New suggestions to PhotoWiz Plugins

General discussions ColorWasher, FocalBlade, LightMachine, B/W Styler and ContrastMaster
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DDR
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New suggestions to PhotoWiz Plugins

Post by DDR »

I would like to create a new theme in the Forum, where the users could post their suggestions how to make the PhotoWiz Applications better, in the further versions. To start this movement, I make this post within "PhotoWiz General".

My suggestion now concerns BW Styler and Contrast Master. When working with the applications, I merely move the required sliders to left and right because I know in exact that I like to get (and keep it in mind). The sliders and parameters are many. Each creative photographer keeps his/her own unique combinations of the parameters (presets), which make his/her photo arts to be having the unique style. But this style of work is not true for the mass-people who are the majority of the users (and the buyers of the software). Mass people changes the sliders manually in only a minor part. I watched this is many cases: the people click on the presets in the available list, then fix the desired preset, then (maybe) change something of the parameters.

In Colour Styler this option is easy and comfortable, due to the "visual" list of the presets, and these presets are many (I did not count how many, but maybe five or more dozens). In BW Styler we now have 16 presets, while Contrast Master has 11 only, and they all are not "visual". Namely, -- to see what is the preset, the BW Styler and Contrast Master user needs to apply the preset first. Then -- discard the change if unsatisfied (or apply another preset, with an unknown result).

I now explain, in brief, why I write this post. This post was inspired not only by the recent newsletter of Harald Heim, but mostly by the last two-months debates about Topaz Clarity -- the new Topaz plugin which seems to be the main competitor of PhotoWiz Contrast Master (they have the same purpose). I also tested Topaz Clarity. I found that Topaz Clarity capitulates to Contrast Master in the development quality of the images: Topaz Clarity makes the "knock out" of highlights, in many places of the images due to the bad rule of the adaptive contrast, and has a poor splitting of the dynamic contrast and the micro-contrast. (Also, there are many other badness such as the slow work etc.) PhotoWiz Contrast Master does all these changes very gentle, and I never had the "knocking out" of the highlights. Meanwhile, the large list of the visual presets available in Topaz Clarity makes it very, very attractive to the mass people who like photography, but are not experienced with the manual settings because photography is only an occasional hobby for them (but they purchase the software as well)... The same is true about BW Styler -- the No.1 BW photography device for the professional photographers.

So... the mass people needs the visual presets in BW Styler and Contrast Master. Alike that we now have in Colour Styler. And the list of the presets should be large, very large, as large as possible. With such a change, PhotoWiz Apps would attract many, many amateur photographers who are fans of photography but are not much experienced with the manual settings because they do photography on occasion.

I also would like the presets (despite I prefer manual settings), at least to extend the basic BW and contrast schemes for the further development.

I also hope that, if the changes will be done in the new versions of Contrast Master, it will still start with the current settings of the dynamic/adaptive/local contrast which seems to be the very universal as a basis for further corrections.

I hope this helps.

HaraldHeim
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Re: New suggestions to PhotoWiz Plugins

Post by HaraldHeim »

Thanks for your suggestions and detailed explanation! Version 2 of BWStyler will have the same visual presets as ColorStyler.

I will also consider them for ContrastMaster 2, but the thumbnails would have to be quite large to see the subtle differences, which could mean that rendering the thumbnails could be a bit slow.

DDR
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Re: New suggestions to PhotoWiz Plugins

Post by DDR »

Add-on. What presets people like to have? On my observation. They like not mere separate film, grain, and others, but something alike "designer presets" which join a particular film, a particular vignette, a development scheme (a particular set of diffusion, ND filter, highlight glow, etc.), a contrast scheme, a colour toning. I explain. Then talking about the presets, many photographers tell: "ah-h-h, what the perfect designer presets provided by DxO FilmPack!!!". In fact, these FilmPack designer presets are nothing but only the combinations of the film, grain, contrast, glow, vignetting and the others. They are "perfect" only because the combinations -- the presets -- were created by a really creative photographer who has a perfect art perception. I do not know wherefrom such "designer presets" can be taken but the presence of suchcombined "designer presets" in BW Styler and Colour Styler would be very, very appreciated by each single professional photographer.

I repeat, I mean not film presets which combine the particular film and grain emulation (the film presets of Colour Styler and BW Styler are much more precise than those of FilmPack), but the designer presets alike those of DxO FilmPack. aving similar designer presets in BW Styler and Colour Styler would rise PhotoWiz up to the new level of excellence. (This is not a biggest secret that DxO company advertised the new FilmPack 4 as that containing much more the "designer presets" than the version 3 earlier. "More designer presets -- more money to the company via the selling of the new versions of Filmack"; it seems to be their policy.)
HaraldHeim wrote:...Version 2 of BWStyler will have the same visual presets as ColorStyler...
I will also consider them for ContrastMaster 2, but the thumbnails would have to be quite large ... that rendering the thumbnails could be a bit slow.
That's very good. Even if Contrast Master will slow down. Think: Topaz Clarity is slow as a turtle, but mass people purchase it due to the preset list.

Waiting for the updates software !!!

HaraldHeim
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Re: New suggestions to PhotoWiz Plugins

Post by HaraldHeim »

Thanks for your excellent feedback! I will try to come up with more appealing presets!

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