When it comes to running a successful photography business—or
completing a school assignment to your satisfaction—a proper
workflow process is key. This is especially true for those of us who prefer to do
our own retouching. I was recently introduced to Imagenomic’s Professional
Plug-in Suite consisting of Portraiture 2, Noiseware, and RealGrain. This
group of programs has dramatically improved my workflow, and has possibly
saved my sanity.
As a recent graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle, I remember how there
never seemed to be enough time for all the postproduction work I wanted
to do. I often ended up editing assignments well into the evening for the
next day’s classes, an anxiety-producing habit that continued straight into
my professional career. Now that I’m a pro with tight deadlines and a busy
travel schedule, it is absolutely critical for me to save time whenever possible.
Imagenomic’s suite—especially my favorite plug-in, Portraiture 2—does that
amazingly well.
Though my work is conceptual in nature, its creative and aesthetic aspects
are its main selling points for my clients. Getting the right lighting, skin
tones, and color balance is essential. At first, I was skeptical about a plug-in
that would take a certain amount of control away from me, especially when
it came to skin retouching. But after using the software to retouch images
from a couple of shoots, I became a true believer. Even though Imagenomic’s
software provides every creative control I could want, I’ve found the default
settings so accurate that I end up tweaking them only on rare occasions.
Usually, it’s one click and I’m done—no kidding!
The soft mask that Portraiture applies does not take away from the natural
look of the model, yet it saves incredible amounts of time that I would
otherwise spend with
patch and clone tools, in
addition to endless layers
and countless brushes.
At right is an example
of what I was able to
achieve using Portraiture
2 with a single click in
the software’s default
mode. At this point, I
can make adjustments if
I want to just by using
the sliders.
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For noise
reduction,
I have yet to
find better
software than
Imagenomic’s
Noiseware
plug-in. Once
again, Noiseware
gives me all
the control
and Custom
Preferences I
want, but I’ve
found its default
setting to be
outstanding. The image above shows the results of applying Noiseware’s
default setting. It dramatically reduces noise without degrading the
quality of the image itself. Being able to reduce noise so effectively with
the software gives me tremendous latitude with my lighting, especially in
situations where I want to use natural light or in low-light environments
where I’m unable to use strobes.
The third element of the Imagenomic suite, RealGrain, not only enables
me to "convert" my digital images into photos with grain structures that
mimic my favorite silver-halide based films, but also offers numerous special
effects. I find the program especially effective with monochromatic portraits.
Imagenomic’s software tools operate as plug-ins to popular image editing
applications. The Professional Plug-in Suite is designed to extend the power
of Adobe Photoshop, including the Creative Suite series and Elements. New
Imagenomic product extensions, starting with Portraiture, are being released
for use within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture. They fit in
very intuitively with the workflows of these major tools of the trade, providing
added power, flexibility, and creative control.
Following the latest trends and technologies related to workflow processes
has been one of the most important ways I’ve found to improve my skills and
provide a high-quality product for my clients. And incorporating advanced
imaging software into my workflow has saved me hours in the postproduction
process. That allows me to spend more time shooting and promoting my
business—ultimately increasing the revenues I earn.
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