fbpx

A vision in Fine Art Photography

Jan 23, 2018 | Stories, Tutorials

Having a vision is an essential part in Fine Art Photography. This is what leads to a great image.
When you go out shooting, whatever your subject is, you must have your finished image in mind. When you so portraits, you prepare your lighting, choose the right lens and angle, and then you start shooting. When you shoot landscapes, cityscapres or architecture, you first work on your composition to find the right elements, than you decide if you want a long or very long exposure, a color or black and white image. In any case your vision is the key to success.

Here is a great video to discuss this topic and handcratft a great Black & White image.. Enjoy and feel free to leave any comments about your own experience.

JOEL MARKLUND DOCUMENTS THE LIVES OF SWEDEN’S SAMI PEOPLE

Jan 11, 2018 | Stories

F

Sweden’s indigenous and unrepresented community is brought into focus through a powerful portrait series

Nikon European Ambassador Joel Marklund has completed a unique project profiling Sweden’s community of Sami people – a subject close to his heart. With his D5 and NIKKOR lenses, Joel aimed to go beyond the stereotypes he feels the Sami community is associated with, showcasing their everyday lives through a series of intimate portrait images.

The Sami people traditionally inhabit a territory known as Sápmi, which traverses the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Kola peninsula. Although divided by the formal boundaries of the four states, the Samis exist as one group, united by cultural and linguistic bonds and a common identity. Joel wanted to communicate the true nature of this identity and move beyond surface-level perceptions of ‘reindeer herders living in the mountains’.

“The best stories aren’t always the ones in the most exotic or remote locations,” comments Marklund. “I was determined to cover something I believed in, something that really mattered to me. The Sami story has not been told by many, so, having grown up in Boden near to where some of their communities resided, it was one I felt both compelled and humbled to tell.”

To document what it is like to live as a Sami today in Sweden, Joel spent six weeks visiting the community, embedding himself in the lives of twelve of its people – from singers and dancers to drum makers and students – to tell their individual stories. During the project, he paired the D5 with the AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G, AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G and AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II.

Joel’s images reveal the Sami people in both their traditional environment, wearing traditional clothing called ‘gákti’, and their day-to-day working lives that are more intertwined with the rest of society. This cultural contrast runs through the series.

For example, Joel discovered Marika Renhuvud helping her family with the reindeer slaughter before learning, after a few days of photographing Marika, that she was a student at Ballet Academy Stockholm.

Maxida Marak, meanwhile, who grew up in Stockholm, before moving to live among a traditional Sami community, has headed back to the city to become a successful singer, while another story follows Merethe Kuhmunen, a student aiming to promote LGBT rights in Sápmi.

New AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm F/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR

Jan 9, 2018 | News

Nikon Announces New AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm F/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Super Telephoto Zoom Lens at CES 2018

LAS VEGAS – Today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Nikon Inc. announced the new AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR super-telephoto zoom lens, which is ideally suited for photographing sports and wildlife with astounding speed and clarity. This professional level FX-format lens is more versatile than ever, and has been updated with the newest NIKKOR lens technologies including Nikon’s first ever built-in teleconverter and an advanced optical formula to enhance performance and minimize weight.

“This lens is a great example of how Nikon continues to push the boundaries of innovation and what’s possible with pro-level optics and high-end imaging equipment,” said Kosuke Kawaura, Director of Marketing and Planning, Nikon Inc.

Popular Pro-Level Lens Gets Even More Versatile

This new NIKKOR lens is a professional super-telephoto zoom lens, which is even more versatile with an extended wide range of 180-400mm, and a constant f/4 aperture to easily isolate a subject from the sidelines, even in challenging light. This is also the first NIKKOR lens to include a built-in 1.4X teleconverter, allowing photographers to seamlessly swap to a 252-560mm1 (FX-format) focal range. The teleconverter is engaged at the flick of a switch, and is easily operated with a single finger while looking through the viewfinder. When used on the Nikon D500 and other DX-format DSLRs, the focal length is the equivalent of 270-600mm (378-840mm with teleconverter engaged).

Whether capturing fast-moving winter sports on the slopes or elusive wildlife at a distance, photographers can shoot with confidence from this high performance NIKKOR lens.  The new 180-400mm f/4 is optimized for high-speed capture, and features an electromagnetic diaphragm, helping to create smooth and consistent exposures while shooting high-speed bursts of images. What’s more, the AF tracking algorithm controlling the motor drive has been enhanced to increase tracking performance of fast moving subjects. When using cameras equipped with Nikon’s advanced 153-point AF system (D5, D500, D850), the outer row of AF points are activated as cross-type sensors to significantly enhance the AF coverage throughout the frame.2

Enhanced Performance with the Addition of New Technology

The lens now uses a fluorite element, which contributes to improved balance while minimizing weight. To further enhance handling and agility, the lens has adopted a new ball-bearing tripod collar ring to create a seamless transition from shooting horizontal to vertical composition.  The VR mechanism offers a normal and sports mode, with up to four stops3 of compensation to help create sharp images, even when handheld.

The lens construction includes the use of durable magnesium alloy for weight reduction, while the lens is also sealed against dust and moisture. A fluorine coating is also used to help repel water droplets and dirt.

The optical formula of the lens uses eight Extra Low Dispersion (ED) elements, doubling the amount of ED elements used by its predecessor, the NIKKOR 200-400mm. These help to provide extremely sharp and detailed images and 4K UHD / 1080p video, and is ideally mated to high resolution Nikon DSLR cameras.  Nikon’s exclusive Nano Crystal Coat is used to effectively suppress instances of ghosting and flare.

 

 

Price and Availability

The AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens will be available in March 2018 for a suggested retail price of $12,399.954. For more information on this NIKKOR lens and other Nikon products, please visit www.nikonusa.com. 

Nikon 100th Year Anniversary

Since the company was established in 1917, Nikon has cultivated its status as a pioneer of optical technologies around the world. Guided by a corporate philosophy of “Trustworthiness and Creativity,” Nikon provides a wide range of products and services globally by harnessing advanced opto-electronics and precision technologies. Nikon is proud to celebrate their 100th anniversary from July 2017 to July 2018.

Hasselblad Masters 2018

Jan 9, 2018 | News

HASSELBLAD ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF MASTERS AWARDS 2018

Hasselblad Masters is widely acclaimed as one of the world’s most prestigious professional photography competitions. The winners are chosen through a combination of a public vote and a professional Masters Jury – comprised internationally renowned photographers and imaging experts. Every Hasselblad Masters award winner will hold the title of ‘Hasselblad Master’ and be a brand ambassador for two years. In addition, they will receive a brand new Hasselblad medium format camera and be invited to shoot for a collaborative project with Hasselblad. This project will be printed and released in the bi-annual Hasselblad Masters book. Winners will receive their awards, medium format cameras, and trophies at a special Photokina 2018 ceremony in Cologne, Germany this September. Bronius Rudnickas, Hasselblad Marketing Manager: “Over 30 000 images were submitted to this year’s competition and that was a record, we are glad to see the competition is growing every year.”
Masters Jury member and professional photographer Tom Oldham said: “It really struck me how progressive many of the entries were this year and how far the entrants were willing to push the brief. These were the photographers who caught my eye – the ballsy, out-there risk-takers who make compelling pictures that refuse to be ignored. I’m proud to have helped to get this great kit into their hands – their images deserve it.”

 

The Hasselblad Masters Awards 2018 jury are:

Tom Oldham – Photographer
Ali Rajabi – Past Master
Martin Hausler – Photographer
Katerina Belkina – Past Master
Swee Oh – Past Master
Lars van de Goor – Past Master
Tim Flach – Photographer
Kevin Then – Photographer
Bara Prasilova – Past Master
Damien Demolder – Journalist
Blair Bunting – Photographer
Hans van Ommeren – Past Master
Mads Nissen – Photographer
Kevin Raber – JournalistF

Wedding – Victor Hamke – Leipzig, Germany

Portrait – Tina Signesdottir Hult – Torvastad, Norway

Landscape – Benjamin Everett – Lopez Island, USA

Architecture – Kamilla Hanapova – St. Petersburg, Russia

Beauty & Fashion – Michal Baran – Trim, Ireland

Project//21 – Nabil Rosman – Kota Bharu, Malaysia

Wildlife – Karim Iliya – Haiku, USA

Art – Maria Svarbova – Bratislava, Slovakia

Street / Urban – Ben Thomas – Kyneton, Australia

Product – Marcin Gizycki – Warszawa, Poland

Aerial – Jorge de la Torriente – Miami, USA

Sony World Photography Awards 2018

Jan 8, 2018 | News

Each year the Professional competition of the Sony World Photography Awards draws a huge variety of inspiring, engaging and emotional photography from around the world. Pro submission valid until January 11th

Photojournalism and hard-hitting news photography sit side-by-side with fine-art, still-life and commercial work, as well as awe-inspiring images of the natural world and our travels within it.

The Professional competition is judged on a body of work.  Photographers must submit a minimum of 5 and maximum of 10 images and all submissions must be accompanied by a series description.

At the pinnacle of the Professional competition is the title of Photographer of the Year, one of the most distinguished and highly regarded awards in photography. The winner is chosen each year by the Honorary Jury from among the first place winners of all the Professional categories.

In addition to the main prizes, all winning and shortlisted photographers will be included in a global press campaign, featured across the World Photography Organisation website and exhibited at Somerset House, London in the Spring.

Morning Glory by  Huibo Hou  Morning glory hot spring in Winter, Yellowstone National Park, USA. Copyright: © Huibo Hou, United States of America, Entry, Open, Landscape & Nature (2018 Open competition), 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Prizes & Exhibition

  • $25,000 (USD) for the Photographer of the Year.
  • $5,000 (USD) for the overall Open competition winner.
  • Professional, Open, Youth, National Award and Student Focus category winners will receive the latest Sony Digital Imaging equipment.
  • Professional category winners are flown to London to attend the Sony World Photography Awards dinner on Thursday April 19, 2018.

All winning and shortlisted images will be included in the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, London from April 20 – May 6, 2018.

DxO Photolab Review

Dec 11, 2017 | News, Review

A few weeks ago, DxO bought the Nik Collection from Google, already a great news for the future of this great plugin suite, but the most important for DxO is the release of this major application incorporating the U-ponit technology developed by Nik. One thing you must know about DxO is that they are a major Benchmarking company. They develop state of the art bechmarking machines and they are extensively testing all the optics and cameras on the market. PhotoLab can be considered as the ultimate Raw image processor today as it adapts to both the specific camera and lenses profiles and by offering options not available in any other Raw image procesor. Please note that the comparison with the other apps I mentioned only concerns the RAW processor Except for the Film Looks emulation with DxO Film Pack if you own it, there are no styling options available. It is not an All in 1 product. That will probably change in 2018 when the integration of the Nik Collection will be fully operational.

The interface

It is not much different than the other applications you can find such as Lightroom Classic, ON1 Photo Raw, Skylum Luminar 2018 or Topaz Studio. Only Capture One has a very different organisation, but this is for a future review. You have the Browse panel on the left, the number of controls you get is really huge. They are separated in 4 main sections. The Essential Tools, the Light section, the Color section, the Geometry section and theDxO plusins such as DxO Film Pack section.

When you choose DxO Photolab from Lightroom, you see a lot more controls than theLighroom Basic adjustments.. You get five main categories. Essential Tools, Light, Color,  Detail and Geometry.

The Essential Tools section is where you find what could be called “Quick edits. If you want a real fast way to enhance your images without real heavy processing, you have the DxO Smart Lighting slider and the DxO Clear view. They work like a radiance and a Micro Contrast / Structure sliders.. This is a one minute quick edit.

Even if the panels are huge and can be a little intimidating, the tools are very well organized and are making a very coherent workflow. Another great thing is that you can create your own workspaces with only the controls you really use. You can also save all your settings as presets.

I really enjoyed the DxO Film pack section that lets you add finishing touches such as frames, textures and even light leaks

Local Adjustments

When you click for the first time on the Local Adjustments button on top of the interface, you can select either the mouse or touch screen depending on what you use.

The first tool DxO brought from the Nik Collection to Photolab are the u-Points controls. The great addition they made to this tool is the controls block presentation. just click on the one you want to use and drag up or down. A very convenient way to use these controls much more effective than in the Nik Collection.. The same system is used for the gradient filter. It is nice when you want to place a gradient to have a selection of tools with a right button mouse click..This is a circular gadget with tool icons around the outside, offering a Brush, Graduated Filter, Control Point, Auto Mask, Eraser, New Mask and Reset buttons.

 

Final Thoughts

This is the strongest Raw editor available today. The list of controls is gigantic, but lets you build-up a very efficient workflow. Due to the DxO experience on benchmarking, all the camera and lens profiles are very accurate and the image quality you can achieve is really fantastic. I don’t think it is a full photo processing software as the tools for stylisation are not present. They will for sure be available when the integration of the Nik collection will be complete.  It really becomes the extension of Lightroom very rapidly and the “Export to Lightroom” button when you finish your editing makes ithe whole process so easy.

With this excellent piece of software and the arrival of the DxO collection, DxO jumps straight into the top photo editors manufacturers group. No doubt we will follow what’s coming next..

Download a trial version at DxO.com

 

SKYLUM LUMINAR 2018 is here for MAC and PC

Nov 17, 2017 | News

Luminar is a universal all-in-one photo app designed to offer everything a modern photographer needs for photo editing. With intelligent filters and over 100 presets, Luminar speeds up the photo editing workflow to deliver great results in less time. It also features some advanced tools like layers, masking and blending, lens correction and transform tools — to name just a few — that take image editing to the next level. The previous version of Luminar was honored with a TIPA award for Best Imaging Software 2017 and three weeks ago won the 2017 Best Software Plug-in at the Lucie Technical Awards at PhotoPlus Expo, NYC.

In 2018, Luminar will be updated with a new image browser & digital asset manager for efficient image library organization and management. Photographers will be able to sort, rate, organize, and backup their photos, in addition to tapping the award-winning editing power of Luminar. The new digital asset management platform in Luminar will work without a subscription and will arrive as a free update to all Luminar 2018 users.

What’s new in Luminar 2018:

  • NEW: RAW develop module that handles high-quality images faster and includes Lens Correction and Transform tools.
  • NEW: Brand new streamlined user interface that speeds up working with presets, filters, and masks.
  • NEW: Intelligent Sun Rays filter that recognizes objects and creates a natural yet impressive look.
  • NEW: LUT Mapping (Look Up Tables)* delivers creative color, perfect black and white conversions, and digital films looks in seconds.
  • NEW: Dodge & Burn filter is designed to selectively lighten or darken specific areas of an image.
  • NEW: Brilliance and Warmth filter adds a rich tone and warmth, or can be used with negative values to cool down an image for a more subtle look.
  • NEW: Matte Filter delivers a trendy vintage look with a silky matte finish.
  • NEW: Hue Shift lets you roll the hue in a photo for subtle or dramatic changes. A little is perfect to eliminate unwanted color tints while a big adjustment is perfect for dramatic stylizing.
  • NEW: Real-time noise removal that quickly fixes noisy (low-light) images.
  • NEW: Support of 3rd party Adobe plugins
  • NEW: Apple HEIF files support
  • IMPROVED: Advanced masking with filters
  • IMPROVED: Advanced Bi-Color Toning
  • IMPROVED: Advanced Cross Processing
  • IMPROVED: Advanced Image Radiance
  • IMPROVED: Advanced Structure and Microstructure
  • IMPROVED: Advanced Split Toning 

* Workspaces, Clone & Stamp, blend modes for layers, luminosity masking, flip and rotate, as well as some other tools and features will be available in the Mac version at launch, and arrive in the PC version with free updates by the end of the year.

* Look-Up Table (LUT) – is mathematically precise way of taking specific RGB image values from a source image – and modifying them to new RGB values by changing the hue, saturation and brightness values of that source image. LUTs are used creatively to impose a specific ‘Look’ on a source image; tens of thousands are available from a variety of sources around the Internet.

 

Order Luminar 2018

Mixed-computer households can share the same product key for Mac and PC which can be activated on 5 devices. A 14-day free trial is also available.

  • $49 upgrade for current Luminar users
  • $59 for Luminar for Windows Beta testers
  • $69 for new users

The Digital Asset Management platform will arrive in 2018 as a free update for all the users of Luminar 2018.

Visit https://macphun.com/luminar to order

Loupedeck editing console for lightroom

Nov 8, 2017 | Review

For almost a month now, I have been trying the LOUPEDECK console for Lightroom. I was not too impressed at first, thinking that I knew Lightroom enough to go very fast with my editing workflow, but I really wanted to give it a try. So I contacted Loupedeck, a Finland based company and they kindly accepted to send me one to test and review.

What a surprise when I got the box! The console is quite big and very well built. All lightroom’s main editing functions are represented by knobs and sliders. The install process is very straightforward. The first thing you have to do is go to www.loupedeck.com to download the software and install it.  After the instalation, you are led to another screen that asks if you want to customize the console.. The console has three buttons called C1, C2 and C3 for wich you can assign a task. You first select the button and there is a dropdown list of Lightroom tools not directly accessible with the console set of buttons. For exemple, I selected going from the Develop module to the Library module.  For C2 I selected the sharpening, and the vignette for C3. Then and only after installing the software, you must plug the console with a USB cable and start Lightroom.

You get a nice “Loupedeck thinks you look great today” message and you’re good to go.

The Design

 All the basic functions of Lightroom are available on the console.. The left part is for the selection, ratings, crop/rotate, full screen display and selecting color or black and white..

The right part is for all the basic correction. They are not organized exactly as Lightoom. The knobs are divided in three sections, one for the exposure, contrast and clarity, the second is for the luminosity, and the third one is for the color.. It takes a little time to get used to this arrangement, but it is very logical.

The top center part i for the HSL correction. You have 3 main buttons to select Hue, saturation and luminosity and 8 knobs to make the adjustments. One thing I noticed the first time I used the console is thatyou can make precise adjustments. Much more than with the desktop interfce. Of course, you can select a slider in the desktop app and use the arrow keys to move the slider, but is it much easier and intuitive with the console.. The buttons are not locked and you never reach any end. You start where your cursor is and you turn it to satrt from this point. And all the buttons are clickable to reset them to the default value.. 

You also have buttons going from P1 to P7 to assign develop presets you often use. eally cool to use.

Button Speed settings

In the previous versions of the Loupedeck software, you had no option to setup the knobs reaction and they used to be quite slow. With the version 1.3.2, they added a speed and reaction controm and it is for sure a huge improvment.

Presets settings

One of the cool functions is that you can assign Lightroom presets to the F1 to F8 buttons and you get 8 more when you press the Fn button. A great thing when you want to apply quick settings to your images. I personnaly set up quite a lot of different Black and White presets and I can toggle through to find the right one and make the correct adjustments after with the buttons.

Custom buttons settings.

You have three different contros you can assign to specific keys.You can assign one action to the C2 and C3 buttons. For example toggling through the Library and the Develop module. The C1 is a button and it is great for settings such as vignette you can adjust with the button.

Who is it for?

Loupedeck is a fantastic time saver when you have lots of images to process. 

Wedding photographers will love it, but any photographer that makes a lot of images will love it. Picking and selective images is so fast and easy with the Pick, Stars and Color buttons. 

NOTE: 4 on 5

Price  €289 on Amazon or $299

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed using Loupedeck. I loved the precision you can get with the knobs even if they are kind of slow to move and you can  think you have to turn them a lot to get significant results. But you get used to it very fast. I found myself using the HSL section a lot more than what I use to do in the desktop app. Same for the white balance. The Fn key is an essential part ot the console as it evokes different settings. You must read the user manual very carefully to not be confused. I found very clever to have clickable buttons to reset the settings.  The brush button is nice to use and you can use different buttons to create  a base setting and then mdodify it. I didn’t understand why they placed 2 zoom buttons doing exactly the same thing. Another function such as the Previous button in lightroom would have been very useful. Just be aware that you still have to use the keyboard and a mouse/tablet.   But after a while the button position is becoming a second nature and you spend a lot more time looking at your image and a lot less searching for the keyboard.  A few times the loupdeck software didn’t load correctly but as they are releasing frequent updates, that should be fixed real quick

I had a small problem when I updated Lightroom as Loupedeck didn’t recognized the new Lightroom Classic. and the lastest update didn’t work with some languages. This is a know bug and Loupedeck is fixing it.

DxO acquires Nik Collection from Google

Nov 6, 2017 | News

DxO acquires Nik Collection assets from Google, and plans to continue to develop the Collection for the benefit of the photographer community.

Interview with Jean-Marc Alexia (VP, Product strategy) and Fabrizio Dei Tos (Senior Manager, Marketing et Sales desktop solutions)

How was decided and negotiated the purchase of Nik Software?

It all worked very well. I cannot enter into the details of the transaction as you can guess. But sometimes there are meetings of industrial good which allows you to see a future in which corresponds the desire of the two entities, and that is what has happened here between Google and DxO and which has led us to acquire a product whose Google wanted to get rid of.

Is Snapseed is part of the agreement?

Not in any way Snapseed remains the property of Google and we have only acquired he Desktop part.

Now how do you see the future and the integration among DxO of the collection Nik?

We have two tracks of integration. The first which is already effective is the integration of the U-point technology  in the new DxO Photolab, formerly DxO Optics Pro. We have built new tools and in particular the Equilazer. This allows us to enter into another dimension with a software more and more complete and even very complete with the the most powerful algorhytmes in the world for the Global treatments. For the second track which concerns more particularly with the plugins, we will wait for the next year. The Nik Collection stays downloadable free of charge, but we have some big changes in the middle of next year for a perfect integration with the latest OS, all the latest platforms on which operate these plugins which will become Nik by DxO 2018

How will be the integration of the functionality of your two ranges of products? Is it by example of the functionality of the Silver Efex or Color Efex be integrated to DxO film pack?

It is still too early to say and precisely for this kind of decisions, we hope to receive as many opinions as possible from professional or amateur users. The crosstalk between the two ranges will be effective, but we do not yet know in which direction

How do you see the future of DxO against competing companies such as  MacPhun, Topaz Labs or on1 which represents the biggest part of the competition with Adobe.

The acquisition of a product with such a reputation and a colossal number of users propels us into another dimension and the reputation associated with this product is exceptional. During the presentation of the purchase of Nik at the Photo Plus exhibition in New York was wonderfully welcomed. Google caused a lot of trouble last June when the announcement of the abandonment of the Nik Collection and users are excited about the possible arrival of new updates.

Will there be new versions of software like Viewpoint which is an exceptional tool for architectural photographers like me?

All this is a little suspended because of or thanks to the acquisition of Nik. Once again we do not know for sure how the two ranges will be mixed.

Many photographers now prefer to use all-in-one  applications like MacPhun Luminar or On1 Photo Raw. Do you intend to go in that direction?

We are extremely attentive to this evolution of the market and expect to see how this evolution will become clearer. That’s why user reviews are important for this type of decision. We create products for as many people as possible and these opinions and your questions help us making the right decisions. In any case, it is an evolution that we must take into account.

How to break down the activity of DxO?

That’s about a third for each of our domains which are the software, the Benchmark and the DxO ONE camera

Concerning DxO ONE, is it a product that satisfies you and how are sales given a fairly high price?

DxO ONE has become one of our flagship products and its price is not really high if we look at products of the same range among our competitors who are on average twice as expensive. We use an exceptional sensor made by Sony that produces pixels 5 to 7 times larger than those produced by the best smartphones. The optics designed by DxO is also exceptional. Our Benchmark activity allowed us to make all these comparisons and the results obtained by this device are fabulous. We are also working on the Android version that will allow us to reach an even wider audience. The future looks bright for DXO ONE.

Luminar 2018. The new alternative to Lightroom?

Nov 1, 2017 | News

The new Luminar 2018 takes on Adobe Lightroom 

 

Macphun, the California-based software developer today announced Luminar 2018. New users will be able to purchase Luminar 2018 for $59, and current users of Luminar may upgrade at a special price of $39. Preorders start November 1 at www.macphun.com/luminar. 

Luminar 2018 offers everything a modern photographer needs for photo editing, including new filters powered by artificial intelligence, major speed improvements, a dedicated RAW develop module and a forthcoming in 2018 digital asset management platform. Users will also benefit from the new intelligent Sun Rays filter, LUT support, and real-time noise removal. With adaptive workspaces that match styles of shooting, Luminar adapts to deliver a complete experience that avoids clutter and complexity. L

And, importantly, Luminar works on both Mac- and Windows-based desktop computers*. 

“We’ve taken the time to listen to photographers, and what they want is performance and quality.  The less time photographers have to spend in front of computers, the more time they have for taking pictures,” said Alex Tsepko, CEO of Macphun.  “Our mission is to get Luminar streamlined with just the tools and controls photographers need. The goal is simple: enable the best-looking images with the least amount of effort.” Instead of stuffing menus with boring effects and old technology, Luminar only puts in filters that photographers want and need. Luminar offers more than 40 filters to correct color, sharpen details, and release creativity. New filters include the ability to enhance color with Brilliance, selectively lighten or darken specific areas of an image with Dodge & Burn, as well as the ability to change the lighting in a photo with Sun Rays. 

Want a whole new way to stylize images? Try the new Lookup Table adjustments, known as LUTs**. Creative color, perfect black and white conversions, and even digital films stocks are just a click away. Lightroom users who rely on custom presets created for Lightroom can also easily convert those presets into LUTs (with a free 3rd party tool) and use them inside of Luminar 2018. 

While Luminar is a full featured stand-alone application, users may also choose to install and run it as a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom, or as an extension to Apple Photos. On October 2017, Luminar was awarded with the Lucie Technical Awards for Best Software Plugin. 

Luminar 2018 will become available in November 2017, and in 2018 a free update will provide a new image-browser / digital asset manager to help photographers manage their image libraries. Photographers will be able to sort, rate, organize, and backup their photos at great speed. The new digital asset management platform in Luminar will work without subscription and will work with any storage (cloud or local). It will also bring a number of unique features, that the current Lightroom library can’t boast.  * Workspaces, Clone & Stamp, blend modes for layers, luminosity masking, flip and rotate, as well as some other tools and features will be available in the Mac version at launch, and arrive in the PC version with free updates by the end of the year.  

RE-BUILT FROM THE GROUND

Luminar 2018 has been re-built from the ground up for dramatic performance boosts. Existing filters deliver richer colors and depth in less time. A brand new streamlined user interface speeds up working with presets, filters, and masks. With full support of pro options like layers, masks, and blending modes, complex repairs and photo composites can be easily accomplished.

A NEW RAW ENGINE

Luminar offers a new RAW Engine that can handle high-quality images faster.  Plus, it’s easy to solve image problems caused by camera lenses with Lens Correction features that resolve vignette, distortion, and color aberrations. If the photo has unwanted perspective problems, a new Transform tool can quickly solve them.

Presets

Luminar offers a ton of presets to give your images an instant look. Many are included in the application, and you can create your own and download quite a lot from the Luminar website.

LOOK-UP TABLE (LUT)

A mathematically precise way of taking specific RGB image values form a source image – and modifying them to new RGB values by changing the hue, saturation and brightness values of that source image. LUTs are used creatively to impose a specific ‘Look’ on a source image.

Pre-Order Now


Pre-order for Luminar 2018 will run from November 1 until November 16.
Pre-order customers will receive a special price and value-add bonuses such as:

  • A pack of signature presets & textures from a Pro photographer Nicolesy (Nicole S. Young).
  • An exclusive pack of LUTs.
  • 1-year Power plan from SmugMug ($72 value). For new accounts only 

Visit the LUMINAR 2018 website at https://macphun.com/luminar to Pre-Order

Pricing

Mixed-computer households can share the same product key for Mac and PC which can be activated on five devices.

  • Current users of Luminar may upgrade at a special pre­-order price of $39
  • Users of Luminar beta for Windows may upgrade at a special pre­-order price of $49
  • New users can purchase Luminar at a special pre-­order price of $59

The retail price for Luminar 2018 after November 16 will be: $49 upgrade for current Luminar users and $69 for new users

The digital asset management platform will arrive in 2018 as the free update for all the users of Luminar 2018.

ADP V2 Luminosity Masks Panel

Oct 24, 2017 | Tutorials

ADP panel+Pro v2 by Aaron Dowling

This is a very intuitive and easy to use panel. The look is very clean and it is divided in three different tabs. The first one is for creating and tweaking the muminosity masks. You can restrict or expand the masks and create selections you can then apply with a brush, instantly create curves layers and even create masks based on color range. The second tab is for adjusting precisely your selections and the third tab is to control some of the most used Photoshop functionalities.

I was pleasantly surprised by this panel, and I can highly recommend to users of all skill levels. The panel is not quite as powerful as the TK Panel, but it will make it for most of us photographers. Aaron is constantly making new excellent training material you can find on his website not only for Luminosity masking but also on how to use his panel as a basic work flow tool..
I have read on another website a great tip to make the panel work much fasteby, keeping the properties window closed. As the panel runs through a bunch of adjustment layers during mask creation, it has to refresh the properties window each time which slows it down massively.

The extension is built with 3 different panels. The first one id dedicated to the luminosity masks creation. Once you have selected wich tones or color you want to select, you get a preview of the masks and it creates  three adjustment layers. A curves layer, a levels layer, and a black & white conversion layer you can adjust anyway you want.. It also provides one click actions to create all the adjustment layers, and in the last part another set of available selection tools.

The Auto Adjust panel is a very interesting one as you can work directly on Darks, Highlights ot contrast of the image by using sliders. It is a very easy and intuitive way to visualize what you are doing on the image. It is great when you begin as it it way more intuitive than using the luminosity masks that can be a little intimidating when you start..

Note that each panel provides some direct help and description of each function.

The thirs panel is for the finishing touch of your image. You have a fantastic detail extractor with a tonal range selection. Next you have some cool effects such as Soft Glow, the Orton effect and the Frequency separation very useful for both portraits and landscapes photographers.. And finally the resizing and sharpening tools, perfect for exporting to social medias.

This is the final image after 

1. Basic processing in Lightroom to get a neutral balanced image.

2. Applying  a luminosity mask to get a right midtones selection and getting a curves layer to build up the contrast.

3. Adding one more Camera Raw layer to further enhance the contrast. 

This is a very fast and easy process made even easier by creating selections using the ADP Panel from Aaron Dowling.. 

You can get the Panel by visiting Aaron’s website

Here is the image after the basic processing in Lightroom. I like to start with a neutral image that allows building up the light.

As the sky was very flat, I used a replacement sky. To place this new sky, I created a selection of the white sky, created a mak and placed the new one.  I made a mistake as themask did not cover the bottom right part and I had to fix this by painting some white on the mask to reveal the missing part of the sky.

Then I clicked on “Create mask as curves” on the panel.

The next step was to draw a S curve to get the correct luminance for the shadows and highlights.

Final thoughts

 Probably one of the best panels around.. I would say it comes on top alongside Greg Benz’s Lumenzia for both performance and price considering that once you bought it, you get unlimited free updates. I need to mention that Aaron Dowling provides an excellent support if you need. He also provides quite a lot of tutorials.

He is already announcing the version 3 of this panel and it will provide a lot of improvments both in speed and functionality. For sure a 5 stars product.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates fromShades Of Grey Fine Art Photography Magazine.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This