![]() ![]() And while high ISO noise can add graininess or texture, true film grain is different. I’ve heard the complaint that digital black and whites tend to be too clean and lacks the character of real film based photographs. I find the concept of Film Grain really interesting in the world of digital. NYC Subway, 81st Street Station – New York, New York It has a lot of presets to get you started but has the power to adjust and fine-tune all the details. The Topaz plug-in is fun, quick and easy. Of course unlike a typical iPhone App, the effects all revolve around black and white or monochrome and you get to apply these to high-resolution photographs. In a way, it feels like an iPhone Camera application where you can apply post-processing effects to your camera photos. You can easily change preset or fine-tune the sliders. Because the processing occurs so quickly, the plug-in encourages experimentation. Also under Finishing Touches I’ve applied Film Grain texture to the photo. Under Conversion, Basic Exposure section, I’ve adjusted the Brightness, Boost Blacks and Boot White sliders. There are two custom configurations that I’ve used on the right side. I’ll need more time to explore the other fun options but I’ve been happy with just the Classic preset. With a few clicks and under 30 seconds, I was done. While there are many options and much flexibility, I found it really easy to get the black and white look I was looking for. In total there are around 200 presets to choose from. You can get brownish, greenish, bluish or multi-toned effects or any other colored effects that you like. The other collections such as Toned, Stylized and Cyanotype mainly offer different monochrome tones. Notice in the screen shot I have the Finishing Touches section open and the available options are displayed in blue.Īll of the photographs on this post were created with the Classic preset under the Traditional Collection. Each of the 4 sections can be opened up to expose all the options. The four collections of controls on the right size, 1 Conversion, 2 Creative Effects, 3 Local Adjustments and 4 Finishing Touches allows fine tuning of any of the controls. When you select a preset, it displays in the main, center window, quite quickly, usually in about a second or two. As you hover over each preset, the small preview window on the top left corner dynamically updates to show the effect. Below that, under Presets, you can choose the desired effect. On the left side, under Effects, there is a collection of presets. ![]() As you can see below, you get one window with several panes around the periphery. ![]() Access this by selecting the Filter Menu, Topaz Labs > Topaz B&W Effects… Regardless of the way the plug-in launched the B&W Effects interface looks the same. I have also tried it via Photoshop Elements. To use it directly through Aperture 3, go to the Photos menu and select Edit with Plug-in > Topaz Fusion Express 2… You can select B&W Effects in a small pop-up window. Working with B&W Effects couldn’t be easier. The B&W plugin works directly through Aperture 3 with the free Topaz Labs Fusion product or it can be used through Adobe’s Lightroom or Photoshop. Topaz also offers a 30 day free trial so I had nothing to lose. Since it was just introduced they had 50% off the regular $60 price. However, when Topaz Labs released their B&W Effects plugin, I decided to give it a try. I’ve done my black in white conversions directly in Apple’s Aperture 3 program and been satisfied with the results. The lack of color, simplifies the photo and brings the basic elements to life. I like the artistic effect of black and white and I think it works especially well when I want to emphasize texture or shape in an image. Look through my daily photo postings at mostlyfotos and you know I add a black and white photograph to my daily photoblog once in a while. Tunnel, Grand Central Station – New York, New York ![]()
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