HDR projects, the Platinum

The best HDR program in at all?

HDR developed Platinum projects the most complicated is German HDR app I've ever seen, feature-complete. It is advanced more than FDRTools advanced and provides more control than Photomatix Pro, but one is missing: manual image alignment.

The workflow is simple and easy enough. The app imports JPEGs, a large number of RAW file formats, the Hasselblad files and HDR images. After importing, there is color space, white balance, and a few cooking settings you specify. If the images were imported, your images in square brackets in a left column with the process weight and exposure controls appear. You can create faux HDR images by creating "synthetic" images from an existing. You can quickly start presets.

HDR projects Platinum comes with seven HDR algorithms, 51 post processing of presets that combined and adapted, spirit can be reduced and Halo removal, and an expert mode with five tone mapping algorithms and 46 photo filters, arranged in six categories. In addition, you can change the weight of the image areas by painting, a very powerful features with a bit of a steep learning curve.

The application has built in intelligence that on several levels, starting with image alignment. However this is not always perfectly work and a manual image alignment is not available. HDR projects Platinum has remove a perfect system for Halo and ghost.

The possibilities to convert up to 18 pictures in HDR image are dazzling. An example is that you can combine HDR tone mapping algorithms, or applying the same algorithm multiple. Effects are highly configurable, with easy-to-use sliders and image manipulators.

Company: Franzis Verlag GmbH
Price: £99.99
Web: www.hdr-projects.com
Review: 4.5
Hot:  Controls; endless creative possibilities; Batch mode
No:  Horrible user guide; No manual alignment of the image

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Tips - Illustration tips: Hand-drawn & painted projects

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

There’s a certain something that marks out an amazing artwork from one that’s merely good: an extra little touch of talent or something special about the concept that raises it above the rest. Here we ask some of our favourite and most inspiring illustrators to reveal how they produce their best pieces.

The artists featured are from digital, hand-made and mixed-media traditions, working in modes including advertising, fashion, editorial, character art, children’s illustration and pattern design. Their advice will show you how to improve colour and composition, produce better inked work and smarter digital techniques – and even how to come up with better concepts to underpin your next incredible artwork.

When developing an illustration style, using the right tools is key. For pen work, smooth, thin paper works beautifully. Try tracing an initial rough sketch with a black pigment liner (try widths of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.3mm). Work inwards from the outside, filling each space.

Work by Simon Brader for HR magazine

Brush pens are perfect for making clean, crisp lines and work really well over watercolours, coloured ink and even acrylic. I couldn’t do without a decent Japanese brush pen for working on paper. I use one with replaceable ink cartridges so the ink is true black – often difficult to achieve with a fineliner.

Playing with colour when working in watercolours can be challenging. If you are painting wet on wet, always work from light to dark to build it up gradually.

Colin’s Reverie by Luke Brookes

I love the ‘recycling’ philosophy. Any object can turn out to be interesting if you manage to reinterpret it. Many of my artworks are made with this intent, involving giving a new life to, or creating a character out, of an old unused object.

Use everything and anything you can. Flick, smear, drag paint and ink…. Scan and use either as masked objects or textured backgrounds.

Family portrait by Abby Wright

Try not to restrict yourself in terms of technique or tools of choice; let the idea dictate the method. Mixing, reusing and experimenting is fun and very often leads to great and original results.

View the original article here

Tips - Illustration tips: Hand-drawn & painted projects

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

There’s a certain something that marks out an amazing artwork from one that’s merely good: an extra little touch of talent or something special about the concept that raises it above the rest. Here we ask some of our favourite and most inspiring illustrators to reveal how they produce their best pieces.

The artists featured are from digital, hand-made and mixed-media traditions, working in modes including advertising, fashion, editorial, character art, children’s illustration and pattern design. Their advice will show you how to improve colour and composition, produce better inked work and smarter digital techniques – and even how to come up with better concepts to underpin your next incredible artwork.

When developing an illustration style, using the right tools is key. For pen work, smooth, thin paper works beautifully. Try tracing an initial rough sketch with a black pigment liner (try widths of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.3mm). Work inwards from the outside, filling each space.

Work by Simon Brader for HR magazine

Brush pens are perfect for making clean, crisp lines and work really well over watercolours, coloured ink and even acrylic. I couldn’t do without a decent Japanese brush pen for working on paper. I use one with replaceable ink cartridges so the ink is true black – often difficult to achieve with a fineliner.

Playing with colour when working in watercolours can be challenging. If you are painting wet on wet, always work from light to dark to build it up gradually.

Colin’s Reverie by Luke Brookes

I love the ‘recycling’ philosophy. Any object can turn out to be interesting if you manage to reinterpret it. Many of my artworks are made with this intent, involving giving a new life to, or creating a character out, of an old unused object.

Use everything and anything you can. Flick, smear, drag paint and ink…. Scan and use either as masked objects or textured backgrounds.

Family portrait by Abby Wright

Try not to restrict yourself in terms of technique or tools of choice; let the idea dictate the method. Mixing, reusing and experimenting is fun and very often leads to great and original results.

View the original article here