The so-called ‘miniature’ or ‘tilt shift’ effect can be very convincing. It makes everyday scenes look like tiny models. You can apply it with lots of different programs and apps, and many cameras now have a ‘miniature’ effect built in. It’s often referred to as a ‘tilt shift’ effect too, because it’s associated with lenses […]
MacPhun Creative Kit
A suite of plug-ins sold by software publisher MacPhun (now Skylum) and including Intensify, Tonality, Snapheal, FX Photo Studio, Focus and Noiseless. It’s a Mac-only suite and still on sale, though Skylum appears to have transferred its attention to its new image-editing software Luminar.
Saturday spotlight: Tilt-shift effect
Digital tilt-shift effect tools are popular because they give images a retro ‘old-camera’ look and, in the right circumstances, can make a real-life subject look like a miniature model. But first some physics. Digital tilt-shift effects are rarely accurate. They only work if your whole subject is on a single flat, receding plane. If you […]
How to create a mask in MacPhun’s free Filters for Photos
Last week MacPhun announced a free extension for Apple Photos. Filters for Photos has 30 different effects, and while the controls might appear pretty basic, you can use the built-in masking tools to apply these filters much more subtly than you might expect. Here’s how it works. 01 Choose your filter So here I’ve chosen the […]
MacPhun Tonality gets an update with free pro presets
The big strength of Tonality and programs like it is that it does two things not one. It gives you a broad selection of preset image effects to inspire you with new ‘looks’ for its photos, but it also gives you all the manual tools you need to create and modify these for yourself. Tonality […]
Boost your Bokeh with MacPhun Focus 2 Pro
MacPhun Focus 2 Pro does the same job as a number of other digital ‘bokeh’ filters. It lets you selectively defocus parts of the image to create a shallow depth of field effect. This can work well with portraits, where it can blur cluttered backgrounds, and you can use it with high-angle shots that look […]
MacPhun Intensify 1.0.1: give your photos some punch!
I had an interesting chat with the folks on the MacPhun stand at The Photography Show at the Birmingham NEC at the beginning of March. They were showing off two new plug-ins called Intensify and SnapHeal. Both come in standard and Pro versions, and both work as standalone apps or plug-ins for Aperture, Lightroom, Photoshop […]