Plug ins
Starting now and for the next two weeks were are going to have fun with Exposure from Alien Skin. Exposure is designed to help give your photos the, Oh so loved look of film
I have had many people ask how do I get the grain in my photos or how do I achieve the film tones. This is one of the ways I do it.
There are hundreds of presets and tools to help you achieve this. Up until a few months ago it could only be used as a plug in. It is now a standalone product as well. So no matter how you decide to use it is up to you. I myself us it as a plug in. You can use Lr or Ps.
If you don’t already have Exposure they have a free trial here is that link:
https://app.alienskin.com/downloads/
Whether you are in Lr or Ps, upload your photos as normal. This is where I do my minor adjustments. Then I bring my photo over to Exposure.
All your presets are on the left and your panels are on the right it is very user friendly. There are so many looks you can achieve. I highly suggest that as you are checking the presets out lower the opacity to 70-80% is a good start. If not it looks like a preset. You don’t want that. After you have found the look you like you head over to the panels and fine tune. Again play with it and see what all these tools can do to your photo. I do believe less is more. With each panel you have the option to lessen the effect.
Ok now you have found your preset and all your fun panels/tools. Now I will talk about some of my favorite panels.
Vignette- Is so wonderful, by clicking the vignette location tab you are able to set a center point. Please take time to play in this panel for some time and definitely use the sliders to fine tune. I always bring the softness tool all the way to 100%. Doing this will give you a more natural look.
Overlays- Gives you ways to apply borders, light effects, and textures. Yes you can apply a texture to your photo without Ps. This maybe my favorite part. You can also upload your own textures too. In light effects I love using the sun flare. Make sure the light direction is going the right way. There are arrows to move the sunlight around your photo. Please when using this make sure that your light is working together or it just won’t look good.
Grain- You can get almost any grain look you are looking for.
Bokeh- This is where you can add bokeh to your photo. You can apply a different aperture blur that certain lenses create. You can create a ghostly blur or add star bokeh so many cool options.
These are the panels I use the most. I can’t say it enough the more you play around the better. You can always it revert to clear what you have done and start again.
Once you have the look you like hit the exit tab. You photo will go right back to Lr or Ps. Then you are ready to export or save your photo as you normal would.
This is a quick over view. I erg you to watch the tutorials, they did a great job at putting a wealth of information on their website. Please feel free to ask me any questions. This will be fun to see what you all come up with. Add your photos here in this thread so we all can see.
Tag your photos: sandbox365-plugins
Here are some helpful links http://www.alienskin.com/tutorials/
For extra help
https://support.alienskin.com/hc/en-us
@rosiekerr Wonderful job!! I love the wet plate preset. They are some of my faves. Now I would play with the vignette panel. You can set the center point of where you want the brightest part to be. I would set that on the broach. The use the sliders to get a softer vignette. Just a thought =D. You did a great job. I cant wait to see more.
My question - so plugins are other programs you use while using Photoshop. Are there other Plugin's that you recommend? I hesitate to download Alien Skin since it sounds like it is a free trial so then I assume there will be a charge in the future if I want to continue using it. I just wonder why it would be beneficial to practice and learn a new program if it will be taken away from me? If there are free plugin's that you recommend I would want to try those.
@myhrhelper hi Kathy there is a list of free plugins at http://www.photoshoptutorials.ws/creative-inspirations/design-resources/18-freeware-photoshop-plugins-work/
I have used perfect effects a bit & I do like filter forge, which can give some interesting effects a little bit similar to alien skin. Most can be run in LR / PS , but some older plug ins may not be fully compatible with PS CC ( eg pixel bender is pretty cool But I don't think works in latest version ). Read requirements if you are unsure ( eg some don't run in 32 bit / some won't run in 64 bit!)
@aprilmilani@ltodd I agree and I love how so many are willing to give up some of their time to help others learn. I will look at those other links and might check them out. I just don't want to invest time in a program I will love and them it will get pried out of my hand :)
@aprilmilani Thank you so much for your comments! If I had re-read your intro notes again before posting, I could have better used the sliders to tone down the "pre-set" look. So... tonight I gave selective focus, using the bokeh sliders, a try. I do appreciate the time you guys are taking to help the eager but less knowledgeable folks along. :)
@sioux I can't yet get it to run in PSP - so I do my LR workflow & then run alien skin from in LR. I have just updated to latest version & might need to tweak the script I adapted for the previous version to get it run in PSP
If only I were braver about street photography I might have focused this better. However this young lady typified so much about today with her well known coffee, mobile 'phone and electronic cigarette I just had to post this.
I have really enjoyed playing around in Exposure I used used the B&W focus sharpen moderate radios 75 and the grunge 6 overlay as well as playing around with the sliders. I would be very grateful for some feedback on how I could improve this.
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A veritable photoshop feast - 48 free classes in the next 6 days!!
Here is my first effort. Since I am not sure what I am doing, other than using their pre-sets, I would welcome your knowledgeable advice. :)
I have used perfect effects a bit & I do like filter forge, which can give some interesting effects a little bit similar to alien skin. Most can be run in LR / PS , but some older plug ins may not be fully compatible with PS CC ( eg pixel bender is pretty cool But I don't think works in latest version ). Read requirements if you are unsure ( eg some don't run in 32 bit / some won't run in 64 bit!)
They like it when you post your photo that you share info of how you got your look. And you are very welcome!!!
I have really enjoyed playing around in Exposure I used used the B&W focus sharpen moderate radios 75 and the grunge 6 overlay as well as playing around with the sliders. I would be very grateful for some feedback on how I could improve this.