I was playing round in LR this morning as I often do, trying different presets and processing. This is the Great Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone, captured at sunrise while dormant. Behind it the White Dome geyser shoots into the sky. I used the Subtle things from Color Fantasies LR presets and a few burning brushstrokes. A very quick process.
Subtle things imparted nice color tone and a certain magical quality, without being overbearing to this serene place. Remember when using presets to stay flexible. Try different effects and look for things that work. Then don’t be afraid to refine a little more, especially on your best work. I’ll likely refine this further if I decide it’s good enough for my official fine art collection, but U like where it’s going. You can see the before and after below. Click either image for a larger view… Gav
by Gavin Seim: Pricing is an interesting thing. Those of you that listen to me on the Pro Photo Show podcast know that I don’t try to be the cheapest in my photography. Not by a long shot. Truth is I don’t try to be cheapest with Seim Effects either, though I often am for what I offer. I just try to make the best tools and charge what I think is sensible. Through that process I often come out less expensive than other editing products available in the industry.
Now it’s true that often you get what you pay for. It’s also true that sometimes people buy something just because it’s more expensive. That’s perceived value. How much you can charge because of your brand. Experience and service are worth something too, but sometimes paying more does not mean you get that.
Most effects out there are different and have something unique to offer, so I’m not saying mine are the only ones worth buying. I’ve not used all the editing products available, but I’ve used a lot of them. Some are really good, some less so. In the end I just want to sure my product is something special. I’ve had people essentially call to ask…
“Are Seim Effects any good. Their so much cheaper than brand K or Z”.
The answer of course is yes. In fact many users tell me their a lot better. Truth is I put my heart and soul into this stuff. I’m fanatical about making it as flawless and effective as I can. Their not $5 because their good and their worth a lot more. Their not $200 either. Not because I hate money, but because I think that would be overkill and the overall benefit would go down.
Updated 04/11. Note. FB no longer allows you to “Suggest To Friends”. In absence of this feature you can use the “Share” link and suggest the page by posting it on your wall.
Many of you are already fans over on the Seim Effects Facebook page, but if you’re not check it out because you’ll find news and updates, tips and various cool freebies.
Anyways I have a special deal for you FB friends. If you think I’ve earned a little word of mouth and are willing to help out I’d like you to tell your friends. In return I’m giving back a special thank you gift. Suggest the Seim Effects page to friends and get a $10 coupon good towards anything on the site. No strings. You simply have to suggest the page your Facebook photo friends by using the “Share” link (as pictured).
Click the “Share” link on the button left of the page. A window will popup.
Post the page to your wall. You’re welcome to add a personal recommendation.
Alternately click the link in the same window to email the suggestion to specific photo friends (at least 15).
Finally, email me (effects@seimstudios.com). Let me know you posted to wall or suggested to at least 15 friends.
I’ll send a special one time coupon ASAP that’s good for $10.
This is an honor system, so as my habit is I’m trusting you to be fair. When you send me that email I’m trusting you’ve really followed through. If using the email method, there’s no need to suggest t0 friends who are not interested in photography, but you must suggest to at least 15 friends.
This coupon is a flat $10 discount good on any Seim Effects goodies, including the new Power Workflow 3. It’s my thank you for being a customer and helping spread the word about a better way to edit photos. Let me know if you have questions… Gav
By Gavin Seim: Last year I posted a collection of LR2 print layouts for making page designs in Lightroom. With LR3, things have changed a bit and we now use the Custom Package option to make layouts. It’s more powerful and has more features. For that reason however the old layouts no longer work correctly. If your using an older LR, you’ll want the old layouts. If you have LR3 download these new ones for more variety and cool new stuff like controlling background color and drag and drop simplicity.
While there’s some album design style features I would like to see added, LR3 is defiantly coming along in allowing you to make layouts. Once you have these installed (see here for LR preset install video) you select the layout you want in the print module. Then simply drag and drop images from the filmstrip into the cells. When you done you can print or print to file to save as a JPEG.
Now in my opinion these do not replace a tool like In Design for doing full on album design (weddings for example). It has far less features and there’s really no ability to save a project with its layouts. That said, these can be great for quick layouts, folios or album pages. This download has 9 different 10×10 layouts, with both black and white background. If you like them and want more I may consider a complete set in the future. Enjoy… Gav
Once installed (see link above), go to the print module and select the layout you want. You can mouse over presets to get a layout preview (top left). Once you have the desired layout, simply Drag in images from the filmstrip into the open spaces.
Images will fill the cell irrelevant of aspect ratio. If the cell crop of the image is not the way you want, hold the CMD key (CNTRL on PC) and drag the image inside the cell to the crop that works. Also don’t hesitate to play with the settings and make your own layouts (changing border styles etc).
Exporting & Printing:
Once you have the desired look you can print it out directly. More often however you’ll probably want to export them to send to a lab or make a book. While export does not actually work from the print module, you can quickly achieve the same result by printing to JPEG.
To export the layout just use “Print To JPEG” from the “Print Job” menu in the right side (see image below). Click the “Print To File” button and the file will save out as high res JPEG file ready to be used. Repeat for each layout and Presto you have your ready to upload or save for later.
by Gavin Seim: PW3 is my new preset collection. It’s drop dead effective at making great images by doing things you would never even try otherwise.
It’s been a long time coming. PW1 came out in 2007. Followed in 2008 by PW2. I was inspired to take it further. As I went along I kept refining and releasing free updates until I got to PW2.5, but along the way I was already working on the next version.
Taking PW2 and setting the bar twice as high meant a challenge. Early on I was not sure what I could do to make them that much better. Boy was I wrong. I started really getting under the hood in LR. Yes, more than before. I looked at every aspect I could think of. When the dust started settling I was thrilled with the results and the response from teasers I put out. Every effect has been revised and lots of new ones added, while maintaining the orderly streamlined structure that makes Power Workflow a perfect starting point for editing. It takes advantage of Lightroom 3 and remains backwards comparable with older versions.
I guess I’m just saying I’m really proud of PW3. It’s not just a pile of presets. I’ve been working on it over a year and it represents three years of studying what makes a great workflow and what makes a great effect. I feel like a scientist. PW3 is balanced, and it has a little of everything yet it still fits perfectly right beside of my other collections. Each package is still totally unique.
You can check out the Power Workflow3 page for full details, new features and even a brand new PDF that lists every effect and tells a little about what it does. Enjoy… Gav
Upgrading: Those of you that own a previous version are available for a discounted upgrade price, which happens to be more than half off. If you did not get your email with the upgrade code contact and I’ll get you taken care of.
