Software How To

Color Efex Pro 4 is Nik Software’s (www.niksoftware.com) latest version of its digital photographic filter plug-ins for retouching and creative enhancements. It is Mac OS and Windows compatible and installs as a 32-bit and 64-bit plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS4 or later, Lightroom 2.6 or later, Photoshop Elements 8 or later, or Apple Aperture 2.1.4 or later. The installer searches for all of the hosts that are on your computer and if you already have Photoshop, Lightroom, and Aperture installed, as I do, it will install Color Efex Pro 4 for all of the host applications.

What’s New
One of the biggest improvements in Color Efex Pro 4 is the ability to use Filter Combinations that let you stack multiple filters, adjust each one’s opacity, and make selective adjustments to get the desired look. Each filter contains single-click starting points, making it possible to explore different options. Shades of Emeril Lagasse, there are Filter Recipes that let you customize and share filter combinations with others. Bam! Reminiscent of HDR Efex Pro, the 10 recipes that are part of the package are a quick way to get started using Color Efex Pro 4 and more are available for download on Nik Software’s website.

Everybody knows the basic concept and conceit of High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging but first let’s get rid of yet another unnecessary acronym. What does HDRI—High Dynamic Range Imaging—add to the discussion other than just another letter?

Landscape photos with overexposed highlights are a common problem with scenes that include a wide range of tones that exceed the dynamic range of your camera. This tutorial from the Photography Explained YouTube channel  provides a handful of simple tips for avoiding "those annoying big white patches in your images that are totally devoid of detail."

Photoshop users know that Vibrance and Saturation are similar but not quite the same, and these tools can be employed separately or together for different purposes. Lightroom, on the other hand doesn’t have a Vibrance tool, and if that sounds crazy just take a look; all you’ll find is a Saturation slider.

Too many photographers make the mistake of restricting their workflow by employing global adjustments to edit their photos. The problem is that these enhancements affect the image as a whole—thereby greatly limiting the results they achieve. That's because certain areas within the frame often require one approach while others call for totally different enhancements to create photos with balanced exposures and realistic colors.

Photographic opportunities are quite limited during his time of social distancing and stay-home orders. But these same inconveniences make this a great time to capture unique images of abandoned streets wherever you live.

Are you one of those photographers who don’t like to spend a lot of time editing photos? Or perhaps you’re new to Photoshop and not sure how to deal with images that need a bit of work. In either case, this quick tutorial is for you.