Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Topaz Labs B&W Effects 2.1 Upgrade + 30% Off for New Users

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Topaz BW Effects

Topaz Labs has updated B&W Effects 2 to version 2.1. New features in version 2.1 include the following:

  • A Zone System: Allows users to identify various zones in their images as well as observe the changes in zones as exposure and other adjustments are made.This is not an adjustment tool, but a visual aid. 
  • Borders: Prior versions of B&W Effects only had a choice of 2 borders: Solid Black or Solid White. This version adds many more options!
  • Tone Quicktools: Similar to the Color Filter buttons, quicktools have been added for Silver and Paper toning for: Selenium, Cyanotype (Gold/Blue), Copper (Red), Sepia and Antique Dye
  • Apply Button: This feature allows a user to apply changes without having to exit the program. Multiple presets can be applied one on top of another and so forth.
  • Language Support: B&W v2.1 supports Spanish, French, German, (Brazilian) Portugese, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified and Taiwanese). If your machine has one of these languages set in the region/language settings, the UI will be rendered in that language.

The upgrade is free for existing users and is available at a discount through April 21, 2013. Use the coupon code bw21 to get 30% off Topaz B&W Effects 2 or the complete bundle on Topaz Labs’ website.

 

Topaz photoFXlab v1.2 Update

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Topaz photoFXlab Interface

Topaz photoFXlab Interface

Topaz has updated photoFXlab to version 1.2.  In this latest version, you have the ability to save your project (layers using a new topaz file format), 3-party plug-in support (for select .8bf plug-ins), cropping grid overlay (stand-alone mode only), and Apple Aperture plug-in support.

If you aren’t familiar with photoFXlab, it is a standalone application that can also be accessed as a plugin. It allows you to work with layers of Topaz effects in a single interface.

Topaz has also extended the $50 savings through August 31.  Just use the coupon code CreateFX at checkout on Topaz Labs’ website to get photoFXlab for $29.95.

Callouts 1.2 for Final Cut Pro X

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Callouts for Final Cut Pro X

Noise Industries has released Callouts 1.2 for Final Cut Pro X.  Available as an FX Factory plugin, Callouts 1.2 “allows you to add arrows, shapes, magnifiers, animated map trajectories, speech and thought bubbles, checklists and much more to your next video project.  Callouts 1.2 adds two new effects and it is a free update for existing customers.”  New users can buy it fo $49 here at Ripple Training.

Check out the demo video below for an idea of what you can do with Callouts 1.2. [Read more…]

Final Cut Pro X Multicam Split Screen

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Tokyo Split Animator is a plugin for Final Cut Pro X that offers 19 split screen templates.  It allows you to animate-in and animate-out multiple clips; however, as you can see the above video, it also works quite well with multicam footage (something that works extremely well in FCP X) by easily allowing you to show all angles at once with a split screen animation.

Tokyo Split Animator is available through FX Factory for $49.  More details on Tokyo Split Animator’s website.

Topaz B&W Effects Half-Price Deal Ends Next Week

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Topaz B&W Effects

For those of you on the fence about Topaz’s new B&W Effects plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture, the introductory price on it expires next week.

It’s $29.99 now (with coupon code “bwandbeyond”), but will go up to $59.99 next week on October 3.  You can also still check out the free trial to see if it’s for you.

Full details over at Topaz Labs’ website.  You can also see my initial hands-on report here.

Topaz B&W Effects Plug-in Released, Brief Hands-On Review

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Topaz BW Effects

Topaz Labs’ latest plug-in, B&W Effects, is now available for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture or Photoshop Elements.

B&W Effects is equipped with a number of presets that provide you with a solid starting point for generating a black and white image.  You can also create a black and white image using only the manual controls – or do something in between by tweaking the preset to your liking. [Read more…]

Canon EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro

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Canon 1D Mark IV

The Canon EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro is a plug-in currently in development that is intended to allow footage from EOS DSLRs to be edited more quickly and easily in Final Cut Pro.  The plug-in will be introduced in a free Beta release in March 2010.

Key features of the plug-in includes the enabling of the “log and transfer” of footage from the 5D Mark II, 7D and 1D Mark IV.  Moreover, the plug-in converts Canon EOS DSLR footage to Apple’s ProRes 4:2:2 at twice the speed of what you get out of the box with Final Cut Pro.  Adding timecode, reel names and metadata to footage will also be a faster and smoother task.

Stay tuned for updates on the availability of the EOS Movie Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro.