Artistic imagery with Topaz Simplify...

With Topaz Labs Simplify, you get to be an artist creating beautiful imagery that blends the line between photograph and painting! With Simplify, you have quite a few choices for artistic effects such as my favorite, the traditional Buzsim which softens an image creating a painterly look, along with Cartoon, Sketch and more.

Here's a tip:  In the layers palette, right click on the layer and choose Convert to Smart Object. This sets up the layer with a layer mask, which allows you to brush in any details, and lets you go back to the filter interface if you want to alter the filter effects.

Thank you to over 1000 great photographers that have signed up for todays webinar!  I'm excited to share some photos and ideas, and I hope you'll be inspired by the very cool and creative plugin, Topaz Labs Simplify!

PS - Coupon code deborahsandidge for anything Topaz Labs!

Create a colorful sketch effect with your photos...

Want to create a fast and easy colorful sketch effect without breaking out the Prismacolor pencils? You can use Topaz Labs Simplify for an artistic rendition of your original image. Mouse over, or hover the stylus over the image above to see the before and after images.  To vary the look of the sketch effect, duplicate the filter layer, change the blend mode, and adjust the opacity to suit your image. I used a blend mode of Overlay with the photo above, or you can leave the image as is for a more pastel look. I'll show you how to do this in my upcoming webinar on March 25, I hope you can join the fun, follow this link to register! ~ Deb

Creating Painterly Effects with Topaz Simplify - Upcoming Webinar...

Topaz Simplify offers the photographer an artist's palette of creativity. With so many artistic filter effects available at your fingertips you can create beautiful imagery with a hand painted look. For example, this beach scene was given a watercolor look through one of the easy to use presets in Topaz Simplify. You can also give your image an oil painted look, sketched with colored pencil look, or choose from any of the presets to use as a springboard for your own creativity.

In my Topaz Simplify webinar, I'll show you how to create artistic effects that blur the line between photograph and painting. I'll give you ideas on how to create a variety of artistic looks that you can easily recreate with your own images.  Please join me for this informative and fun webinar on Friday March 25 at  5:00 EST, click here to register, and I hope to see you there!  Make great pictures! ~ Deb

PS - Follow this link anything Topaz, you can use coupon code deborahsandidge, or download a trial version to see how Topaz can work for you.

How to create a textured look with Topaz Clean...

Topaz Clean can create very cool textured effects with an image! The photo above is a composite of an HDR image of the warbird with a fisheye lens, combined with a photo of clouds. To add a textured look, I used Topaz Clean, which added the wavy bendy detail throughout the image without the need for a separate texture layer and blend mode. Try Curly Smooth, which is one of my favorite presets! 

In case you missed it, here is a link to my webinar on Creating an HDR look with a single image! Certain subjects present a real challenge with HDR, especially people. Using a single image for an HDR look is often an easy solution. The webinar was a lot of fun to do, and I hope you enjoy it!  If you like classic cars, you are in luck! Classic cars are a passion of mine, and I have a couple of ideas you may be interested in. Thanks to those who signed on, I appreciate it very much! Try a little creativity with with your image, and feel free to use coupon code DEBORAHSANDIDGE for everything Topaz!

Create an HDR look with cool classic cars and more! Topaz Adjust Webinar this Wednesday...

If you hail a taxi in Cuba, it's likely to be of the 1950's American Classic Car variety, such as the car above. These cars have such great personality! I like making pictures of these old cars by using a wide angle lens and getting in close and at eye level with the headlights. The lower angle accentuates the cars best features, and gives it more character. Capturing a little background gives the car a sense of place, adding another layer of interest to the photo.

I have just as much fun photographing old cars, as I do enhancing them in Photoshop! With this photo, I created an artistic HDR look with a single image. This is super easy to do with Topaz Adjust. You can create an illustrative or realistic HDR look with a single photo of just about anything! Cars, architecture, landscapes and even people photos can be enhanced with an HDR look. I'll be happy to share with you a few ideas for HDR look creativity with a variety of subjects. Follow this link to join me for an informative and fun webinar on Topaz Adjust this Wednesday, February 23 at 3 CST!  You can use code DEBORAHSANDIDGE for anything Topaz. See you there!