Not all of us are Adobe Photoshop experts. The premium image editing app has a very steep learning curve. Yes, the software can do amazing things – the caveat being you have to know how to these amazing things.
Enter Nik Software Color Efex Pro 3.0. The add-on for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Capture NX 2, gives photographers the ability to create stunning visual effects without using layer masks, selections, and other time-consuming techniques. Color Efex Pro 3.0 comes with 52 filters and more than 250 effects for color corrections, contrast adjustments and creative enhancements.
Used in Adobe Photoshop, Color Efex Pro 3.0 can be accessed through the Filter menu, or through a quick-use Selective Tool box on the screen. Unlike Photoshop, the learning curve for this application is not a steep one. Adding effects is intuitive – you don’t need to constantly refer to the manual for guidance. In very little time you can be adding various filters and effects to your images.
When used with Photoshop, Color Efex Pro 3.0 filters are placed a new layer, a great feature if you want to adjust the opacity of the effect or turn it off all together.
While this software won’t save a truly bad photograph it may offer a new lease on life to marginal ones.
Before CEP
After CEP
This photo was taken during sun set at a lake. Running it through the CEP Duplex filter has improved upon the original. Given the easy of use and speed at which filters can be applied this application is a good resource to have on hand. Highly Recommended.
You can get a 15-day free trial of Color Efex Pro 3.0.
