The The Lamppost After
The Post After
The Post Before
3 Houses Before
“ I have tried out almost every Photoshop plug-in I can find. Many are useless; and some are useful as they can simplify making complex adjustments. And then there are those that change the way you think, inspire you to take your photography in a new direction. For me Photocopy is one of those inspirations.”
The The Lamppost Before
The Flower Before and After
Review: Digital Film Tools PhotoCopy
Teton Barn, Grand Tetons National Park -
To achieve the painterly colors of this image PhotoCopy was used twice one after another with two different presets. Further post processing of saturating, and dodging and burning was done in Photoshop. Mouse over image to see original.
Morning Snow
Background
PhotoCopy is a plug-in for Photoshop, Elements, Lightroom, and Aperature. It also can be used for video with After Effects, Final Cut Pro, and other video editing software. Check Digital Film Tools website for compatibility. By the way PhotoCopy is also available for IPhone. As a landscape still photographer, this review will talk about my experience using it with Photoshop and Lightroom.
We have been using Digital Film Tools 55mm (now marketed under the Tiffen Dfx name) for several years. We find their plug-ins eminently useful, powerful, and easy to use.
The Three Chairs-
In the original image the bright hot colors in the top of the image dominated, drawing attention away from the subject. The PhotoCopy transformation by use of the Gum Bichromate preset eliminates the color distractions, and notice how the texture adds to the old world look. Mouse over image to see original.
Intro
As a digital fine art photographer I am not so much concerned about producing a perfect replication of reality, reality is way overrated. What I want is my image to have that certain look or feel that can move me emotionally. My inspiration comes from movies, paintings, and traditional photographic processes, exactly what Digital Film Tools PhotoCopy simulates. You can choose from 94 Academy Award nominated movies, 72 paintings, 40 photographs, and 30 historical photographic processes. Photo copy will replicate the color, tone, and brightness onto your image. The texture, grain, and detail can also be simulated.
Interface
I installed PhotoCopy without issues. It installed both in Photoshop and in Lightroom. The interface is first rate. It is easy to navigate and use. It can be resized all the way to full screen. The preview is large and can be zoomed in for detail. The image can be split to before and after views or two smaller separate images.
The five preset categories; Movies, Paintings, Photographs, Processes, and Custom are tabbed on the left side. Within each category the presets are named and have thumbnail images. The thumbnails are a huge part of the functionally and easy of use of PhotoCopy. They allow you to easily and quickly scan the presets for the color and tonality you desire.
Each preset has Parameters that can be adjusted to taste. The Parameters are on the right side of the screen.
The Color Parameter has three sliders, Brightness Match, Color, and Tone. Brightness Match and Color behave in a similar manner. When at 100% the brightness and color from the preset are being fully replicated in your image. When they are at 0% your original image is not being changed. It really is as simple as moving the sliders until you get the look you want. The Tone slider reacts differently. As the slider is moved to the right, the image is changed to a duo-tone from the two dominant colors in the image.
The Texture Parameter has three sliders, Detail Match, Grain, and Texture. The Detail Match will either sharpen or de-sharpen your image to match the preset. The Grain slider will add a film like grain to your image. The Texture can add texture that is representative of that of the original preset. I found myself tweaking these sliders more than the Color Parameters. Too strong a setting might look over the top, but used in moderation the addition of grain and texture can render an old world artistic character that is dramatic.
The last Parameter, Vignette, can be used as a finishing touch. Painters have long used gently darkening the edges to draw the viewer’s eye into the image.
Remember the Tree
PhotoCopy was used to add a painters color palette and texture.
In Use
PhotoCopy is easy to use and results can be striking. For best results choose a preset that has similar color families to your image. This is easy as the presets all have a small thumbnail image that gives an idea of its color and tone. PhotoCopy does not make up color; it can only change a color in your image if a similar color family exists in the preset.
I would suggest using Photo Copy towards the end of your workflow, after making your major tonal and color corrections. Keep in mind that the Parameters of Color, Texture, and Vignette are all separate and each can applied or not applied to an image.
Conclusion
I must confess I am software junky. I have tried out almost every Photoshop plug-in I can find. Many are useless; and some are useful as they can simplify making complex adjustments. And then there are those that change the way you think, inspire you to take your photography in a new direction. For me PhotoCopy is one of those inspirations. From now on when I am out taking pictures I will be looking for images that I can use PhotoCopy’s light, color, and texture enhancements on. For my style of fine art landscapes, I favor the “Paintings” presets for color work, and the “Photographs” and “Processes” presets for converting color images to black and white.
By the way not all images will benefit from PhotoCopy, as with Photoshop and post processing in general, nothing works all the time on all images. But who would want that anyway, photography is about freedom of creation of expression. Photo Copy is a great means toward that end.
Enjoy,
Mike and Tammy Rice