October 21, 2011 by Mike Wong • Comments Off
We're getting very close to the Perfect Photo Suite 6 shipping / available for download! in this 21st video in our Countdown to Suite 6 series, Brian Matiash shows you how to combine the new tools in Perfect Mask 5 with your favorite tools from Mask Pro 4 to get a complete solution for complex masking.
November 23, 2010 by Mike Wong • Comments Off
A little while back, I was introduced to fine art and advertising photographer Doug Landreth (web site). Doug is based in the Pacific Northwest out of Seattle (just up I-5 from us) and in addition to his fine art work, also leads a photography workshop called "Scratching the Surface".
After talking to Doug for a bit, he told me about how much he enjoys using and teaching Mask Pro 4.1 so I asked him if he would share a couple of examples of how he's using Mask Pro. Here's the first composite Doug forwarded to me to share with all of you. All of the images below are courtesy and copyright Doug Landreth. His words accompany the images.
From Doug...
"I'm conducting workshops for photographers that focus on the creative process and the photoshop techniques I use in my fine art. My work is heavily constructed and many times combines large numbers of images to construct a whole new image. I discuss layers, layer masks and selections extensively and of course I show my students the many benefits of using the suite of tools provided for making great selections in Mask Pro. I'm including this image because, #1, it's fun, but most importantly we use it as a tutorial on making selections for compositing images."
"I pass out the 4 raw files used in the composite and walk everyone thru the process of masking out the parts of the images we want to use and we gradually build this image... dare I say, from the ground up 
."
"It's a great project for Mask Pro for several reasons.... we mask the original building image with a combination of color based selection and pen tool selection, the rocket ship is the hero hard edge selection with the pen tool, and the face is a great combination of both the hard edge pen tool selection as well as a selection of the hair."
"Several points that resonate with the students are that all the tools can be used in the same selection process, the path created by the pen tool automatically becomes a selection with a refinable edge, and there is no chance that 45 minutes into a complex pen tool selection that the path will disappear with no hope of recovering it (a chorus of groans from those who've experienced this in Photoshop )."
"Another major benefit I demonstrate is the ability to use all these tools and view the results against the background they've been placed over to see the final appearance as well as the color decontaminate feature. It is also important for them to know that the mask and any of it's soft edges are a greyscale image. I show them how they can further refine the mask results with some burning or dodging of the shadows or highlights of the mask to contract or expand areas of the mask they need to refine. That's a real eye-opener."
To learn more about Doug's workshops or to see more of his work, please visit his web site at http://www.douglandreth.com.
February 18, 2010 by Mike Wong • 10 Comments
For those of you with Plug-In Suite 5 or onOne Essentials 3, there is a free update available that revs the products up to version 5.0.1 and 3.0.1 respectively. The 5.0.1 and 3.0.1 updates include several fixes that you definitely want to get. For a quick summary of what is included in the Plug-In Suite 5.0.1 update and in the onOne Essentials 3.0.1, please see the list below.
Continue reading »
October 27, 2009 by Mike Wong • 17 Comments
I am pleased to share with you that today, we have announced a major upgrade to our flagship product, the onOne Plug-In Suite. The new Plug-In Suite 5 is slated for release in November and includes upgrades to FocalPoint, PhotoTune, PhotoFrame and PhotoTools. Additionally, all of the products including Genuine Fractals 6 and Mask Pro 4 will now be Windows 64-bit compatible. If you are using Photoshop CS4, there is also a new onOne Panel that provides quick and easy access to all of the products in the Plug-In Suite 5. You can read the full press release here.
The Plug-In Suite 5 will be shipping in November but can be pre-ordered now at a discount. Continue reading for more information about specific updates to FocalPoint 2, PhotoTune 3, PhotoTools 2.5 and PhotoFrame 4.5 as part of the Plug-In Suite 5.
For more information about Plug-In Suite 5 including a pre-order special offer, visit the Plug-In Suite 5 product page.
New FocalPoint 2
I think you are really going to like what we've done to FocalPoint 2. We've taken it way beyond the motion and box blur that was available in version 1. Now in FocalPoint 2, there is an all new blur algorithm that accurately replicates the blur that a real lens would create. This new algorithm, combined with the ability to use up to six FocusBugs and a new FocusBrush that let's you fine tune exactly where the blur should go is the perfect way to simulate depth-of-field in your photos.
We worked closely with several professional photographers on this release to make sure that the blur we created was true to what you would normally achieve in camera. This new algorithm is going to allow you to shoot at an aperture like f/8 to achieve optimum sharpness, yet get the background blur as if you shot it at a much wider aperture. You've got to see it to believe it! FocalPoint 2 will be shipping in November, but check out the new product page.
New PhotoTune 3
Also new on it's own or as part of the Plug-In Suite 5 is PhotoTune 3. PhotoTune 3 has a brand new auto-correction algorithm that we licensed from im-sense that was originally developed to solve the problem of dynamic range correction in standard and HDR images. In PhotoTune 3, this technology works on standard images captured in a single image. It ensures that detail is revealed while maintaining color balance and integrity.
Also new in PhotoTune 3 is an updated SkinTune module which automatically color corrects skin color in one step with a new option to target the color correction to just the skin rather than the entire image. It is perfect for both indoor and outdoor portraits where you pick up a surrounding color cast on your subject's skin. PhotoTune 3 will be available in November.
For more information about PhotoTune 3, visit the product detail page.
Updates to PhotoTools 2.5 and PhotoFrame 4.5
Both PhotoTools and PhotoFrame also get updates as part of this big Plug-In Suite 5 launch. In PhotoTools 2.5 (both Standard and Professional Editions), we have included several new effects for portrait retouching and lighting effects. Also, the FocusBug control from FocalPoint is now integrated into PhotoTools 2.5 allowing you to apply any of the effects selectively with that intuitive control.
In PhotoFrame 4.5 (both Standard and Professional Editions) you can now move frames and textures below the image layer. If you are creating album layouts with PhotoFrame, this is going to save you a ton of time. Also, you can now export frame layers as a clipping mask back to Photoshop giving you additional creative control. If you get the Professional Edition of PhotoFrame 4.5, you get some great new content from our newest PhotoFrame guru contributor Kersti Malvre which all by itself will raise the quality of the work you can create with PhotoFrame 4.5.
Both PhotoTools 2.5 and PhotoFrame 4.5 will be available in December.
For more information, visit the PhotoTools 2.5 product page or the PhotoFrame 4.5 product page.
Again, these updates won't be available until November. You can pre-order the Plug-In Suite 5. If you order any of the other individual products, we will ship you the current version of that product now when you place an order and then we will send you a copy of the newest version for free when it is available.
May 19, 2009 by Mike Wong • 1 Comment
I met photographer Andy Kruczek two years ago at the Focus on Imaging 2008 show in Northampton, United Kingdom. Andy is one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting during my time here at onOne and his photography is incredible. You can read a short bio about Andy on our Pro Corner page here.
However, Andy recently sent me some new photos for his pro corner page and I thought it would be cool to post them here as well.
Continue reading »
