Color Plugins/Presets for Photoshop or Lightroom.

<p>I'm looking for suggestions or opinions. I keep seeing work that trumps mine color wise and I don't think everyone is simply adjusting their photos manually for the entire edit. Maybe I need to work at it more and thats a fine answer. In particular peoples skin tones in relation to the rest of the photo. I've seen DXO Labs, NIK software or Topaz Labs to name a few. What is everyone using and when and why do you apply them? To me it seems like the plugins are simply adjusting settings I already have available to me, in particular in Lightroom. Anyway I want to buy something that will help me produce different color effects more reliably and higher quality. I'm leaning towards Topaz adjust.</p>

 

<p>Topaz's plugins cover a different range of effects than NIK's Color Efx Pro package. Give us some links to images with efx that you like, and the folks in this forum will likely be able to steer you in the best direction. FWIW, I have owned both of the above plug-in packages for at least 2 or 3 years and use both regularly, albeit for different types of image modifications. For purely color effects (but not yet knowing your preferences), I would recommend CEP of the Topaz efx.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

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<p>In particular peoples skin tones in relation to the rest of the photo. I've seen DXO Labs, NIK software or Topaz Labs to name a few. </p>

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<p>Do they really do anything other than ‘special effects’ that target skin? Could it be the calibration of your display or how you capture your images? I don’t really believe you need 3rd party products to produce good rendering of skin. You capturing raw? </p>

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<p>To me it seems like the plugins are simply adjusting settings I already have available to me.</p>

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<p>What ALL are doing is rendering out the image and applying some effects, NOT altering the raw data (they can’t, the Develop engine in LR/ACR isn’t open to any 3rd party products). That means IF you are capturing raw data, you’re drawing a line in the sand when using such products and rendering out the raw and the raw processing is now over and done. Not ideal. </p>

<p>I have found the tools in LR – especially the brush – so versatile, that I can pretty much achieve everything I want. A few moths ago I demonstrated LR to a long-time NIK user and he immediately ordered LR.</p>

<p>For the reason Andrew mentioned, I don't consider these misleadingly labelled 'plugins' a worthwhile option.</p>

<p>All points well appreciated.</p>

<p>BTW I am running on a calibrated display with a Spyder3Pro and do start with RAW images. Topaz CEP seems to have been renamed or replaced. I'm guessing its called Topaz "adjust" and thats what I'm leaning towards.</p>

<p>Here is an example from photo.net (and yes, duhhh, I'll just message Melisa and ask). She does a great job of managing skin tones, but also making subtle alterations to the overall color space. It seems to be more than just exposure, focus and white balance.<br>

http://www.photo.net/photo/14037027 (Melisa Papaj)</p>

 

<p>Stephen, CEP is by NIK ( http://www.niksoftware.com/colorefexpro/usa/index.php?view=intro%2Fmain.shtml ), NOT by Topaz. </p>

<p>It's not a hard division, but as I said in my previous post, IMO, CEP is more oriented towards color effects than Topaz Adjust, which is more oriented towards tonality adjustments (eg, global and local contrast adjustments). I use both every day. </p>

<p>Both NIK and Topaz have other plugins besides CEP and "Adjust", but those are my favorites from each of their shops. </p>

<p>That being said, as others have already pointed out, it's not clear to us if you want these plugins to produce better / more realistic skin tones, or if you want them to produce obvious, non-subtle effects like cross processing, bleach bypass, tinting, etc.. The former can easily be done without either CEP or "Adjust".</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

<p>I am more interested in more realistic skin tones that survive other adjustments like bringing up contrast and making the rest of the photos pop. I am less interest in the later of non-subtle effects. My goal is to make it hard to tell that I did anything, while doing something. ;-) I know vague... I'll at least give adjust a trial run. Thank you for the help.</p>

<p>Hi Stephen - From your description, yes, Topaz Adjust would be the more appropriate of the two plugins, but many people do very well getting similar looks using only the native tools built in to Photoshop, and even just from LR/ACR, if the adjustments required are not as extensive. </p>

<p>Are you sure you are getting the most out of PS? In your 1st post, you said, <em>"Maybe I need to work at it more and thats a fine answer."</em> To help answer this, would you consider posting an example of an image that you shot, and show it both before your PP and after your post processing. It might not be just processing or special efx -- the deficit you feel may very well arise from lighting or some other cause.</p>

<p>HTH,</p>

<p>Tom M</p>