Notes And Modifiers
You might think because the program is based on Actions that it’s a push-button
affair, one that takes any creativity out of your hands. Not so, as you often
get little notes during the running of the script, or are offered sliders and
modifiers along the way. And because it’s in Layers you can modify the
image as you desire using Layer Masks and Opacity controls. Here’s a photo
of a peacock made with an Olympus EVOLT E-330 D-SLR (below) that was converted
to black and white using the Black and White Glow Action (top right). I then
added a Layer Mask to the Layer that included the effect and painted back toward
the color in certain areas, just to prove you can do it (below).
|
 |
 |
Little Love Notes
One of the endearing qualities of this set of Actions (if a program can be endearing)
are the little notes and comments that occasionally find their way to your screen.
It gives you a sense that you’re involved with a person and not just a
robot Action setup. This one is typical.
More Than Just “Special” Effects
While there are plenty of tricks and treats in these Actions, some just plain
make an image look better. For this photo of the Chama River Valley in the fall
made with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 D-SLR I simply added the Vibrant Glow Action
and then played a bit with brightness areas using an Adjustment Layer and Screen
Blending mode, then used a Layer Mask to paint back the sky. In other words,
the Kubota Image Tools work very nicely in the Photoshop flow, and do not dominate
or intrude on your creative steps.
| 
