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This is the blog for More Than A Snapshot's Online Photography Classes. In these blog posts I will give photography tips, tutorials, and show images.

Filtering by Tag: image editing plugin

Topaz AI Workflow

February 08, 2021Gary Detonnancourt

Topaz has many impressive plugins that can be used with a variety of image editing programs or all on their own. In this blog post, I will discuss some of my favorite Topaz plugins and share my preferred workflows.

To get started let’s take a look at the plugins:

Adjust AI - This plugin is a raw editor like Lightroom. It works well but doesn’t compete well with other programs on the market.
Studio 2 - has many image editing filters so it could be used instead of Lightroom but it also has a huge number of creative filters. This is an excellent plugin.
DeNoise AI - as the name suggests this plugin removes noise and can sharpen images and it does a fantastic job.
Gigapixel AI - this plugin is great for enlarging small files and it does an excellent job.
JPEG to Raw AI - converts jpeg images to raw files. The raw files are not as good as a real raw file but it’s close so this plugin is useful in certain situations. I usually use it to convert phone images to raw files.
Mask AI - this plugin allows you to select subjects and create masks so you can make local adjustments or create composites. This plugin has been improving but I think Photoshop does a much better job.
Sharpen AI - sharpens images but more importantly, it can actually help fix images that are slightly out of focus due to motion blur or focus. This is another excellent plugin.
Video Enhance AI - enhances and upscales video. I don’t have any experience with this plugin so I can’t give you my opinion yet.

These plugins can be purchased individually or in bundles here. Use the coupon code “snapshot” for 15% off. Scroll to the bottom of my home page and join my mailing list to stay up to date with many of today’s top image editing applications and plugins.

These plugins can be used on their own or with other programs like Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar, On1, etc… Here I will show you how to add them to the edit in menu in Lightroom.

Workflow

Most of these plugins are very easy to use, however, the workflow and the functions of the tools can be tricky to understand and that’s what I will focus on in this section. My workflow involves round-tripping from Lightroom to Photoshop, then to a plugin, and back again, but you can use other editors instead.

Featured

30 High-Quality Images for Sky Replacements

$19.99

30 High-Quality Images for Sky Replacements in Photoshop or Luminar AI. Check the description below for information about how to use these skies to do sky replacements.

Copy of Copy of The Sky is the Limit with Luminar 4.gif

400+ White Smoke Overlays for Photo Effects and Textures

$19.99

This is a digital product with over 400 high-resolution smoke images in JPG format. They can be used in any image editing program that uses blend modes on layers, such as Photoshop.

Easy to Follow Instructions:
You will need to know the basics of Adobe Photoshop and know how to use layers. If you don’t have these skills please check out my Photoshop course.

You can show or hide layers, Rotate or flip, resize, or change the transparency. Use the eraser on your overlay layer (or mask and brush) to clean something. You can mix & match additional overlays to achieve a unique result.

JPEG format:
1. Place the smoke layer over your photo and set the layer blend mode to SCREEN (after that black background will be invisible).
2. Use the eraser on your overlay layer (or mask and brush) to clean some parts etc.
3. You can mix & match additional overlays to achieve a unique result.
4. Save your photo and finish the work。

sale

More Than A Snapshot: A Digital Photography Workbook

$9.99 $19.99

More Than A Snapshot will be your guide to becoming a better photographer. It can do this because it provides you with 28 comprehensive lessons on how to control your digital SLR. Even more important the lessons require you to go out and make images. Practice really does make perfect and this book will give you the guidance and motivation you will need to succeed.

91 Pages

White Balance Business Card

$9.99

The white balance business card is a small portable grey card that can be used in a pinch for setting a custom white balance in camera or in software. Keep one in your wallet and one in your camera bag and never be without a grey card.

You will recieve 5 cards.

26 Black & White Lightroom Presets

$19.99

This digital download includes a zip file with 26 Black & White Lightroom Presets that can be used in the Develop Module of Lightroom Classic or Lightroom CC.

35 Edgy Street Photography Presets

$19.99

These Lightroom presets have been specially created to work with street photos, travel photos, and night photos. They tend to have a lot of punch and will take your images to the next level. Remember you always have the amount slider to increase or reduce their effect.

categories Lightroom, Topaz
tags Lightroom classic, topaz ai, edit in, plugin, image editing plugin

Topaz Releases a New Version of their Image Editing Software: Studio 2

July 25, 2019Gary Detonnancourt

Click here for more information or to order Studio. Use the coupon code “Snapshot” at checkout for 15% off.

https://topazlabs.com/studio/ref/111/?campaign=Studo2Release

Check out some of the images below, that were created during the making of this video.

categories Topaz, Studio
tags Topaz, Studio 2, image eding, image editing plugin, software, update, version 2

Best Noise Removal Software for Still Images 2018

November 12, 2018Gary Detonnancourt

Programs tested:

1. Topaz Ai Clear https://topazlabs.com/ai-clear/ref/11...

Use the coupon code "SNAPSHOT" for 15% anything in the Topaz shopping cart.

2. Nik Dfine 2 https://nikcollection.dxo.com/

3. Adobe Lightroom https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/p...

4. Luminar https://macphun.evyy.net/c/1229070/18... Use coupon code "SNAPSHOT" for $10 off.

5. On1 2017 https://www.on1.com/products/photo-raw/

Below you can view the processed images from the test in the video.

Adobe Lightroom

Lightroom 100%

AI Clear

AI Clear 100%

Luminar

Luminar 100%

Nik Dfine 2

Dfine 2 100%

ON1 2017

ON1 2017 100%

categories Image Editing
tags best noise removal software, still images, image editing plugin, best noise removal plugin, Topaz AI Clear, Luinar, Nik Dfine 2, Lightroom, ON1 2017, test, compariesion, compare

Luminar Libraries & AI Sky Enhancer are Coming!

October 21, 2018Gary Detonnancourt

Luminar is an image editing program made by Skylum. It is easy to use and quite powerful and could possibly be used instead of Adobe’s Lightroom. Why consider using Luminar, because it’s much cheaper than Lightroom and Photoshop. The main drawback to switching to Luminar has been that there was no way to organize and rate your images. This is all about to change in December of 2018 when Skylum plans to add a Library tool to Luminar and it will be a free update for anyone that owns Luminar 2018. Use my Coupon Code “SNAPSHOT” to get $10 Off.

That’s not all, on November 1st, there will be an update to Luminar 2018 that adds AI Sky Enhancer. This filter was created for photographers who would rather focus on creating photos, and have neither the time or inclination to spend hours correcting their images.

By moving a single slider you can add depth, definition, and detail to the sky without exposing unwanted artifacts or affecting any other aspect of the image.

No one wants boring skies in their photos, and restoring and improving the sky is one of the most important things while creating a masterpiece. We’ve done our best to make this process as simple as it can be - the new AI Sky Enhancer creates no halos, automatically detects the edges of the sky and recognizes the sky even inside other objects such as bridges.

Please click here to see all of the details and examples of these updates.