Digital evening report - The onOne Plug-in Suite
Brothers Andy and Doug Campbell from onOne arrived slightly flustered due to severe hold-ups on the M6 but they soon setup and with Doug manning the PC, Andy presented an overview of the various applications that make up the onOne Plug-in Suite.
Starting with MaskPro, Andy explained how easy it is to create selections from tricky images, such as those that contain hair or shear fabrics, by using a combination of 'Keep' and 'Drop' colours. He then demonstrated that the selection can be viewed in a number of ways, such as against the standard Photoshop 'chequer-board' or as a mask. The audience was particularly impressed by the ease with which the selection of a near transparent ballerina dress was made.
Andy then moved on to show how FocalPoint can be used to control blur within a photo, with different degrees of feather, or to add grain or vignette effects. Andy pointed out that these changes are non-destructive as when the change is applied a new Photoshop layer is automatically created.
Print enlargement was then demonstrated via GenuineFractals, as part of this a file size was increased 1000% whilst still retaining detail. A tiling option was shown that would allow such a large file to be printed on a standard-sized printer, with user-specified overlaps between each element. A sharpen option is also available if required.
Andy then had fun showing some of the effects available from within PhotoTools, in the process demonstrating the various search options available. Multiple effects can be applied to the same image and each one can be tailored with fade and masking options. A combination of effects could then be saved as a 'pre-set' for later use. Further pre-sets can also be down-loaded from the onOne website.
Finally, Andy showed the multiple framing and adornment options available via PhotoFrame. Again, multiple frames can be applied to the same image.
After tea, Andy reviewed the pricing structure of the various plug-ins and which versions of Photoshop etc. they work with. He then demonstrated that using the Plug-ins via Lightroom (currently) requires Photoshop CS whereas Aperture does not. For Elements users there is a cut-down version of the Plug-ins known as 'Essentials'.
Following requests, Andy demonstrated some selection 'tricks' that he uses. When selecting from a complicated image he suggested concentrating on those areas that are difficult to select using standard Photoshop selection techniques and to consider using multiple Keep/Drop palettes, as this will reduce over-all processing time (as defining large numbers of colours can significantly impact response times). He also suggested reviewing the Help files within the various Plug-ins as these contain useful tips. The onOne web site also has Tutorials that maybe worth viewing.
Proposing the vote of thanks, Roger Dye thanked Andy and Doug for an engrossing presentation and praised the way the two brothers had worked so well together. He felt that even Barry had learnt something from the evenings event.