Product Review: Perfect
Photo Suite 5.5
In response to your digital camera software wants, needs and
wishes, onOne Software released Perfect Photo Suite 5.5,
their recent upgrade from Plug-In Suite 5 (Perfect Photo
Suite 5.5 is also a free upgrade for Plug-In Suite 5 users). The
suite includes the following seven, can't live without, plug-ins:
Perfect Resize 7, PhotoTools 2.6, Perfect
Layers 1, PhotoFrame 4.6, FocalPoint 2,
Mask Pro 4.1, and PhotoTune 3.
Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 does as its name implies, it assists you
along the way to create the perfect photo. One of the new and
innovative features in the suite is that you can now utilize many
of the plug-ins as standalone applications. Another great feature
is that all of the plug-ins are 64-bit compatible.
For my review, I took Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 for a test drive
within Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64bit), with a Windows 7 operating
system (the suite is also available for Mac users).
There is one little quirk in the suite that is worth mentioning
before starting the review. Unlike many of the other Photoshop
plug-ins, only one of the plug-ins (Mask Pro) is located under
"filters." The rest of the suite (with the exception of Perfect
Layers) can be found under File/Automate/ and then select the
filter you wish to use. However, the easiest way to have everything
in one place is to simply dock the onOne Panel from
Windows/Extensions/onOne.
Perfect Resize 7 Pro
Everyone who has worked in digital photography has experienced
the headaches of attempting to enlarge an image that was pure
perfection for web use, but the results were disastrous when it
came time to turn the 72dpi web image into a workable 300 dpi
print. This is where Perfect Resize 7 (the next generation of
Genuine Fractals) weaves its magic by skillfully enlarging
without distortion from web to print. If you work in the publishing
industry, this plug-in alone is well worth the price of the whole
suite.
When I first read the onOne Software literature that,
"Perfect Resize 7 is renowned across the photographic and
printing industries for its ability to increase image size well
over 1000% without the loss of sharpness or detail that you would
normally expect," I had to see for myself if the results were,
in fact, that remarkable. To my great delight, they were!
The original web-based image that I used for this tutorial was
307 pixels [4.264 inches] wide by 230 pixels [3.194 inches] high,
and 72 dpi.
Using Perfect Resize 7 Pro, I resized the image to 3000 pixels
wide [10 inches] by 2400 pixels [8 inches] high, and 300 dpi.
I also enlarged the same web-based image utilizing Adobe
Photoshop CS5 "Web Image" resizing, to compare the quality of the
enlargement. Upon printing, the image enlarged in Perfect Resize 7
produced the preferred print: clear image, with sharp, crisp
edges.
Original web-based image compared to enlargement using Perfect
Resize
Besides enlarging, I was excited about the Perfect Resize new
Tiling feature. With the Tiling feature, you can partition
a wall-sized image into multiple sections. Then print the sections
on your everyday desktop printer; utilizing smaller sizes of paper
to create an exact version of the enlarged image using individual
image tiles.
To ensure that your new wall collage appears professionally
printed, Perfect Resize has improved their Gallery Wrap
feature. This feature, "automatically creates extended margins
by reflecting or stretching the areas near the edge of the image
allowing you to create a gallery wrap without sacrificing any of
the original image."
Perfect Resize, not only lets you enlarge individual images, it
also functions as a Batch Resizing utility. Batch Resize allows
photographers to apply several options to a selection of images,
including watermarking (which can be a huge timesaver).
Note: Perfect Resize works as a plug-in with Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, and as
a standalone application.
PhotoTools 2.6 Pro
PhotoTools 2.6 Pro is the ultimate timesaver. Yes, it's true,
anything that you can do in PhotoTools can also be executed in
Photoshop. However, to get the same effects can take hours of trial
and error to achieve. Yet, within PhotoTools 2.6 Pro, it's a matter
of pick and click. The best part: if you do not like the effect,
there are several options of "undo" to either permanently or
temporarily undo the applied effect.
The effects to choose from are nearly endless, especially when
you consider that you can "stack" one effect upon another. Once you
create the perfect combination of effects, you can then save your
creative-set as a preset, which is stored permanently within
PhotoTools Presets feature.
Once the effects are applied to your image, they appear within
your original image on a new layer, which can then be duplicated
and/or manipulated. If you are still unsatisfied with the final
image, you can reopen PhotoTools and add additional effects to
tweak your image to perfection. Again, when applied, the new
PhotoTools effects appear on a new layer within Photoshop.
Although PhotoTools is truly a timesaver when adding
Photographic effects to your images, it can, ironically, also be a
time-consumer…only because it is so much fun discovering
new and exciting ways to enhance your photographs using the easy to
use tools. Like all of onOne Software products, PhotoTools 2.6 Pro
comes with an array of user-friendly tutorials.
PhotoTools also includes a Batch function, which, like
Perfect Resize, allows the user to apply the same manipulations
that were applied to a single image to several designated images at
one time.
I've currently been working with more video files than with
still images. So, I was both surprised and impressed that, if you
use Adobe Photoshop CS3 through CS5 Extended, with a few
extra steps, you can apply PhotoTools 2.6 effects to video,
utilizing Photoshop's Animation feature (For step-by-step
instructions as to how to use PhotoTools 2.6 in Photoshop, refer to
the PhotoTools 2.6 How To page, under Advanced
Topics/Using PhotoTools with Video Clips).
Note: PhotoTools 2.6 works as a plug-in with Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and Apple Aperture. It is not a
standalone application and does not work in Adobe Elements. Also,
Adobe Photoshop is required for PhotoTools 2.6 to function as a
plug-in application in Adobe Lightroom, and Apple
Aperture.
PhotoFrame 4.6 Pro
For hobbyists who enjoy scrapbooking, PhotoFrame 4.6 is the
perfect application. Especially with the "Layouts" PhotoFrame
option. These specific frames supply a large assortment of page
layouts geared toward scrapbookers and photo art-book creators.
Once you select and save your page, you can then add text to the
image within Photoshop. There is also a large selection of
specialty backgrounds that you can bring into Photoshop and then
apply to your images and/or text.
In the image below, I used a frame from the "Art Supplies"
library to enhance one of my limited edition prints. When saved and
reopened in Photoshop, the frame application created two new layers
within my Photoshop file.
If, after searching the PhotoFrame Library, you still can't find
the perfect frame for your project, onOne provides a bonus exchange
site (for both PhotoFrame and PhotoTools content), where
artists share their creations.
PhotoFrame 4.6 Pro also includes a Batch function,
which allows the user to apply the same frame applied to a single
image to several designated images at one time.
Note: PhotoFrame 4.6 works as a plug-in with Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, and as
a standalone application.
FocalPoint 2
Without a doubt, FocalPoint 2 is a digital photographer's
can't-live-without software. I love digital photography…who
doesn't? However, the one thing that I miss about going
digital is the lack of lens' control. Not being able to
precisely tweak the depth-of-field with a basic digital camera is
frustrating. FocalPoint 2 gives control back to the
photographer.
This little application allows the photographer to make big
strides in creating realistic selective focus in images that would
otherwise be impossible to achieve utilizing a non-DSLR camera.
The program's FocusBug tool allows you to precisely
choose the depth-of-field within your image, as well as add
artistic vignette effects. New to FocalPoint 2 is the
FocusBrush tool, which allows you to "paint" sharpness, or
blur, to specific areas of your image.
Note: FocalPoint 2 works as a plug-in with Adobe Photoshop,
Adobe Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, and as a
standalone application.
Mask Pro 4.1
What sets Mask Pro 4.1 apart from other plug-ins is that Mask
Pro uses color, not just edges, to define what is to be kept or
deleted from an image. This is especially useful when working with
images that contain hair, glass, or foliage. Mask Pro's color
decontamination technology, along with its specialty tools, like
the Magic Brush and the Chisel Tool, adds to the
masking magic.
Original image [left] and image after using Mask Pro with a new
background [right]
Another unique feature of Mask Pro is the ability to view your
image on several different backgrounds as you are masking.
Working image shown on the Single Layer View background
The different backgrounds are: Original View, that
allows for viewing of the original image pre-masked, even after you
have removed part of the image; Composite View, which
shows your newly created masked image over your intended background
layer image; Solid Background, where you select a color as
a background image; Single Layer View, which is the same
as Photoshop's transparent checkerboard background; Mask
View, where you can "paint" in or remove masked areas;
Clean Up View, which is similar to Mask View, but allows
for a final fine-tuning cleanup.
Original Image [left] and image in Clean Up View [right]
The ability to view your image on a variety of backgrounds
as you work, removes the guesswork from masking. Mask Pro
gives you peace-of-mind, knowing that what you see will truly be
what you get.
Mask Pro is another must-have application for the creative
artist, with many timesaving tools that eliminate frustration while
masking. Masking is still a tedious process, and even Mask Pro 4.1
has a learning curve. Although, like all of the programs included
in Perfect Photo Suite 5.5, onOne Software provides excellent,
easy-to-follow tutorials that will get even a first-time user
working with Mask Pro like a pro within a day.
Note: Mask Pro works only as an Adobe Photoshop and Adobe
Elements plug-in.
PhotoTune 3
PhotoTune 3 does like its name implies: it fine-tunes the colors
(luminosity, tonality, value, hue, saturation, etc.) of your image.
There are three basic modes to work in: Images With People
Wizard, Images Without People Wizard, and the Pro
Mode. I tried the Pro and the Wizard modes and felt that the
Pro Mode was more user-friendly, with better end-results. I'm a
person who likes to have as much control of an image as possible,
and I found the Wizard Mode was far too simplistic.
Images With People Wizard Mode
The Pro Mode allowed me to precisely select specific details
within the image to correct, with its additional slider options, as
well as four correction option windows: Tone,
Color, SkinTune, and Detail. Within each
"correction window" were brief, but helpful, instructions on how
the features worked within each of the different correcting
areas.
Pro Mode
New to PhotoTune 3 is the auto-correction algorithm,
Eye-fidelity, which corrects color, contrast, brightness
and dynamic range of any of your images with a sole click. As well
as onOne presets.
Note: PhotoTune 3 works as a plug-in with Adobe Photoshop,
Adobe Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, and as a
standalone application.
Perfect Layers 1
Although Perfect Layers 1 is included within the Perfect
Photo Suite 5.5, as of this review, it is still in beta testing,
and is due to be released in the spring of 2011.
Per the onOne website: "Perfect Layers 1 is the fast and
easy way to bring a layered workflow to Photoshop Lightroom. With
Perfect Layers you can create and edit multi-layered Photoshop
files directly within Photoshop Lightroom or Apple Aperture. Use it
to change skies, composite images and even create
layouts."
Note: Perfect Layers 1 will work as a plug-in to Adobe
Lightroom, Apple Aperture, or as a standalone application.
In Conclusion
While all the programs in Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 were
impressive…Perfect Resize 7 Pro and Mask Pro 4.1 tied for my
favorite programs, and the ones that I can see myself using on a
daily basis…with PhotoTools 2.6 Pro coming in at a close
second.
What really impressed me with Perfect Photo Suite 5.5, was the
customer support that onOne Software provides: detailed instruction
videos for individual products, free online webinars, an onOne
University, plus onOne knowledge-based support pages that are
updated daily.
The onOne Software people are dedicated to their customers, and
include an unprecedented customer commitment: "If you are
unsatisfied, for any reason, within 30 days of your purchase,
[onOne Software] will refund the purchase price of the
software."
I invite to visit and explore the onOne Software
website
All supporting images are copyrighted.
Images cannot be copied or printed without permission.
|
