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Review: Commercial filters worth looking at for portraits!

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
My previous reactions to canned filters has been negative, as they can often produce cartoonish exagerations, but in truth, there are some filters that are worthy of consideration, especially if your photograph is to be used to illustrate a magazine article.

So I've taken one of my recent pictures of Jessica in New York and processed the image in Adobe Camera Raw and then in either Nik or Topaz filter sets, available commercially for a modest price.


I could start with Capture One but here, I've used Adobe Camera as the starting point as that's pretty much available for most people. (If you're holding back, Adobe is offering a great deal on Lightroom + Photoshop CS6 until December 2cd 2013. It's a lease for 1 year at a bargain price!).

_MG_8183_Adobe Camera RAWONLY.jpg


Asher Kelman: Jessica Civvies #1

New York November 2013


Adobe Camera Raw Only



Here one gets a great start for a bright, neutrally colored presentation, to which one might normally consider adding one's favorite touches. However, within just a minute of the Nik plugin one can get any of a variety of presentations which are impressive. They can be customized according to the content of the picture. Here they are used with the "factory settings":


_MG_8183 N_BlackGold.jpg


Asher Kelman: Jessica Civvies #1

New York November 2013


Adobe Camera Raw, then NIK Black Gold



_MG_8183_N_Bleached Portrait.jpg


Asher Kelman: Jessica Civies #1

New York November 2013


Adobe Camera Raw, then NIK bleached Portrait



Interestingly, Topaz filters come in a very similar presentation and are just as easy to use. Here's just one of the many options for portraits. This particular rendering seems very effective here, but will not work for all pictures.


_MG_8183_Topaz Gritty 2.jpg


Asher Kelman: Jessica Civvies #1

New York November 2013


Adobe Camera Raw, then Topaz Gritty 2



We also have to consider the pretty amazing program by Anthropics, Portrait Professional Studio. It uses measurements of many classical beautiful/handsome faces, entices us to add markers to delineate the corners of the eyes, eyebrows, tip of the nose, edges of the lips and then applies a gezillion of "optimized" corrections that although minor and don't take away one's ability to readily recognize that person, shows them as far more glamorous than they are in person.

To use this arrogant tool effectively, it must be applied with the utmost caution and most sparingly or else one departs from the train station to irrevocable disservice to normal folk. It's one thing to clean up skin texture and fade wrinkles, but changing the shape of the eyes, jaw and face can be seriously sick!

It all depends on your POV, of course, but my advice is to use this for mostly skin texture and brightening the iris and eyes, not resculpting a new person. I present these for your opinions on how usable these tools might be for you.


_MG_8183_Portrait Professional.jpg


Asher Kelman: Jessica Civvies #1

New York November 2013


Adobe Camera Raw, then Anthropics "Portrait Professional Studio"


Add your opinions on these tools and how I've used them here.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Let me add a helpful hint for using Portrait Professional. One can opt out of sculpting and just concentrate on making the very best of the skin, eyes, hair, lighting, tone, texture, distribution of skin coloration, highlights and so forth without altering the shape of the eyes an face or the height off the neck!

Of course, you can, if you wish make tiny adjustments, but I would try my best not to do that as we depart from the truth more and more until we are really lying!

Asher
 
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