ADDING A CREATIVE TOUCH IN TOPAZ IMPRESSION 2
Since I am a big fan of Topaz products and Impression 2 is one of my favorite plug-ins, I had to share this effect I learned from a Topaz Labs webinar this week. An artist named Bobbie Goodrich presented a webinar called RAW to Envisioned (will add link once it is posted). She used a leopard in a tree image to create a similar effect to the one above. My image was taken of a Hobby Lobby’s Thanksgiving display showing some of their wonderful objects for sale. I might add Bobbie had several other great tips, this one just stood out to me as so creative!
Here is how Topaz (see sidebar at my Tidbits Blog for website link) Impression was used to create this image. The other post-processing steps are listed at the end of the blog under Image 1 Info. On a Stamped layer (CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+E), Topaz Impression 2 was opened. The preset named Le Modern was downloaded from the Community and Bobbie’s settings were then applied as listed: Stroke Section – No. of Brush Strokes Low, Paint Volume 1.00, Stroke Rotation 1.00, Rotation Variation 1.00, Stroke Color Variation 1.00, Stroke Width 0.80, Stroke Length 1.00, Spill 0.03, and Smudge 0.12. What really helps create the effect is the Coverage slider – set to a low amount like 0.01, it will show the smallest amount of image; set to a large amount, the whole image will appear. The Coverage Transition slider adjusts the way the edges blend out. Bobbie used a Coverage of 0.01 and a Transition Amount of 0.08. The Coverage can be repositioned to adjust exactly where the effect shows up by either using the little center icon to the left of the Coverage Center or dragging the white dot in the box. She did not include any changes to the Lighting, Color and Texture sections. I used these settings to make a preset named SJ Leopard Preset by Bobbie Goodrich so I could remember how I use it. She apparently is going to upload her actual preset to the Topaz Impression2 Community, but it was not available when I last checked – will add link if I find it. Otherwise the settings above are from the webinar and are a good starting point.
Now these are the changes I made to the created preset above on the holiday image: Stroke Coverage 0.00, Coverage Transition 0.14, Coverage Center X 0.09/Y 0.03; Lighting Brightness -0.55, Contrast 0.00, Highlight -0.56, Shadow 0.80 and Light Position X -0.90/Y 0.77, Vignette 0.53, Vignette Strength 0.76, Vignette Transition 0.52, Vignette Roundness 0, and Vignette Center x 0.00/y 0.00. The Masking was set to Spot Transition 1.00 and Color Aware 0.71. At the bottom of the panel the Opacity was set to 1.00 Opacity and Lighter Color Blend Mode. The Masking section can be crucial as to how the effect fits into the image. Also the Vignette color can be adjusted to get some nice additional effect on the image.
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This image of Holyrood Abbey illustrates more of the artistic feel I think Bobbie was going after. This time the Color section was also used with the above preset and the reds and yellows were adjusted. Also the Lighting section was used to add Brightness, Contrast and a white Vignette. Definitely need to play around with these settings as they can make a big difference in how the final effect looks. The vignette adds to the white space around the image (these settings were used: Vignette 0.71, Vignette Strength 1.00, Vignette Transition 0.72, Vignette Roundness 0.66 and white color). For more image info, check Image 2 Info below. Once you get to this point, it is time to go into the Mask section – and once again I used the Spot Tool. Bobbie used the Luminosity and Brush tabs in her examples, but for this technique, I prefer the Spot Tool (which I could never find a good use for before, so this is nice). The screen capture below shows what the mask looks like – by moving the Edge Aware slider to the right, a more precise selection appears. Adjust the circle into an oval to make the selection fit the image properly.
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Another example of using the same Topaz Impression2 preset, this time turning the result into a black and white. This image was taken at the Jacksonville Zoo where these beautiful lions were resting in the sun on a Spring day. This time Topaz Glow2 was used to get a nice lighting effect-used Blake Rudis’s Animal preset. On a stamped layer, Topaz Impression 2 was opened and the same SJ Leopard Preset by Bobbie Goodrich was used with these setting changes: Spill -0.61, Smudge 0.12, Coverage 0, Coverage Transition 0.03, Coverage Center X-0.25/Y0.26; Color Red Hue 0.03 and Sat -1.00; Lighting Brightness -0.21, Contrast 0.12, Highlight 0.52, and Shadow 0.67; and Masking Spot Transition 0.87 and Color Aware 0.65 – centered just on the faces. For more info on image, check out Image 3 Info below.
This effect was a lot of fun to do – give it a try if you want a pretty card or gift label. You definitely have to experiment with the Coverage sliders, Vignette sliders and the Masking tabs to get different looks. Changing the Stroke number from Low to Med or High gives very different looks. Even if the colors do not look just right, they can be adjusted back in PS with the Color Balance or Selective Color Adjustments Layers. I want to try some further experimentation with it, but this is definitely an effect I like. Until next week, have a good one!…..Digital Lady Syd
IMAGE 1 INFO: This image was actually taken with my Android – just did the normal Basic Panel adjustments in Lightroom. In Photoshop it took a lot of clone stamping to get rid of the price tags. Luckily they were all pretty small. On a stamped layer on top (CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+E) Lucis Pro (no longer available) was used to sharpen the overall image (any sharpening filter could be used, it just needed some sharpening at this point). On a duplicate layer, Topaz (see sidebar at my Tidbits blog for website link) ReStyle was used to get a nice color palette – used Ash Gray and Eggshell preset with minor changes. On another duplicate layer, Topaz Glow was opened and My Bliss preset was downloaded from the Community – while in the plug-in, the preset was set to Multiply blend mode at 50% opacity. On another stamped layer, the Topaz Impression 2 preset from above was applied. Last step was to add a little Nik Viveza 2 to the image to really sharpen up the focal point.
IMAGE 2 INFO: Topaz Adjust was used to add contrast to the overall image using the Adaptive Exposure and Adaptive Regions sliders. On a stamped layer Topaz Clarity was used to add contrast (check out Topaz Labs webinar Creative Essentials with Topaz Plug-ins Plus the Official Introduction to Glow 2 by Joel Wolfson for more info on this.) Then Topaz Impression 2 was applied with the above info on a stamped layer. Back in PS, the image was cropped to balance the image. Nik Viveza 2 was used to adjust the focal point. Since I was not quite happy with the color effect, a Color Balance Adjustment Layer was used to add a little blue to the shadows and yellow to the highlights.
IMAGE 3 INFO: After adding Topaz Glow 2 and Impression 2, a stamped layer was created and Nik Silver Efex Pro2 was opened and the Fine Art (High Key) preset was applied. On another stamped layer, believe it or not, Topaz Black & White Effects’s Tone II was applied with the Red filter chosen and Transparency set to 0.28. It was set to 52% layer opacity. Two Exposure Adjustment Layers were added for the female eyes and nose. Topaz Texture Effects 2 was opened and the Soft Grunge Mauve Fog – Basic Adjustment Brightness 0.29, Shadow 0.18, Highlight -0.22, Clarity 0, Sat -0.20, Temp 0.08, Tint -0.02 and Enable Masking-Mask Luminosity 0.45 and Range 0.75; Texture Brightness -0.12, Contrast 0.26, Detail 0.45, Sat 0.37, Color Strength 0.36, and Color 0.28; Color Overlay #71595c (R113/G89/B92), 0.39 Opacity, and Soft Light blend mode; and Masking section painted just a little back to the face using a Strength of 0.34.
HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH SOME TOPAZ TRICKS!
Looks like I am back up and running with my new computer and Windows 10. Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday and a very Happy New Year. Since I have not had a lot of time to come up with new tips, I am presenting a couple images that I used to see how my programs were working on the new set up.
The image above is one taken at Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle a while ago. What I really liked is how the colors “popped” with Topaz (see sidebar at my Tidbits Blog for website link) Glow. I keep forgetting how nice an effect this filter will give. Need to take a few minutes and try making a few of your own presets. Most of my presets look terrible at Normal blend mode, so do not let that stop you – the blend mode must almost always be changed. I tend to start with Soft Light, which is what this image used. (My SJ Mysterious II desat was applied – here are the settings: Primary Glow: Glow Type Dark, Glow Strength 0.30, Effect Sharpness 0.63, Electrify 0.14, Simplify Details 0.17, Edge Color 0.28, Detail Strength -0.06, Detail Size 0.20, Brightness -0.56, Contrast 0.44, Saturation 0.00, Line Rotation 0.00, and Glow Spread 0.00; Secondary Glow: Glow Type Light, Glow Strength 0.00, Effect Sharpness 0.22, Electrify 0.03, Simplify Details 0.00, Brightness 0.45, and Contrast 0.64; Color: Overall Saturation -0.54, Red Saturation 0.18, Orange Hue 0.68, Saturation -0.47, and Lightness 0.41, and Yellow Saturation 0.79; Finished Touches – all set to 0.00.) Instead of changing the blend mode in the Glow filter, the preset is applied when it looks crazy and it is adjusted back in Photoshop. It will create exactly the same effect no matter where the blend mode is added, so use PS as there are a lot more blend mode choices (Glow only has Normal and 5 other blend modes). This image used Soft Light at 79% layer opacity. The sky looked really bad with the Glow effect on it, so the layer was duplicated and taken into Topaz ReMask 5 where just the sky was removed very quickly. For me ReMask is still the best place to get a good selection. The filter created a layer mask that allowed the original sky to be used. The last step used Nik Viveza 2 to drive the focus of the image toward the Scott Monument in the center background. I would suggest trying out Glow on architectural type images – it gives a very nice effect to the lines of buildings.
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This image was a happy accident as I was reinstalling the various Topaz Filters. I was using just one of my favorite basic images to make sure they were running correctly, and the above was the result of combining Topaz Adjust and Topaz Black and White Effects! There was very little work done on this image. (To see original image, check out View from Edinburgh Castle on Flickr.) Just duplicated the background layer (CTRL+J) and opened Topaz Adjust. A preset created from a Topaz video on “Rick Sammon’s Top Topaz Tricks, Tips, and Techniques” that used the Spicify preset to create a soft artsy effect was applied. (Settings used: Adaptive Exposure section: Adaptive Exposure 0.50, Regions 25, Contrast -0.56, Brightness -0.13, Protect Highlights 0.03, and Protect Shadows 0.03; Details section: Strength 0.87, Detail Boost 1.15, Threshold 0.12, Radius 25.00, and Sharpen 1.01; Color section: Adaptive Saturation 0.33, Color Regions 10, Saturation 1.00, Saturation Boost 1.00, and Hue 0.00; and Noise section: Suppression 3.24, Amount 0.51, and check Use Topaz DeNoise.) In PS the layer remained set to Normal at 100% layer opacity. This layer was duplicated and Topaz Black & White Effects was opened and my SJ Poolside preset was applied. Now this looked not too good, but when flipped to a Multiply blend mode at 77% layer opacity, these beautiful warm colors popped out! (Here are the settings for SJ Poolside preset: Conversion: Basic Exposure – Contrast -0.01, Brightness 0.04, Boost Blacks 0.24, and Boost Whties -0.03; Adaptive Exposure – Adaptive Exposure 0.28, Regions 26, Detail 1.10, Detail Boost 0.98, and check Process Details Independently; and Color Sensitivity Yellow 0.19 and Blue -0.06; Color Filter – Hue 32.90 and Strength 0.60; Creative Effects: Diffusion Softness 0.39, Diffusion 0.57, and Diffusion Transition 0.55; and Finishing Touches: Quad Tone Color 1 Region 15.08 and color R1/G1/B12; Color 2 Region 143.9 and color R63/G78/B85; Color 3 Region 227.5 color R216/G211/B129; and Color 4 Region 255.0 and color R255/G254/B237; Vignette -0.42, Vignette Size 0.88, Vignette Transition 0.80, and Vignette Curvature 0.83; and Transparency Overall 0.65.) A layer mask was added and with a brush set to 30% layer opacity, a little bit of the sides of the buildings were painted over to brighten up just a bit as in the layer below – this is a way to guide the eye through the image.
Well, hopefully you got a few Topaz tricks since I have not had much time to see what new is out there. If you have a few different Topaz filters, try applying them and then using different blend modes on the layers and adding layer masks to drive the eye through the image. I am going to try and find some different filter combinations to get that unique feel to an image. Also listening to those Topaz Labs videos on their website can give you some great ideas for presets. Hopefully I am able to get some final tweaks on my computer and be back and running as before! And once again – Happy New Year Everyone!…..Digital Lady Syd
PAINTERLY PLUG-INS – SO MANY CHOICES, SO MANY CHOICES!
Created this blog to show some painterly effects using the same image with some different Photoshop plug-ins. I started by first trying to get Topaz Impression and Alien Skin Snap Art to give a similar look. I really thought that if one looked nice a certain way, the other would give similar results since both plug-ins create painterly, and in this case oil painting effects. It just did not work! They are as different as can be and yet both plug-in are very good at what they do. The final results on all the images are ones that I thought looked good for each of the plug-in(s) used. I was pleasantly surprised at the variety in the images and all the very nice painterly results even though processed so differently! I hope you will get some ideas on how to achieve the look you want. Also, at the end of the blog I have links to reviews on each of the plug-ins used if you want more info on any of them.
The original image above was taken at the Native American Festival in Ormond Beach, Florida. This image had a large group of people dancing and watching so it had to be totally clean up and the sky extended. The clouds were still there at least. Then a stamped layer was opened into Alien Skin’s Snap Art 4 where a preset I created from the Default preset for Snap Art 3 was used. One thing I like is that up to three different Detail Masks can be painted onto the image and different settings can used to pinpoint those areas. In this case two were used. There is a Photorealism brush which will bring back a little more of the image which is great to emphasize the focal point of the shot. Some clean up painting and horizon adjustments were done on separate layers. To get the pretty orange tones, Topaz (see my Tidbits Blog sidebar for website link) ReStyle was opened and the Shadowy Orange preset was applied. A Radial Filter was used to emphasize the wrap just below her head area. A Selective Color Adjustment Layer was used to tone down her shadow. It actually took a lot of manipulation to get the final look but I really like the results. The plug-in settings are listed below under Image 1 if you are interested.
The above was more how I had envisioned this particular image. This time Topaz Impression was applied using the Turner Storms I preset with no changes. I liked the way the ground and shadow looked a little more realistic and the sky does look stormy, which it was not. I had originally tried to get this image to look somewhat like the Snap Art Image by applying the Oil Glaze by Blake Rudis, but it did not give quite as nice a final look. Therefore I went with a totally different filter look. Topaz ReStyle was also applied to this image – the Zambest Zest preset (changed the Basic section to Luminosity blend mode and the Structure to -0.59 and Sharpness 0.73). Nik Viveza 2 was used to emphasize the back of the wrap.
For those of you who own the Topaz Suite of plug-ins, this is an example of using both Topaz Simplify and Black & White Effects to get the above result. I think it looks just as good – just took a little creativity to get the total look. The background layer was duplicated twice. The bottom duplicate was taken into Black & White Effects and a preset showing lots of detail that I created was applied. Then on the top layer Topaz Simplify was applied and another of my presets that added the painterly look was applied. A layer mask was added to it, and just the parts of the B&W Effects that I liked were lightly painted into the Simplify layer mask – used my Chalk brush with black paint at 20% brush opacity. This technique was used since the Simplify preset added the painterly feel but basically wiped out any of the texture in the image – B&W Effects was used to add back the texture a little. This mainly included the shadow area and the details in the wrap. Lots of clean up was done using my Chalk Brush to just go around and sample and add in paint where needed. A Gradient Map Adjustment Layer, using the Gold-Copper gradient that comes with Photoshop, was set to Darken blend mode. A Curves Adjustment Layer was used to add contrast back into the image. Finally Nik Viveza 2 was added to direct attention to the focal point, but the Radial Filter in the Camera Raw Filter could have been used instead. For settings in the plug-ins, check Image 3 below.
Can this look more different from the other? This time I used Nik Analog Efex Pro 2 first. Then Smart Photo Editor was opened and just the Daniel-Davidson Lost and Taken 4-02 preset was applied to get this pretty result. The effect had to be adjusted in the plug-in to line it up properly. I did not love the resulting color when brought back in Photoshop – a real color shift occurred. Therefore a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer was added and Yellows were set to Hue +11 and Sat +29, and then Master Hue -2 and Sat -49. Next a Solid Color Fill Adjustment Layer was added and set to a deep purple color (R68/G35/B75), set to Overlay blend mode at 29% layer opacity to get the final more colorful effect. See Image 4 settings for Nik Analog Efex Pro settings.
I hope you can see that it probably does not matter which plug-in(s) you have, you can get something rather painterly and interesting in many different ways. I guess that is why we get them – you can often get a surprise while using them. I have my favorite plug-ins that seem to give me the results I love, but I was also pretty pleased to see some different results by just combining them in various ways. I hope this blog gave you some ideas on how to use plug-ins you already may have and maybe get you interested in some of the ones you do not have. Any way you do it, it is always fun to play with these filter effects! Have a very Happy Turkey Day if you are one of my U.S. friends and otherwise, just have a great week!…..Digital Lady Syd
Digital Lady Syd Related Posts:
Digital Lady Syd Speaks Out on Topaz Impression
Digital Lady Syd Reviews Alien Skin Snap Art 4
Digital Lady Syd Reviews Topaz ReStyle
How About That Update to Nik Analog Efex Pro 2?
Digital Lady Syd Reviews Smart Photo Editor Photoshop Plug-In
Digital Lady Syd Reviews Topaz Black & White Effects 2.1
Digital Lady Syd Reviews Topaz Simplify 4
Nik’s Viveza 2 Plug-In – A Hidden Gem!
Image 1 Settings: Alien Skin’s Snap Art 4 SJ Factory Default preset – Artistic Style Oil Paint; Background – Brush Size 35, Photorealism 35, Paint Thickness 85, Stroke Length 45, Color Variation 30, Brush Style – Default Brush, and Random Seed 7556; Detail Masking used on the feathers and the small face portion – Effect Detail, Brush Size -22, Photorealism 56, Paint Thickness -6, Stroke Length -31, Color Variation 44, and Brush Style Default Brush; Detail Masking used on just the diagonal lines in her skirt – Effect Detail, Brush Size -30, Photorealism 7, Paint Thickness 43, Stroke Length 0, Color Variation 66, and Brush Style Default Brush; Colors – Brightness 22, Contrast 25, Saturation 12, and Temperature (cool/warmth) 34; and Lighting – Preset Default – Highlight Brightness 46, Highlight Size 35, Direction 120, Angle 59, Highlight Color White, and Vignette – Preset: None; and Canvas – Preset: No Texture. Topaz ReStyle settings: Shadowy Orange Rose preset with these changes: ReStyle blend mode Color; Color Style Hue Third 0.33; Sat Primary -0.69, Secondary 0.17, Third 0.47, Fourth 0.03, and Fifth 0.45; Masked out the bright green shadow to make it much blacker – used Edge Aware Brush, Strength 0.58, Brush Size 0.10 and Hardness 0.33; Basic Color Temperature 0.14 and Saturation 0.19; Tone Black Level -0.47, Midtones 0.14, and White Level -0.20; and Detail Structure 0.42.
Image 3: Topaz B&W Effects settings: Conversion Section – Basic Contrast -0.33, Brightness -0.01, Boost Blacks 0.25, and Boost Whites 0.25; Adaptive Exposure – Adaptive Exposure 0.86, Regions 18, Protect Highlights 0.02, Protect Shadows 0.10, Detail 2.58, Detail Boost 1.11 and checked PDI; Color Sensitivity – Red 0.15, Yellow -0.14, Green 0.47, Cyan 0, Blue 0.31, and Magenta 0; and Color Filter – Hue 325.1 and Strength 0.27; Creative Effects Section – Simplify 0.12 and Feature Boost 1; and Finishing Touches Section – Silver and Paper Tone – Tonal Strength 0.40, Balance 0.30; Silver Hue 0, Silver Tone Strength 0.50, Paper Hue 4.00, and Paper Tone Strength 0.25; and Transparency – Overall Transparency 1.00. I also had Border (Border Type Grungy BW7 set to Size 0.36) and Vignette (Vignette Strength 1.00, Size 0.71, Transition 0.44 and Curvature 0.55) that were turned off before applying the preset. The Topaz Simplify preset settings were: General Adjustments Section – Simplify – Colorspace RGB, Simplify Size 0.84, Feature Boost 0, Details Strength 1.29, Details Size 0.96, Remove Small 0.10, and Remove Weak 0.20; Adjust – Brightness 0.02, Contrast 1.11, Saturation 0.60, Saturation Boost 2.06, Dynamics 0, Structure 1.00, and Structure Boost 1.00; and Edges – Edge Type Color Edge – Normal, Edge Strength 0, Simplify Edge 0.60, Reduce Weak 24.00, Reduce Small 0.20, and Fatten Edge 0. My Chalk Brush settings: Select Photoshop’s Chalk 60 brush and in the Brush Panel set size to 200 pixels and in the Shape Dynamics section set the 19% – everything else off. I use this brush usually at 30% brush opacity or less to paint in texture and clean up layers.
Image 4: Here are the settings used for my Nik Analog Efex Pro 2 plug-in: Basic Adjustments – Detail Extraction 81%, Brightness 4%, Contrast -17%, Saturation 13% and two control points were used on the image – both placed in the sky on the right and left and set to Detail – 100%, Brightness -16%, Contrast -42%, and Sat -100 to soften the overall detail effect in that area; Bokeh – Bokeh Style – circle for apply elipse, Blue Strength 87%, and Boost Highlights 90%: Light Leaks Strength 50% and set to Soft choosing the 3rd row and 1st column soft red glow leak set right in the center of the image; and my favorite section Levels & Curves – Opacity set to 100%, Luminosity Curve pulled down with two points (7.5/6 and 12/16.5), Red one point at (12/13), Green two points at (7/6) and (12/14), and Blue two points at (5.5/6) and (12/16).
More Clarity on Topaz Clarity
Since I have been trying Topaz (see my Tidbits Blog sidebar for website link) Clarity for a few weeks, I thought I would just pass on some of my recent image results. I am using this plug-in more now that I have created a few of my own presets for a starting point with the sliders. So far I have not had a reason to selectively apply it – although a few times I have taken out a sky so it is not affected. The yellow gerberas above provides one of the sentiments that I base this blog on – playing in Photoshop! The image used Topaz Clarity twice, and then I went back to the original background layer and processed it using Topaz Detail without the Clarity layers included. It was then placed on top and a layer mask allowed the Topaz Clarity results to pop through. Then just some textures, text and fancy brushes. Total Fun! For specific information how I processed this image, check out Image 1 at end of blog.
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This is one of my favorite images from Belarus I took several years ago. This time Photoshop’s HDR Toning was applied first, then Topaz Clarity and Detail. The last step was to add a light pink overlay from Kim Klassen – all this resulted in this magical effect. See end of blog for Image 2 settings.
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The image below represents some of the tools used on a the windmill above. I thought I would show how the image will differ when a Topaz plug-in is used without Clarity applied first, and when it is applied before the other plug-ins. Below is what the image looked like with just the Enabling Profile Corrections and Removing Chromatic Aberration checked – basically a RAW file. The right image is after using Topaz Clarity on the image. See Image 3 notes below for the exact settings if you would like to see them.
Now this next image shows both Topaz Simplify with a preset I had created a long time ago that I call Nice Soft Pastel Effect. I selected it as it really shows what a different look you can get with Simplify on an image. For settings used, check out Image 4 at end of blog.
BelowTopaz Black & White Effects plug-in was applied – another one of my very favorites. This plug-in always produces absolutely incredible results and was recently updated to add most of the interface features Clarity has. The preset used was Platinum III. You can really see what a nice job Clarity did to enhance this black and white image.
The last image is Topaz Adjust with my personal favorite preset, French Countryside. I don’t know why, but this preset has the look that I really like on images. I would probably print this one as it gives a little bit of that vintage feel the log cabin building exerted, but still has the nice country colors in it. 
As you can see, adding Clarity first can really change the whole look to your image. I would recommend trying both ways if you are having problems getting a plug-in to look the way you want it to. It may need Clarity to boost the contrast in a very natural way. Well, if you have not tried out this new plug-in from Topaz, you might want to give it a whirl. Check out my related blog links at the very bottom for more info on using this plug-in. It adds that very subtle contrast to an image that I really love, and am finding I am using it more and more!……Digital Lady Syd
Notes for Images:
Image 1: Just the little processing in Lightroom (Cropping, Lens Correction and Defringe) before opening in Photoshop. The background was duplicated and Topaz Clarity was opened and only changes to the Clarity section were applied. (Settings include: Dynamics settings – Micro Contrast 0.91, Low Contrast 0.53, Medium Contrast -0.86, and High Contrast -0.48; Tone Level settings – Black Level 0.56, Midtones -0.16, and White Level 0.28; and HSL Filter – Hue: Orange -0.11, Yellow -0.02, Green -0.05, and Overall 0.09; Sat: Red -0.03, Orange 0.02, Yellow 0.17, Green 0.03, Blue 0.27, and Overall 0.11; and Lum: Red 0.16, Orange 0.30, Yellow 0.55, Green 0.50, Blue -1.00, and Overall 0.08.) Once applied the layer was duplicated in Photoshop and Topaz Clarity was opened up again. (Settings are the same for the Clarity section above. HSL Filter – Hue: Orange 0.52, Orange -0.30, Yellow -0.31, Green -0.05, and Overall 0.09; Sat: Red -0.03, Orange -0.62, Yellow -0.37, Green -0.27, and Blue 0.27; and Lum: Red 0.30, Orange -0.67, Yellow 0.20, Green -0.39, Blue -1.00, and Overall 0.08.) The Background layer was duplicated again and this time Topaz Detail was applied. (The settings: Detail Section – Overall, Small Details -1.00, Small Details Boost 0.00; Medium Details -1.00, Medium Details Boost 0.00, Large Details -1.00, and Large Details Boost 0.00; Tone Section – no changes; and Color Section – Temperature -0.27, Tint 0.34, Saturation -0.65, and Saturation Boost 0.21.) This layer was moved above the top Clarity layer and a layer mask was applied. The yellow flowers and center were lightly painted out in the mask so the detail from the Clarity layers showed through. Next a Darken layer was created (see my The Best Dodging and Burning Technique! blog). This time I used a dark brown brush sampled from the image instead of a dark black brush. 2 Lil’ Owls (see my Tidbits Blog sidebar for website link) Color Bokeh-Grunge Set – 3 was added as a layer on top and set to Hard Light blend mode and 100% opacity. A layer mask was added to remove a little bit of the texture from the centers of the flowers. French Kiss Artiste Old Master texture was placed next and set to Soft Light at 73% opacity. A Levels Adjustment Layer was added to lighten up the image a little by moving the Midtones slider to the left. Two text layers were created – one using Rough Typewriter and one using Batik Regular and the opacities of both reduced almost halfway. My free SJ Cloud 1 (actually taken while on the International Coastal Waterway in St. Augustine, Florida) was set to 4300 pixels was added in a New Layer on top. Shadowhouse Creations free Bird brush 7 was added on another New Layer and set to 30% opacity. The last step was a Curves Adjustment Layer where I just dragged down in the image to get the right tone.
Image 2: In Lightroom David duChemin’s New Maasai Split Tone preset was applied along with some basic slider adjustments. In Photoshop’s HDR Toning, the Vibrance was set to +100, Saturation +100, and Detail +100. I had thought I might try to make this a painting, and I still might, so these settings were used to enhance the image. A duplicate of the image was created and Topaz’s new Clarity plug-in was applied. These were the setting used: Dynamics – Micro Contrast 0.98, Low Contrast 0.42, Medium Contrast 0.22, and High Contrast -0.37; Tone Level – Black Level -0.23, Midtones -0.19, and White Level 0.06; and HSL Filter – Hue Green slider set to -0.30, Saturation sliders: Red 0, Orange -0.47, Yellow 0.36, Green 0.47, Aqua 0, Blue -0.12, Purple 0, Magenta 0, and Overall 0.11; and Luminosity sliders: Red -0.72, Orange 0.11, Yellow 0, Green 0.19, Aqua 0.55, Blue 0.10, Purple 0.66, Magenta -0.05, and Overall 0. Next Topaz Detail was applied to a duplicate layer setting the Overall Detail to 0.78 and Red 0.40. A Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer was put on top and Cyans were set to Hue 41, Saturation 5, and Lightness 31, and Blues set to Hue -13, Saturation -37, and Lightness 1. A Darken Layer was created and set to Overlay blend mode to burn in some of the clouds. Kim Klassen’s beautiful Cloth & Paper Texture Touch was used – an overlay had been created using it and it was set to Normal blend mode at 77% opacity. The last step was a Curves Adjustment Layer to add a little contrast back into the whole image. (See my How to Create an Overlay Out of a Texture blog.)
Image 3: The Topaz Clarity plug-in was opened and I started with Street Scene Strong Contrast. Changed several settings to: Dynamics: Micro Contrast 1.00, Low Contrast 0.30, Medium Contrast -0.34, and High Contrast -1.00; Tone Level: Black Level -0.14, Midtones 0, and White Level -0.44; and HSL Filter: Hue – Red -0.83, Orange 0.10, Yellow 0, Green 0.10, Aqua -0.29, Blue -0.83, Purple -0.10, and Magenta -0.17; Sat – Red 0.06, Orange 0.17, Yellow 0.94, Green 0, Aqua 0.78, Blue 0.27, Purple 0, and Magenta 0.38; Hue – Red 0.61, Orange 0, Yellow -0.45, Green -0.12, Aqua -0.36, Blue 0.06, and all the rest 0. Named preset Balanced Contrast. That is all that was done at this point.
Image 4: The Topaz Clarity settings are the same as those in Image 3. The Simplify plug-in used these settings: Global Adjustments: Simplify – YCbCr, Simplify Size 0.27, Feature Boost 0, Details Strength 0, Details Boost 1.00, Details Size 0.20, Remove Small 0.10, and Remove Weak 0.31; Adjust – Brightness 0.10, Contrast 1.48, Saturation 1.70, Saturation Boost 1.24, Dynamics 0.36, Structure 3.33, and Structure Boost 0.67; and Edges – Edge Type Color Edge-Normal, Edge Strength 0.00, Simplify Edge 0.30, Reduce Weak 10.00, Reduce Small 0.20, and Fatten Edge 0; and Finishing Touches: Tone – Color 1 Region (R0G0B0) slider 0, Color 2 Region (R54G27B9) slider 100.0, Color 3 Region (R170G135B136) 180.0, and Color 4 Region (R255G255B255) slider 255.0; and Tone Strength 0.46.
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