JD750 Loc: SoCal

Indeed competition is good for the customers!

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Thanks for the input! I hadn't heard of BeFunky before. Looking it over, it is pretty cool and has many of the creative features that Topaz Labs Studio 2 has; however, it is online based, which I assume means that standalone and plugin capability aren't supported. I'm not personally interested in online only based applications.

rwm283main Loc: Terryville, CT

I took a look at BeFunky today (7 day free trail) and it definitely had what I was looking for by being able to convert my original bird photo into something a bit more artistic for an informational card I plan to create for a wildlife sanctuary.
What other software can create this sort of result?
Hope this might be something the original poster might want to look into.
Rich

Before

(Download)


(Download)

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Nice result, Rich!

Yes, I was impressed when I looked at BeFunky and would be interested if it worked as a standalone and plugin. I does appear to have a lot of Studio 2's capability. I can do similar things with Studio 2. I did a quick edit with Studio 2. Taking a bit more time, I could probably get closer to your result.

dannac Loc: 60 miles SW of New Orleans

Here's a try with Jixpix Spectral Art as plugin to PS CS6.

(Download)

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

I've looked at JixiPix and I'm impressed with all the plugin options. It reminds me of where Topaz Labs was several years ago with all their individual plugins before combining into one application, photoFXlab first, then Studio, and finally Studio 2. One of the things I'm not seeing with JixiPix is the ability to layer, mask, and blend within the program. Studio 2 allows me to pick and choose various effects from across their entire creative library and apply them in various layers with different blending/opacities and masked to different photographic areas, and then be able to tweak them as needed until happy with the result. I can also save the project to refine later if desired. So far, I'm not finding a single solution to duplicate all of Studio 2's capability, though there are some promising alternatives that have been suggested. Over the next few months, I hope to trial some options and see what is most reasonable to me, and hopefully make a decision that can take advantage of potential holiday discounts and sales. FYI, this is a Studio 2 result that is similar to the JixiPix version you provide.

bobfitz Loc: Kendall-Miami, Florida

I have been an Adobe Photoshop user since 1992 and several years ago added Adobe Lightroom to the mix. I also use the Nik collection of creative filters and so far, I haven't felt a need for anything else. I will say, there is a learning curve involved but totally worth the time and effort. Adobe offers a subscription which includes Photoshop and Lightroom for only about $10.00 per month. That's about equal to one trip to Starbucks and maybe even less.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Bob

rwm283main Loc: Terryville, CT

I like this version that you created using Studio 2. I took a look at Topaz Labs website and it’s quite confusing with all their offerings. What product would I choose to create what you’ve done?

I apologize for taking over this conversation since you’re the one initially asking for suggestions. I hope that you’re able to get some advice from these postings. Rich

dannac Loc: 60 miles SW of New Orleans

Looks very good !

dannac Loc: 60 miles SW of New Orleans

Topaz Studio for your operating system

https://topazlabs.com/downloads/

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Well over a decade ago I had and used the Nik collection before I moved over to Topaz Labs. Besides their tools, I liked Topaz "free updates for life" policy and wanted to reward them with my business. That went away over two years ago, along with their commitment to creative tools, Studio 2 specifically. My loyalty to them was more than their loyalty to their customers. I'll look at Nik more closely again to see where it overlaps with Studio 2.

I plan to do a trial with the Adobe tools to seriously evaluate. My impression is that Adobe is continually improving and adding creative capability, though they probably aren't yet caught up to what's available with third-party software, given that MeredithImages and other creative photographers that use the Adobe offerings still use Studio 2, JixiPix and other creative tools to fill Adobe gaps. At some point Adobe might be all encompassing, and I don't want to end up in a situation again where software and support is discontinued. Adobe will likely continue on for some time.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

If you do trial Dynamic Auto Painter, there are several presets that produce similar effects to the bird. Among them, Carver, Graphic Novel, and Azo.

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

I appreciate your discussion and don't consider it taking over my topic, but more of a refinement in discussion.

Yes, Topaz Labs can be confusing with their offerings as they are very specialized in their approach now. Studio 2 is a nice tool, though it still crashes frequently for me, and has inconsistent idiosyncrasies to work around. According to my recent communication with Topaz Labs they will make Studio 2 legacy software soon, though they don't elaborate how soon. So, I can't recommend it knowing that it could stop working on future operating systems or hardware configurations without any vendor support. Thus, my desire to find a comparable solution before that happens.

I'm glad you like my recent version of your photo. You are welcome to have it if you desire.

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Here's the link to actually buy it, though, as I've said, I don't recommend it given it's supposed to become legacy software soon.

https://topazlabs.com/studio/

mrgarci Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Thanks for the input! I'm very interested in DAP. It seems to have lots of great creative options. Also, MeredithImages uses it, and she also uses the Adobe suite and Studio 2, so it has additional value, to her at least.