Thanks for the recommendations but they aren't much use to me without URLS for the web pages.
Lon Williamson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Here's a subjective short list. All are photoshop >plugs unless otherwise noted. I've used all of these, >and others as well. These are my pick: > >Color correction: >Pictographics EditLab (has memory colors for foliage, skin, sky) >Pictographics iCorrect (slightly fewer features than EditLab, and cheaper) >Digital Light&Color ColorMechanic: change some colors without changing others. > >iCorrect and ColorMechanic would form a very nice color >correction package. EditLab does a few things that iCorrect won't, but those >extras, for the most part, can be done with standard Photoshop adjustments. > > >Noise/Grain: >------------ >Absoft NeatImage (fiddly and slow but good) >Visual Infinity GrainSurgery (faster than NeatImage, not as good, but often good >enuff) > >If I had to own only one of these, I'd take Grain Surgery. >Reason: Speed and predictability. > >Sharpening: >----------- >Nik NikSharpener: A no-brainer, reasonably fast, use on a layer and adjust to taste. >Photo Wiz FocalBlade: For custom sharpening. Sees occasional use in my hands. >Fixer Labs FocusFixer: Slow, but very good at putting a slight edge on. > >The lastest rage in sharpening seems to be tri-fold: >a) slightly sharpen the scan. Focus Fixer can do this very well. >b) creative sharpening of selected regions: FocalBlade is well suited. >c) final sharpening once size, resolution, and output is known. Nik here. > >If I had to own only one of these, it would be Nik Sharpener. >Reason: Speed and predictability, aimed at final output. > >Ressing up: >----------- >Extensis SmartScale: Much faster than Genuine Fractals, seemingly as good. > Note: Luminous Landscape pans this plug. One of the complaints is that > it installs itself as a menu item. There's a reason for that. You can > run smartscale with no open image. Photoshop inactivates all items in the > filter menu with no opened files. >Genuine Fractals: Need to create a custom file first. > >If I had to own one of these, SmartScale would be the choice. Reason: >Speed, no separate file creation, requires less post-rez sharpening than >Photoshop Bicubic. > >Masking (composites, etc) >------------------------ >Extensis MaskPro >Corel Knockout >Human Software Automask >I've used these only once. I've built exactly two composite >images, both fireworks displays. Can't remember which of these I used >at the time. I'm not a composite kind of guy. Fashion and advertising >photographers seem to use such extraction masks a lot. > >Occasionally useful: >-------------------- >Applied Science Fiction SHO: shadow control >Applied Science Fiction ROC: Restoration of color. Hit or miss, but the hits are >nifty. >Nik ColorEfex: misc. enhancements aimed at photography. Filter simulations, etc. >AutoFx Autoeye: Occasionally does a better job of color correction than other things. > > >Worthless except to the graphics artist: >---------------------------------------- >Kai anything, Andromeda anything, AlienSkin anything, Flaming Pear anything. >Note that there's some cool stuff from these companies, and I have some of it, >but I don't keep such stuff installed. > >Many people say that you can do almost anything in photoshop. That >may be true, but often requires several steps, and therefore an >absensce of WYSIWYG. Good plugs are, imho, faster and more >intuitive. The only actions I run regularly are those I created for >dust and scratch mitigation or for contrast masking. > >My two cents. Sorry for the late response. I'm way behind in keeping >up with the list. > >-Lon > > >Mark Roberts wrote: >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >> >>>Does anyone think there'd be use for a page listing some more useful tools for >>>the digital darkroom, perhaps organized by freeware/shareware/buyem and by >>>application type? You know, stand alone apps, PS plug-ins, etc. >> >> >> I've got one up. Not a lot there yet but it's growing: >> http://www.robertstech.com/pixel/software.htm > -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
