Color Fantasies came out nearly a year ago and color has not been the same since. The things we can do to subtly manipulate color in LR are amazing. CF has been one of my top selling collections. There’s been a few updates in along the way as I’ve used these effects in my own photography but during that time I’ve been tweaking, analyzing processes and working on new ideas. Today I wrapped up a bunch of loose ends and came to realize this update is loaded with freshness.
There’s six brand new presets in this set, but more than that there’s a large list of tweaks and refinements on existing effects, that make them look better and become more versatile. So on that note, v1.5 is now officially available.
If you already have CF, check your inbox for the free update email. If you don’t see it, shoot me an email, effects@seimstudios.com and I’ll hook you up. If you don’t have them what are you waiting for. Color Fantasies will change the way you look at color manipulation. Check them out here. There’s over 60 presets in this set, but here’s a quick look at a few of the new effects v1.5.
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: 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.
Power Worklfow v3 has finally arrived, representing three total years of LR study and experimentation since this all started. I’m really excited. I feel they set a standard for workflow presets that fit just about any situation you could possibly need. You can see the details, video, samples etc, on the PW3 info page.
As always, I wanted to post up a freebie sample pack so readers can get some goodies and a small taste of what in store inside my latest collection. Below you’ll find a download with 8 presets from Power Worklfow3, including Super Hero2 and my new LOTR effect. The full collection has more than 75 presets, so if like them there’s lots more where these came from. Download and enjoy… Gav
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.
See the original here.
