Unlock Your Creativity With nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 Filters
By Rick Sammon
Many photographers
would like to be considered artists by their family, friends
and peers. Before Adobe Photoshop and the many other photo-imaging
products were introduced, most photographers had to rely on
in-camera techniques and add-on filters to produce creative
photographs.
These days, image-editing programs with built-in artistic and
creative filters have changed all that; they can transform even
a dull shot into an artistic image. By adding plug-in filters,
the creative horizons of the photographer are expanded even
further.
For unlimited creative options,
once a filter is applied, you can fade the filter (if the option
is available in your program). If not, fade the filter by creating
a duplicate layer, applying the filter to the top layer and
then reducing the opacity of the top layer (which fades the
filter effect and lets the non-filtered layer below show through).
Before you save a filter image, you also can adjust brightness,
contrast, levels and curves for even more creative variations.
Lately, for my creative computer endeavors, I’ve been using
the new nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 collection of 75 filters, which
works with any plug-in-compatible photo application. When I’m
shooting, I see and take pictures that I might not normally
take because I know I can enhance them with a nik filter or
filters (yes, you can apply more than one filter to an image).
The unique filter collection is divided into two distinct sets:
traditional filters and stylizing filters.
In the traditional set, some of my personal favorites are the
Reflectors (Gold, Silver and Soft Gold) because I don’t
always need to use a traditional reflector to light a subject’s
face; Black and White Conversion, which does a superb job of
creating a black-and-white image from a color file; Duplex Color,
for adding beautiful tints to an image; and seven graduated
filters, which include neutral-density and blue.
In the stylizing set, one of my new favorites is Burnt Sienna,
which adds a beautiful golden-brown tint to pictures. I also
like the five Monday Morning filters, which create a grainy/dreamy
effect, and the Midnight filters, which, you guessed it, make
a picture look as though it was taken at midnight.
Now what about ease of use? A new user interface makes it easier
to see applied effects with side-by-side examples. What’s
more, there’s a Basic mode for semi-automatic application
of a filter (“semi-automatic” because you can still
control aspects of the filter’s effects), as well as an
Advanced mode, which gives you even more control over the application
of the filter.
Enough tech talk. Let’s examine some before-and-after images.
In looking at them, think about the fun and creativity you can
experience with your own images and nik Color Efex filters.
What’s
New In nik Color Efex Pro 2.0
•
Thirty new filters(including
Indian Summer, Contrast-Color Range and Reflector) in
the 75-filter collection
• True Light™ technology
provides superior photo enhancements by preserving the
relationship between color, contrast and detail for more
natural-looking images
• Enhanced 16-bit functionality
for working with the expanded range of 16-bit images
• More advanced control
with selected filters for individual adjustments of highlights
and shadows
• A full-featured preview
system with multiple preview window options
• A new Selective module
that enables users to apply any filter to any part of
an image
• Expanded control
and enhancements for users with Wacom tablets
• Price: nik Color
Efex Pro 2.0 filters (Mac and Windows) are available in
three sets, ranging from $99 to $299 for the complete
75-filter collection; users of nik Color Efex Pro 1.0
qualify for a special upgrade price
