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here are programs out there that
really test the limits of what you can
achieve with a little photo editing.
Software companies around the
world, some renowned, some less so, haveREVIEWS ONONE PERFECT EFFECTS 9
DOES PERFECT EFFECTS 9 UNLOCK GREAT PHOTO
EDITING POTENTIAL, OR IS IT JUST A LIMITED PLUGIN?
tried to crack the market and rival Photoshop by
becoming more user-friendly or more advanced
as well as trying to be more stylish or offer more
desirable presets. Few can match the
sophistication of Adobe, but that’s not to say you
can’t discover some stunning effects for your
photos by digging around the competition.
OnOne are just one company that have
released a successful series of apps, and
they’ve done so in a different way to many
others. OnOne’s latest offering to photo editors,
Perfect Effects 9, isn’t an attempt to knock
Adobe’s products off their perch as artists’ and
photographers’ go-to software; instead, it’s acompanion to Photoshop and Lightroom, it’s
an app that can be used alongside either
program while you work, or as a plug-in. It’s
a great concept because it takes the best of
an app, and integrates it with the power of the
market-leader.
What Perfect Effects 9 offers is worth
checking out too. The program looks like a
simple alternative to Lightroom; you can start
by dragging your pictures into the main
interface of the software, and there you’ll see
various preset filters that you can apply to your
work. Rather like actions, these can cut a few
corners if you’re used to applying HDR to yourAdd perfect effects:Layer various filters with
your work, and mask them into your pictureColour & HDR:feature, Perfect Effects can A standout
add some superb overlays to your work if you’re
looking to make colours pop, give a dramatic HDR
makeover, or even just sharpen and reduce noiseBlurring: The blurring
capabilities within Perfect Effects are simple enough
to get to grips with, even if they’re not incredibly
powerful. There are a range of different blurs to choose
from, depending on where you want to use them in a
picture, and these are customisable, from the
amount of blur to the haloTex tures:and compositions, Perfect Effects has an A nice way to finish off your photos
array of various textures that can transform the look of an image. Try playing with the
opacity and blend mode of these textures to achieve the perfect look, and don’t be afraid
to layer up these textures to create something truly uniqueSharpening: Another fantastic feature that
Perfect Effects offers is its sharpening, in which you tweak amount and detail, as well
as protecting lights and darks in the picture. There’s also the ability to protect
skin for if you’re working with portraits, which can reduce the amount you mask
when you’re trying to tone down the detail