What's your experience with Color Efex Pro 3.0

[Guest malland]

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I've been trying out Color Efex and find that, while I like some of the "Film Effects" sometimes, often some of the simulations of colour films increase the saturation of some colours much to much to be usable. I find that the Kodak Elite Chrome simulations is the one that is usable more often than the others. Also, when you have some strong reds and pinks in the file, none of the simulations are usable: for example in the following picture these colors are completely blown out by all the simulations:

 

 

M8.2 | Elmarit-21 ASPH | Wiang Pa Pao

 

 

I guess that the Color Efex film simulations are based on the characteristic colour balance and saturation of various films and if the file contains saturated colours they are pushed way beyond reality very easily.

 

Any one have anythoughts on Color Efex?

 

—Mitch/Chiang Mai

Wiang Pa Pao 2009

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[morbius]

The default settings of the Film Effects module may be too much sometimes, but you can dial down the sensitivity of individual colours (just as you can in Nik's Silver Effex Pro which I highly recommend) and the saturation for each colour to achieve a more subtle and appropriate effect for any given image. You also have access to a tone curve and grain engine to further modify the effect. This degree of adjustment makes SFX3 and SEP extremely flexible and powerful in my view yet not at the expense of becoming overly complex or difficult to use. I wouldn't judge the software on the basis of the default settings alone.

[Guest malland]

Yes, I'm using Silver Efex running under Aperture for all my B&W, which is what I mainly do and am aware of all the adjustments that can be done. With the picture above, however, I could not keep the reds and pinks from blowing out by reducing colour saturations in Colr Efex.

 

—Mitch/Chiang Mai

Wiang Pa Pao 2009

[stunsworth]

I've never used this plug in, but with the colour settings for Alien Skin Exposure I've found that it helps to have a slightly flat original image - a little reduced in contrast in saturation.

 

I'd suggest trying the same conversions you've already tried but with a slightly lower contrast version of the original image than the one you're currently using.

[Jamie Roberts]

Mitch--what do you mean by "blown out?" You mean too saturated for your taste? Or do you mean clipped?

 

When I look at what you posted In PS, the red channel is nothing like "blown;" indeed, none of the channels are clipped.

 

But it could be more saturated than you'd like. That's an easy fix, though, in Color EFEX or in PS; you could easily selectively create less saturation there in any number of ways...

[Guest malland]

Jamie, for the picture I posted above I did not use the Color Efex Film Effects presets: I used Aperture, basically increasing contrast a bit, and adding a touch of grain in the Color Effex Film Grain module.

 

Of course the shot above did not really need Color Efex Film Effects. I was only trying to learn what other people's experience had been with Color Efex. I think that Steve's suggestion from his experience with Alien Skin is be good: for files with some saturated colors, to reduce contrast and perhaps saturation and then try the Color Efex Film Effects. On the other hand, I suppose that Color Efex Film Effects could have been designed with more capability in terms of measuring the saturation of colours and then to apply increases only if the saturation is not beyond a certain point.

 

—Mitch/Chiang Mai

Turks & Caicos - Color

[andybarton]

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These faux-film plug-ins are pretty crude, though, are they not?

 

I think that under the hood they are just scripts that run PS Actions, or the Aperture equivalent, and therefore apply the same boost to the image, regardless of what that image is to start with. It's up to the operator to judge whether the changes are appropriate, because, obviously, software can't make that value judgement, it just does what it's told to do.

[wda]

These faux-film plug-ins are pretty crude, though, are they not?

 

I think that under the hood they are just scripts that run PS Actions, or the Aperture equivalent, and therefore apply the same boost to the image, regardless of what that image is to start with. It's up to the operator to judge whether the changes are appropriate, because, obviously, software can't make that value judgement, it just does what it's told to do.

An interesting conclusion, Andy. In the past I have been tempted by the Alien Skin plug-in but have not succumbed because my volume of such potential conversions would be very low. For the time being I am happy to adjust individual images using LR or PS. However I can see the argument for users who have a regular need for volume conversions.

[Guest malland]

In any case, Silver Efex (for B&W) is much more useful than Color Efex.

 

—Mitch/Chiang Mai

Bangkok Street

[johnwolf]

These faux-film plug-ins are pretty crude, though, are they not?

 

I think that under the hood they are just scripts that run PS Actions, or the Aperture equivalent, and therefore apply the same boost to the image, regardless of what that image is to start with. It's up to the operator to judge whether the changes are appropriate, because, obviously, software can't make that value judgement, it just does what it's told to do.

 

Perhaps I'm less skilled in PS or less experienced in color post work generally, but one of the compelling features of Color Efex and Silver Efex has been to open my eyes to other possibilities. I don't like the notion of randomly applying effects until one looks good. But they do help you explore many alternatives for processing a file -- things you may not have considered. Of course, most of the color effect defaults are bizarrely strong.

 

I really like some of the light toning possibilities in the Colorize effect. And the blurring in a few of the filters is great. Try as I may, I cannot replicate these effects in PS or LR.

 

John

[Guest malland]

...But they do help you explore many alternatives for processing a file -- things you may not have considered...

John, interesting point.

 

—Mitch/Chiang Mai

Wiang Pa Pao 2009