Some people use them most of the time others do not use them a lot.
Since there are few commands on the interface, you might want to print this pdf if you are not used to using shortcut keys a lot. I did have a problem when I couldn't find an undo icon. As I worked, I didn't find I missed the pdf or html manual as much. Also, you can hover your cursor over a slider to see what it does. The ones I watched were short, full of information, and very clear. Initially, when I couldn't find a manual or a searchable pdf file I was disappointed. I do not want to imitate another medium, but I like to use the "brush strokes" to augment an image. The same flower image was used as in the ones above. For that reason I have used two different layers masks.īelow are some examples of the new medium - Crayon. The flowers were created to be more realistic than the background and the bees to be more realistic than the flowers. The next few images have kept the same masks. Keeping the masks is a real help as you work with different mediums and the same image. So if you have a new image, you need to remember to clear the masks or they might be in weird places. As I tested out different settings, I found that you can keep the same masks even though you switch mediums.
It is a very useful suggestion because you will notice a difference if you create an image for print and then make a smaller one for the web. A suggestion in one of the Alien Skin articles was to apply the effects to the size of the image output. Now that I have shown some of the panels, I will comment on and demonstrate some of the features. If you look at the interface, you will see that there are a number of commands on the lower toolbar. These four tabs are for adjusting parameters of the settings. As you open the different mediums (on the left), the controls in the appropriate right panel will change accordingly.īelow are screen captures of the right panels for Oil Paint. As you click on a medium to use and different effects pertinent to that medium such as "Abstract-Bristle Brush, you can see changes to the image in the preview (center) window as well as in the Background panel on the right. Now all you do is go to Filters>Alien Skin>Snap Art 3. No longer will you have to select a specific medium from the Photoshop>Filter>Alien Skin Snap Art flyout menu. New preset controls to focus on most important slidersĪccording to Alien Skin's website, Snap Art 3 uses more refined brush placement for more accuracy and a natural look.Īll the filters are displayed in the left panel, which is self explanatory, and you open the filters accordingly.The ten filters are now contained in one filter.Addition of a crayon preset and improved presets.Ability to create a detail mask rather than oval focus regions.I will discuss the new features of Snap Art 3 and Snap Art as a whole. When you work on areas of an image, you do this on a separate layer. The choices are many and afford excellent flexibility. You can work globally or on partial areas of the image. You can determine how realistic or abstract you want your image to look. Snap Art 3 is a program that allows you to take a photo or any image and make changes to it so it looks as if it has been created using natural media materials. Monitor: 1024x768 resolution or greater.Macintosh: 64-bit Intel processor and Mac OS X 10.5 or later.Windows: Pentium 4 processor or compatible and Windows XP SP3 or later.This version works with Photoshop CS4 or later, Photoshop Elements 8 or later, or Photoshop Lightroom 2 or later. Since then I have used it frequently and decided to review Alien Skin's Snap Art 3, which is a natural media plug-in for Photoshop or Lightroom. However I need to dig into Topaz Impressions adjustment sliders a little more to be sure of this.A few years ago, I reviewed Snap Art 2. I felt that Snap Art 4 did a better job with faces and not making them too distorted. With Cezanne II as a close followup.Ĭomparing to Topaz Impression to Snap Art 4.
My favorite preset in this group? Surprisingly I think my favorite preset for this one is Impasto I. Cost compared to other painting programs like Alien Skin Snap art 4 is about the same.Easy to use: Yes, it’s just like all my other Topaz filters.Some quick bullets about Topaz Impression: So I got to work and I have some results to share with you. I have a book called Drawing and Painting Sports Figures by Jim Scullion that has given me a lot of inspiration for sports painting. I wanted to see if I could incorporate this product into some sports photos. Painting and drawing in Photoshop! Yay! Painting in Photoshop is one of my favorite hobbies. Topaz Labs has some of my favorite products so I was super excited to find out that they had a product called Topaz Impression.