Gene51 wrote:
On1, Topaz and Nik will give you all you need, in a fraction of the time. In fact, using On1, I can create an accurate mask with a woman with wispy hair, where some of the hair is out of focus, in the time it took you to write your tome on masking.
Tony Kuyper, the recognized authority on luminosity masking, has a comprehensive set of masking actions as well. This is not for you, R, because I know how irritated you get when I make these suggestions - but I make them for the normal people out there that neither have the time nor the inclination to reinvent the wheel, and might want a good quality easy to implement solution.
On1, Topaz and Nik will give you all you need, in ... (
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I was recently introduced to Tony Kuyper's luminosity mask actions and PS Plugin panel by a shooting friend and fellow art show photographer. I've just started working through the tutorials, but even at this early stage I can attest to their incredible eloquence, sophistication, and effectiveness. Pretty amazing stuff really. As with many pieces of sophisticated software, to get the best out of Kuyper's creations it does help to brush up on your basic concepts and understanding of selections, masks, and blending modes, as getting the most out of his actions requires going beyond simple button clicks and slider movements. But, Kuyper has done a great job of doing the heavy lifting of building and refining his action sets, and I agree that for those who prefer a ready made tool over creating everything from scratch, I think they will find his creations are well worth investigating.