GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed, cross-platform (supports Windows, Mac, and Linux) program for photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring. GIMP has many capabilities and it is expandable and extensible using plug-ins and extensions. You can certainly find some shortcomings of GIMP but for most non-professional people there is little Photoshop can do that cannot be done in GIMP.
Design blog Smashing Magazine has put together a fantastic list of eight tweaks for GIMP to make it a serious Photoshop contender. The list includes a plug-in that allows the use of Photoshop plugins, layer styles, CMYK color separation, Liquid Rescale, brushes, etc. If you can’t find what you need, you can check out the repository of available plugins or write your own.
via: Lifehacker
This beta version of Camera Raw plug-in adds the support of the following cameras:
- Fuji Finepix IS Pro
- Nikon D700
- Nikon D90
- Nikon Coolpix P6000
Check out and details and download it here.
Posted in
Software on September 19th, 2008.
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Adobe has announced version 2 of its raw processing and work flow tool, the Photoshop Lightroom. Enhancements include the support of localized adjustments (similar to Capture NX’s selection brush and gradient tools), dual monitor workspace, better photo management and organization tools, third party plug-in development, flexible and customizable print packages, and more.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 costs $299 for a new license and $99 for existing users to upgrade. A free trial is available (Adobe account is required).
Nik Software, the maker of the Capture NX Raw editing software for Nikon NEF, has released a new software called Viveza for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. The new software brings the revolutionary U-Point technology to Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Element users. Digital photographers who do not use Nikon cameras, or who do not use Capture NX, can now effortlessly enhance and correct the light and color selectively within the photograph without using complicated masks and layers in Photoshop.
U Point powered Color Control Points, with easy-to-use controls that are directly placed on colors or objects in a photo, can be used by photographers to quickly adjust brightness, contrast or color in a fraction of the time needed by other tools or methods.
Nik Software has some video demonstrations on how Viveza and U-Point technology works. A 15-day trial version can be downloaded here.
Posted in
Software on March 6th, 2008.
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I just saw this awesome link (on Digg) to 40 intriguing and fun digitally created photos. Reality and fantasy are a little difficult to distinguish in the Digital World.
Posted in
Miscellaneous,
Photo editing on February 12th, 2008.
No Comments.
By EugeniusD80
There is a nice tutorial written by Dirk Paessler on how to create this so-called “Polar Panorama Effect” using Adobe Photoshop or Gimp.
If you want to dig into this even more, read about stereographic projection and cartographical map projections (also these images).
Adobe Photoshop is probably the most popular digital photo editing software. Photoshop can be used to perform enhancement, retouching, conversion, and other amazing things to a digital photo. To achieve a specific effect, the user will often need to go through some very complex and time-consuming steps. Sometimes it becomes highly desirable to be able to repeat the same effects on many photos quickly. That is where the Photoshop action really becomes handy.
An action is basically a series of Photoshop commands and tool operations that you record and play back later on a single or multiple files. It it not only a great time saver, but also a very effective learning tool: you can step through an action and watch how it applies the effect step by step.
If you are not familiar with Photoshop action, you can get started by reading the Photoshop help files or manual. Alternatively, you can simply do an online search of “Photoshop action basics” to find some basic tutorials. For example, here is a tutorial (PDF) by Glenn Mitchell.
If you are already familiar with Photoshop action, you may want to check out this large collection of free Photoshop actions at Action Central. Unlike some other photoshop action sites, Action Central is oriented more towards image editing than things like creating fancy text or web buttons.
The zoom (during exposure) effect is a classic special effect technique that can be traced back to early film photography era. By zooming the lens during a long exposure (typically 1/4s to a few seconds), photographer can create dramatic radiating streaks from center of the frame. This is a great technique to accentuate motion or create tension in photographs. Here are three different ways to achieve the classic zoom effect today. Read More…
