03 Choosing a preset
Here’s the image in Silver Efex Pro 2. I’ve chosen the ‘Yellowed 2’ preset from the list on the left, and this is so close to the look I’m after that I don’t think I need to do anything else. Most of the adjustments for this effect are in the ‘Finishing Adjustments’ panel on the right. The effect includes a sepia tone adjustment and one of Silver Efex Pro’s many border styles. Now I can hit the Save button at the bottom right…
04 Back in Aperture
Silver Efex Pro 2 saves the new image and, because it was launched from within Aperture, the image is now imported back into Aperture automatically – and here it is.
05 Stacking and versions
And it doesn’t stop there. Any image that’s been sent to an external editor is automatically ‘stacked’ with the original. This is one of the cleverest features of Aperture and Lightroom, and it ensures related images stay together, regardless of how you change filenames and sort orders. These stacks can be collapsed so that you only see the top image, and you can choose which of the images in the stack is used.
06 The finished image
Silver Efex Pro 2 is really good at recreating the look of silver films and prints, and its toning effects are subtle too. This shot works a lot better in black and white because it takes on a ‘timeless’ feel. Black and white really enhances the reflective tones in the car’s bonnet, too.
See also
More Aperture tutorials
More Silver Efex Pro tutorials