That saves time and increases efficiency, creating a smoother workflow – and that’s worthy of consideration. Once you’re done with one app, you can seamlessly carry over the modified image to another app in the CK suite. I should point out one advantage to using the CK apps in standalone mode. We’ll look at the strengths and weaknesses of each app individually. My recommendation for the Creative Kit as a whole is based on the strengths of those apps that delivered consistently reliable and effectively creative results, with enough user settings that I was able to fine-tune each app as needed.Įach software application in the Creative Kit has “CK” added to the title, to distinguish it from the unbundled version. Creative Kit 2016 – App by App (Overall Verdict: Use It.) The ratings: a strong like or dislike has an exclamation point following the verdict (“Use it!” "Skip it!") a period denotes the app has its good and bad points, but is useful (“Use it.”) a question mark questions the efficacy of an app and indicates my ambivalence toward it, although you may find some redeeming qualities (“Use it?”) "Chewbacca" But they do provide enough satisfaction that I expect to keep them around and use many of them. I’m not crazy about all the apps, which, again, I used strictly as plug-ins primarily in Lightroom. It might never be the same, but over time it keeps you happy and helps you forget.Īnd I expect that will be true of Macphun’s Creative Kit. When you put down a favored pet, you eventually find one to replace it. And if you’ve ever sampled them, you know how delectable they are, letting you add just the right amount of flavor and texture. Nik software offers something no one else does, namely, control points. And I wasn’t about to be caught with my proverbial pants down. After all, why wait till the last minute? It takes time to learn, let alone master, new software. So it was time to find a viable substitute. I won’t stop using it, but, without support – meaning regular updates, a new OS (operating system) will likely herald the demise of this software sooner or later, as has happened with software apps in years past. And the fact is, we are no longer seeing support in terms of updates for the software, which has begun to fade and show its age. That, in my view, spelled the death knell for Nik, which, once a nova, is now a dying star. And before anyone knew it, Google took the next step and made the bundled software free. Then, at some point in the timeline, Google decided to swallow up Nik, the way a black hole swallows up surrounding space, phased out parts of it, and bundled other parts as the Google Nik Collection. In my workflow, plug-ins enter the picture by way of Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, but mostly Lightroom. Nik software was once my go-to for many effects in the plug-ins cosmos. In some ways, MacPhun is underselling what this program can do.A plug-in application fills in the gap where a host application falls short, or it gives you an easier way to do things or otherwise expands your digital editing universe. It offers sophisticated exposure controls (Standard and Adaptive), selective contrast adjustments, clarity, structure and micro-structure controls and more. This is the most powerful program in the Creative Kit, and although it's designed as a black and white editor, you can 'switch the color back on' and use it as a pretty good all-round image-enhancement tool. There's not a massive selection of frames, but there is still a decent variety. There is a lot of control here, including the ability to add texture overlays, grain and photo frames. The presets are good, but sooner or later you'll want to start experimenting with the manual settings, which are displayed as a stack of expanding panels on the right of the screen. ![]() ![]() Handily, this doesn't start re-introducing the color in the original image – instead, it works back to a neutral black and white conversion. You can click a thumbnail to see that effect applied almost instantly to the your image and, if it looks a little strong, you can wind back the percentage with a slider at the base of the preset's thumbnail. Mostly, though, you'll want to start with the presets, and these do offer a good choice of 'looks'. This wintry beach shot looked best as a brooding black and white but with just a hint of color dialled back in.
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