ColorFlow has arrived. The most complete color presets toolkit available for Aperture users and a perfect complement to LightFlow for Aperture. You can learn more and watch the video here. Below is the official press details and media kit available for download.
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Seim Effects Introduces ColorFlow – Offers More Than Sixty Color Effect Presets for Photographers Using Apple Aperture
Color Alchemy for Aperture – ColorFlow is a presets collection dedicated to flexible beautiful color. Designed to help photographers deliver outstanding work by allowing them to focus more on creativity and less on the science of color.
Soap Lake, WA (March 27, 2013) – Seim Effects Photo Tools has introduced ColorFlow, its newest creative preset collection engineered by Award-winning photographer Gavin Seim. These new color-only presets have been created specifically for photographers who use Apple® Aperture® software in their digital photography workflow.
For maximum flexibility, the ColorFlow presets collection organizes more than sixty presets across 5 categories of color tools: Essential Color, Color Story, Film Inspired, Hollywood Cinema and Color Toners. The ColorFlow collection allows photographers to deliver very subtle or bold image variations. For even greater control, users can mix and blend color effects for desired mood or visual theme, all while leveraging the power of Apple Aperture software.
Seim Effects is all about quality tools, education and service. Gavin’s complete editing collections and video workshops are second to none. But there’s also lots of freebies to get you started. You’ll find them all the freebies category of the blog, but this list represents many popular freebies in one place. You can get a lot of good editing tools for free, starting right here. Enjoy.
That’s all for now, but I’ll continue to update this list, so stay tuned. You can also check the freebies category of the blog for the latest free goodies. Enjoy… Gavin Seim
by Gavin Seim: There’s info and videos on each product page, but I wanted do a quick overview of how you can use tools in great photo workflow and how Seim Effects collections fit into that. Having your workflow nailed down makes all the difference in creative efficiency. Whether you’re using Seim Effects or other tools, these concepts will be similar. I should also note that every collection I make is unique. Tools are not duplicates across more than one set. Each is a unique focused collection.
So lets start with our original file. A creative efficient editing plan needs a foundation. That generally starts with presets. They seem simple, but great presets are fast, powerful, essential tools that give you control. For a step by step look at my workflow check out this article, The Super Workflow. For now lets look at the SE preset lineup, an elegant collection of powerful tools.
These days most good processing starts with a RAW editor such as LR or Aperture. PW3 is my flagship collection of presets for LR and it’s generally where I start. For Apple Aperture you’ll want Lightflow. Both of these are a core. They have a bit of everything from workflow and automation presets to color blending tools, black and white conversions and detail enhancement tools.
Both refined collections stem from years of editing experience and user raves speak for them. Whatever your skill level, if you buy one editing toolkit ever, these are your ticket. These collections will help you be more creative, allowing you to mix, match and tweak to your hearts content, while saving you countless hours. (At the moment Lightflow is our only presets collection available for Aperture).
Color Fantasies (LR 1-4) – Any photography type, wedding and portrait.
CF is an extension of color. Going beyond basics and into deeper color twists, blends and hues. There’s some of this on PW3, but if you love creative color you’ll want CF. It’s all right here, a complete color effects collection.
Color Fantasies is classy, with a vast array of color tools. From vintage processes, baby tools, cross process effects and more. Complicated color mixes that will take your color to new levels.
Silver Shadows 2 (LR 1-4) – Any photography type, black and white.
Silver Shadows 2 marks a new generation for black and white conversions. Precluding the need for plugins and external tools, SS2 puts powerful silver conversions a click away and allows you to mix, match and blend tones to get stunning black and white’s, while retaining the delicate quality of your original RAW file.
If you love black and white, you need Silver Shadows. PW3 has a selection of basic silver conversion tools. But Silver Shadows 2 is a system for stunning black and white right inside Lightroom.
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So that’s presets. A workflow foundation. Now we come to refining local edits in Photoshop is similar editors. And they should not be forgotten. Often people stop at the RAW edit, but the refined edit is often what separates the men from the boys, making an image really sing. It’s that finishing touch that the best images always get.
Naked Elements is a complete texture collection in one pack. You buy one set and you get them all. Textures allow you to subtly overlay a texture image over your main piece, letting your base image be enhanced by the texture from the overlay (it’s better seen that described, so visit the product page). NE includes high res texture files that can be quickly applied in Photoshop using the included actions, or in just about any other photo editor that allows layers. You can even apply them from LR using a plugin like Perfect Layers. NE is
Naked Elements is a single collection that includes images of everything from fire, to water, to stone, to my favorite, real images of documents that are centuries old. The NE parchments textures are like nothing else and something that makes NE stand out like no other.
One of my first effects collections and one that’ been revised and refined over the years. Creative Essentials is a collection of Photoshop effects that digs into areas you can’t do with a RAW editor.
There’s some essential corrections in CE, along with sharpening tools, powerful fantasy, tonal and glow effects and more. Actions are the perfect way to take a great image and make it something more. In Creative Essentials it’s a little about workflow and a little about finishing touches.
Deep second generation finishing. HE2 is a collection of creative Photoshop actions that once again bring simplicity to complexity. It’s filled with tools for image effects, glows and in particular skin corrections.
Automated skin smoothing that would normally require a plugin can be done with quality and speed in HE2. Glows and fantasy effects that are not possible in a raw editor.
HE2 is a customizable effects mix that any wedding or portrait photographer won’t want to be without.
I’ve been refining a new effect for a gentle warm sunset feel. This result is something that may well find it’s way into my Color Fantasies and Lightflow collections in the future, but I thought it would make a great freebie for you readers today.
It was interesting making the same effect side by side in both LR and Aperture.I don’t plan to do that with everything, as both my Lightroom and Aperture preset collection have their own effects that suit the tools available in each. But it was a good challenge to use the varying tools of both applications for the same effect. While their not identical, the preset should run very close on a RAW file in Lightroom or in Aperture. Cross platform. Oh yea.
This effect is gentle. Well suited for pictorial or portrait work, where a warm gentle process is needed. It’s meant to be used like a summer breeze. Not sharp, but not dull. Not too hot, but enough to make you smile. I really like it and I hope you will too. Below is a quick example of what the preset does. You can download it via the link. Enjoy… Gavin Seim
