Since its first release, Nik Color Efex has been part of our daily digital diet. That alone should tell you how much we love Nik's photographic filters. But now, with version 3.0 we've fallen in love all over again. First, there's a killer new interface to swoon for... fluid, intuitive, resizable... and all controls within easy reach. Then, in addition to updated versions of all our favorite filters (e.g., Midnight seen in the above screen-shot), you'll find nine newcomers: Bleach Bypass; Cross Balance; Film Effects; Film Grain; Glamour Glow; Low Key; High Key; Polaroid Transfer; and Tonal Contrast.
The additional filters alone would make Color Efex worth grabbing, but something even juicier has been added, i.e., great new ways of applying the effects. The big news here is the addition of U Point-powered Control Points. That may not not sound very sexy, but wait until you try it. This technology lets you selectively (and sensually!) control where each filter is applied to an image without having to create selections or masks! This is by far the most intuitive, time-saving tool imaginable.
In the above image, we controlled the Burnt Sienna effect and retained the subtle coloring of the sky. We also love being able to an apply an effect via a brush tool... simply paint the effect on the photograph. In the image below we painted the sky Black and White.
The Pro edition provides 52 superb filters and over 250 effects for quality retouching, color correction, and vast creative exploration. Hey it's 2008—hit the ground running with Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0. |
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