controls all over and allows some (many) presets all available within CS.

I think that what we have inside Nik's or any other app/plug-in: it is all inside CS itself.

Lately I have been just working and trying with LR and CS.

LR returns nice and beautiful B&W images even with lots of refinements/fine tunes.

We all are subjected to publicity and sometimes we follow the trend ...

 

[Chris Calohan II]

These images are courtesy of Nick Johnson from another forum. He was gracious enough to allow me to post these.

The first image is Nick's original image as posted. I liked it as is just fine but I was recently adding to my self challenge to find different ways to use both NIK and CS6 software, so I had a play with his image.

In this image I first applied a series of B&W adjustments via CS6, though mostly the red and yellow filters. Next, I took the image into NIK SEP2 and using differing sets of brush actions from differing presets, I added grain, structure, tonality, etc., until I had a pretty harsh (contrasty) but to me, artsy "retreatment" of his original.

This next step was in mind throughout the process: I copied and pasted the B&W conversion over Nick's original and changed the blend mode to luminosity. Viola!

"Chocolate Rocks"

 

[Antonio Correia]

But Chris, aren't you spending to much time and work over one single image ?
Let me clarify however: One may spend how much time one wants over a photograph with certain results in mind (or not, just letting you guide through your eyes and feelings).
Why to jump from one software to another ?
Why not just concentrate in just one or two ?
Perhaps I am speaking against myself, but that doesn't matter.
Maybe I am wrong working with two or 3 software programs.
It is more logical - again I speak against myself - to use say, 2 and master them at 90 %...

Oh well, just some sily thoughts...
Nice images BTW. I like the original !

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Well Bart... it is a bit as you say.

Nik is fine and gives controls all over and allows some (many) presets all available within CS.

I think that what we have inside Nik's or any other app/plug-in: it is all inside CS itself.

Lately I have been just working and trying with LR and CS.

LR returns nice and beautiful B&W images even with lots of refinements/fine tunes.

We all are subjected to publicity and sometimes we follow the trend ...

Hi Antonio,

While true, because we can do most of it in Photoshop (as long as we can afford it) alone, but these plugins are also a productivity booster. It becomes much quicker to achieve the anticipated result because of the dedicated instruments used in concert. In addition, some plugins allow to do things that are almost impossible to achieve in Photoshop.

Cheers,
Bart

 

[Antonio Correia]

Hi Antonio, While true, because we can do most of it in Photoshop (as long as we can afford it) alone, but these plugins are also a productivity booster. It becomes much quicker to achieve the anticipated result because of the dedicated instruments used in concert. In addition, some plugins allow to do things that are almost impossible to achieve in Photoshop. Cheers, Bart

If indeed we can achieve much quicker the results we expect, they are also conditioning... because they present us with ready-made results some quite pleasant indeed. Like I usually say: We can't have everything in life can we ?

But if we are talking about Art (with capital) time is not that important.

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

If indeed we can achieve much quicker the results we expect, they are also conditioning... because they present us with ready-made results some quite pleasant indeed.

True, but I'm not talking about (one's own) presets alone. The interactivity of the real-time preview updates is as much part of the creative process as the adjustments themselves! I usually have a desired effect in mind even before even starting the plugin. The Raw conversion in color may be fine, but tonality in B&W may work out quite different from what we had in mind.

Especially the possibility to combine the various tools in a single activity, and after iteratively tweaking the various parameters arriving at a sometimes better solution than possible when doing things in isolated steps which may also depend on the order of executing them. It takes a lot of guesswork (which is not the same as creativity) out of the process.

I'm fortunate enough to have shot a lot on B&W film intended to be printed directly on paper, before the digital options were available. So I have a pretty good idea about what a yellow or orange filter does for landscapes on a sensor with panchromatic sensitivity, or a green filter to put a bit of tan on the skin of a portrait subject (and it 'enhanced' freckles). But nothing beats the capability to finely balance the effects, and even combine several filters at the same time (e.g. darken the blue of a sky and darken orange tones).

Like I usually say: We can't have everything in life can we ?

Well, with plugins we can come pretty close though ..., speaking of image quality and speed.

But if we are talking about Art (with capital) time is not that important.

Maybe, but don't make the mistake that it's better Art because it was harder to achieve. Art is more about the vision of the photographer, and how he 'used' his subject matter to achieve the result.

Art is more about inspiration than perspiration. But that's a subject for another thread ...

Cheers,
Bart