As a rule, I'm not big on Photoshop add-ons... except sometimes when they're free. Especially when they're free.
OptikVerve's "Virtual Photographer" is free and fun. You can do all kinds of wacky stuff to your digital images with this program. Did I mention it's free? It is.
A bunch of you might already be familiar with Virtual Photographer--it's been around for years--but, if you're not, you might want to surf over to OptikVerve's site and download it. Once you've installed it into the right Adobe PS folder it'll be there, under your "Filters" pull-down menu, waiting for you and it to play.
The image at the top is Monica. Monica's from down-under and is always a hoot to work with. I shot this pic of Monica yesterday. For the most part, I lit it like I was in a studio only I wasn't... in a studio that is. Fortunately, A/C outlets were only a few feet away. I would really love it if, everywhere I went, there were A/C outlets just waiting for me to plug my lights into. You know, like at the beach, the desert, the mountains, some back-alley in the city. Sure, there's photographic lighting products I could buy that are battery powered but I'm sick of spending money on more gear. And then there's the Strobist approach which is cool for some applications. But why can't they just install A/C outlets everywhere? Then I could use what I already own wherever I might be whenever I felt inclined to do so.
The image on the left is processed the way I'd normally process the image in Photoshop. The image on the right was processed with Virtual Photographer using their B&W conversion plus some added effects. I probably could have achieved the same effect using what's routinely available in PS but this was quicker and easier.
So, if you want to have some fun and (easily and efficiently) apply some wacky effects to your images, try downloading Virtual Photographer and have at it. (Sorry Mac people, Virtual Photographer is only available for PC users.)
3 comments:
You don't need more lighting gear, JimmyD. Just get yourself a good 12v deep cycle RV or Marine battery (like Optima or Lifeline, for example), a three-stage charger, and a true (AKA pure) sine wave inverter capable of producing the watts you need, and you're good to go.
I use my White Lightning gear as well as whatever Calumet has for rent with no problem. In the desert, we take our camper, which has enough battery juice to last for a three-day weekend full of all-day shoots using studio AC mono-lights.
Lighting companies rip off photographers by making them think they need special (read: expensive) lights for locations without AC hookups. That's just BS.
woot free stuff.
but i like your post processing more.
Gotta agree. OptikVerve is a nifty tool. I've used it often.
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