Alien Skin Software recently released Exposure 6, which is a plug-in designed to emulate stock films in your digital photos. They claim it's been a decade of research poured into this plug-in to accurately recreate the look of hundreds of stock films...and it shows. Not only that, the new features in version 6 are fantastic.

Though I stated Exposure as being a plug-in, it actually can be used as a stand-alone program, aside from it's use as a plug-in to Photoshop, Lightroom, or Apple's Aperture. And as a stand-alone, it is so decked out with all the editing control you need for your photographic works. So, if you don't have the aforementioned programs...no worries.

With the improvements and new additions in Exposure 6, I was truly blown away. First of all, the interface was redesigned to not only look better, but function better with a more logical layout. And the image processing engine is now much faster, offering quick previews of effects with just a rollover of the mouse on the included presets.

 

 

There are tools galore in Exposure 6 right in the sidebar for precise control over exposure, highlights, contrast, etc. All the tools are neatly accessible in categories, with plenty of control over all aspects. And it's a lot of fun playing around with the features that can transform your photos into vintage time-pieces, or get really unique results. Exposure 6 also adds in more border options, light leaks, textures, etc. over the previous version.

 

 

 

 

Another great feature, although not new to Exposure 6, is the ability to save presets that you can come back to, or even batch apply to photos.

 

 

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons to purchase Exposure 6 is that Alien Skin's previously separate Bokeh plug-in is now fully integrated into it. I liked the added 'tooltips' on rollover on the presets in the Bokeh category (as pictured above). Bokeh is fun to play with and it can really help you achieve some cool results.

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the many presets and tweaking individual parameters. It would be cool, however, to be able to stack preset effects and individual tweaks before applying to the original image. Perhaps we shall see that in the next release. In my tests, I used Exposure 6 within Photoshop CS6 and would apply one effect and then bring it back into Exposure to add more. The good thing, though, is that when you apply an effect Exposure 6 creates a new layer in Photoshop, thus leaving your original image intact.

 

 

Exposure 6 is an outstanding update to an already unique and highly useful plug-in. Factoring in speed, a better workflow, more precise control, added effects, and now the inclusion of Bokeh, the new Exposure 6 is definitely a worthy purchase.

System Requirements

• Apple Mac users need OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) or later
• Microsoft Windows users need Windows 7 or later
• An Intel Core 2 processor or compatible
• A monitor with 1280×768 resolution or greater

Host Requirements

Exposure 6 may be used as a standalone program or a plug-in. When Exposure is used as a plug-in it requires one of these host applications:

• Adobe Photoshop CS6 or newer
• Adobe Lightroom 5 or newer
• Apple Aperture 3 or later

Pricing and Availability

Exposure 6 - $149 (USD)

A discounted upgrade price of $69 (USD) is available for registered owners of the following products:

• Bokeh
• Bokeh 2
• Exposure
• Exposure 2
• Exposure 3
• Exposure 4
• Exposure 5

Links

• Alien Skin Software
• Exposure 6 examples
• Exposure 6 Tutorials

Nick C. Sorbin is a digital artist, sculptor, writer, and Managing Editor for Renderosity's CG Industry News. With a keen interest in motion graphics, Nick's weekly Motion Corner column highlights the tools and techniques in this vast area, as well as spotlighting current motion designers and software developers.
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