Nik Software - Silver Efex Pro 2

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

03/04/2011 09:47:10 PM · #76

How's everyone doing with their new toy? Here's a couple of my latest:

This is a very powerful tool...

R.

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

03/04/2011 09:59:05 PM · #77

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

How's everyone doing with their new toy? Here's a couple of my latest:

This is a very powerful tool...

R.

These are very good! Yup, I am very happy with this upgrade: for the first time since I had my own darkroom, developed and printed my own 4x5 negatives, I feel like the results of digital images can match the look & feel of silver emulsion prints. And the global, local, and fine adjustments are superb. Not getting as much time with it as I'd like right now, but in a week or so, after clearing some things off my calendar, gonna dig in with this.

I did one of the online webinars from Nik on this plugin: learned that the "vary border" is a dang cool feature--doesn't change the border style or settings, but shifts the notching and irregularities so that a series of images look more organic instead of having the same overlay.

I am very happy with the History Browser feature except for one thing: there is no save or export of the history details for an edit. Once you exit the plugin, that is lost. You can save it as a preset, of course, but you can't practically do that for a lot of images. Screen shot of the browser info could sort of work, but often that is longer than a single screen, so cumbersome.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

03/04/2011 10:30:17 PM · #78

Originally posted by chromeydome:

I am very happy with the History Browser feature except for one thing: there is no save or export of the history details for an edit. Once you exit the plugin, that is lost. You can save it as a preset, of course, but you can't practically do that for a lot of images. Screen shot of the browser info could sort of work, but often that is longer than a single screen, so cumbersome.

Saving as a preset, using the same filename as the relevant image, is easy and I see no need to limit it. If it starts to get too crowded, you can always move most of your presets to a different file folder, then they will disappear, and you can re-import them anytime.

R.

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

03/04/2011 10:35:03 PM · #79

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by chromeydome:
I am very happy with the History Browser feature except for one thing: there is no save or export of the history details for an edit. Once you exit the plugin, that is lost. You can save it as a preset, of course, but you can't practically do that for a lot of images. Screen shot of the browser info could sort of work, but often that is longer than a single screen, so cumbersome.

Saving as a preset, using the same filename as the relevant image, is easy and I see no need to limit it. If it starts to get too crowded, you can always move most of your presets to a different file folder, then they will disappear, and you can re-import them anytime.

R.

Ah, okay--not aware of that. When I asked in the webinar, he just said take screen shots all the time. Sounds like this could work well, though. Thanks!

franktheyank

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/04/2011 11:03:14 PM · #80

Just goofing around with an older image.

Sony Sonnar T* 35mm F2.8 ZA

03/05/2011 12:01:01 AM · #81

salmiakki

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

03/05/2011 12:26:58 AM · #82

I'm really enjoying playing. I love the dynamic brightness adjustment and the amplify white & blacks. I also read in the Nik Software flickr group about using it on colour images. Makes the adjustments, even including a border and then apply in luminosity mode (assuming you are using photoshop of course). I have played a bit and found it's really quite a nice feature.

03/05/2011 12:49:06 AM · #83

Originally posted by salmiakki:

I've been doing quite a bit of that, it can produce remarkable results. I've actually done it for a while using BW conversions via Topaz detail, but it works even better with SEP2.

R.

Sony Sonnar T* 35mm F2.8 ZA

03/05/2011 12:56:19 AM · #84

Interesting tip Sarah. Not that I leave many images in color.

BTW, with regards to toning, I've found that you get less noise if you tone after resizing and sharpening. Make it your final step.

salmiakki

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

03/05/2011 01:11:05 AM · #85

Originally posted by bspurgeon:

Interesting tip Sarah. Not that I leave many images in color.

Thank goodness, for I love your B&W images Ben.

I'm not a LR user, but do use Aperture, although rarely for image processing, just for organisation (due to performance issues as my machine is old). I do like the batch processing and assume you can do that also in LR. I know it's not a new feature, all the Nik products work like that in Aperture, but I'd forgotten you could do it.

Oh and thanks for the tip about toning Ben.

Message edited by author 2011-03-05 01:22:11.

franktheyank

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/05/2011 01:53:39 AM · #86

Garry

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

03/05/2011 07:56:18 AM · #87

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

How's everyone doing with their new toy? Here's a couple of my latest:

This is a very powerful tool...

R.

Robert, that brambles and ice shot is spectacular. The depth of tones is wonderful. I can certainly see SEP2 as a tool to resurrect and save some color images that just lacked punch and interest. Such a dark, mysterious feel to it!

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

03/05/2011 10:36:34 AM · #88

Originally posted by bspurgeon:

With regards to toning, I've found that you get less noise if you tone after resizing and sharpening. Make it your final step.

Seriously? That surprises me. What effect could TONING Have on noise?

R.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

03/05/2011 10:39:52 AM · #89

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by bspurgeon:
With regards to toning, I've found that you get less noise if you tone after resizing and sharpening. Make it your final step.

Seriously? That surprises me. What effect could TONING Have on noise?

R.

Perhaps it's a general comment. I have the NIK suite, and while I love some of the tools, they do seem to add noise (or emphasize the noise that's there).

03/05/2011 10:42:18 AM · #90

Originally posted by nshapiro:

Perhaps it's a general comment. I have the NIK suite, and while I love some of the tools, they do seem to add noise (or emphasize the noise that's there).

For sure, any time you mess with structure and contrast you are amplifying residual noise, but he seems quite specifically to be referring to the toning portion of the operation. Even with the 5D, which is very low-noise, I find myself running DeNoise before I go into Nik, and frequently after as well.

R.

03/05/2011 10:44:23 AM · #91

Beats me. But it happened frequently that I stopped doing it until the end.

(version I)

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS II USM Lens

03/05/2011 10:54:29 AM · #92

Originally posted by bspurgeon:

Beats me. But it happened frequently that I stopped doing it until the end.

(version I)

I have little experience with V1 â�� I haven't noticed this with V2, I'll see what I can find out later.

R.

hahn23

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

03/05/2011 11:32:03 AM · #93

Would Ansel Adams use SEP2? Yes, he would! (And, he'd still be better than all of us combined.) But, we can now have the control of tonality previously only possible in the darkroom.

1st notch Selenium tone. I did reduce noise selectively from the sky and sky in water with Dfine2. (Not legal in Basic.)

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

03/05/2011 06:36:18 PM · #94

I think the most useful features of the new version are the amplify blacks, amplify whites, and grouping of control points.

Scapeshots

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

03/06/2011 09:58:26 PM · #95

I'm liking this new version...especially the toning controls...a little bit of Selenium in this and some burned edges as well...

Scapeshots

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

03/06/2011 11:43:03 PM · #96

One more..with a little selenium again...really enjoying this new version...

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/06/2011 11:51:44 PM · #97

I'm getting several comments that some of my shots don't "need" the ragged borders. I'll agree with that, "need" is not an issue. But back in the day I used print with the film borders intact, largely because I felt uncomfortable with the enforced linearity of perfectly rectangular prints. I'm enjoying playing with these delightfully random border shapes, because they are taking my images out of the tightly-controlled boxes I used to have to store them in.

R.

ShutterPug

Canon EOS-6D

03/06/2011 11:55:23 PM · #98

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Go for it Robert - that is was creative freedom is all about. We all edit differently to suit our own tastes. I used to let it bother me when people criticized my ways or tried to convert me to their way of editing. Now, I just have fun seeing what I can create and what I like.