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Introduction to PhotoKit Color 2.0
Color plays a huge role in how we perceive and describe the world we see. And it is therefore hardly surprising that some of the first things we want to do to a photograph when we bring it into Photoshop are to make accurate adjustments or play creatively with the color in the image. Photographers in particular have long desired to reproduce traditional photographic processes digitally using Photoshop. PhotoKit Color 2.0 is an Automate Plug-in, a new breed of plug-ins that allows custom programming to drive Photoshop automatically -- it's like having an expert Photoshop user at your beck and call. PhotoKit Color 2.0 now features a preview display called the PixelGenius Toolbox, that quickly previews the effects before you apply them and combines effects in a single batch operation. Included in the new effects are the Dodge and the Burn filter sets, which were in the original PhotoKit plug-in. The Special Effects series contains many new filters including color infrared, sunshine filters, color transfer effects, a nocturnal 'day for night' effect and more. The Film Effects series offers accurate simulation filters of several generic chrome film emulsions, simulating both color and contrast. Like its predecessor, PhotoKit Color 2.0 provides a comprehensive suite of effects that let you reproduce creative effects like black and white split toning and cross processing. All these effects are applied as separate layers so you can make further variations, adapting each effect to suit your own tastes. But that's not all! With PhotoKit Color 2.0, you can enhance specific colors in your photographs. You can make skin tones less red or lighter. With the Blue Enhance effect you can darken a blue sky and enhance the cloud contrast. And with the RSA Gray Balance set, you can automatically remove color casts from almost any type of image. As with all Pixel Genius products, PhotoKit Color 2.0 respects the need to preserve any layers in your images. Most conventional Photoshop coloring techniques alter the tonal appearance of the image. We take special care to make sure that the coloring effects: Film Effects, Cross Processing, Color Overlay, Split Toning, Special Effects, Color Enhance, CC Correction, CT Correction and RSA Gray Balance do not alter the basic tonal balance. |
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Special acknowledgement Mike Skurski November 9th, 1962October 27th, 2005 Mike Skurski was a founding member of Pixel Genius and our chief engineer, working on all the PhotoKit product engineering, including nearly all of the code for PhotoKit Color 2.0. Sadly, Mike passed away on October 27th, 2005 just a few days after the product announcement of PhotoKit Color 2.0. Pixel Genius has lost not just a friend, but an extremely talented software designer and engineer. He liked to mention that he has been working on Photoshop Plug-ins for almost as long as Photoshop has had plug-ins. He received a floppy disk with a hand written label from Thomas Knoll with the then, Photoshop 1.0 SDK-such as it was. He started a company called Total Integration which produced a variety of software products including the first licensed PostScript software rip. He also produced Fast Edit Deluxe which was a plug-in for opening small sections of Photoshop files. |
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Mike worked on producing plug-ins for the original Wacom Pen Tools and was responsible for producing the plug-in engine for Live Picture. In addition, Mike contributed to over 50 commercial software products including Esko-Graphics PERfection, Extensis PreFlight Pro, Extensis Print Ready, Creo Brisque Export PS DFE Module and Enfocus Pitstop. We all wish to pay special tribute to the memory of our work colleague and friend, Mike. Pixel Genius just won't be the same without you. |
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PhotoKit Color basics Photoshop RGB color spaces Accessing PhotoKit Color 2.0 |
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The
PixelGenius Toolbox allows you to select and preview any
of the effects in PhotoKit Color 2.0 before you apply them.
The interface also lets you select
different PhotoKit plug-in Modules and combine various effects
using the Batch Options. The Module selection will be dependent
on which PhotoKit
products you have currently installed on your computer and
whether they are version 2.0 products or not. So if you only
have a single version
2.0 product (i.e. PhotoKit Color 2.0), this is all you will
be able to access and apply from the Module section. As other
PhotoKit version 2.0 products
become available you will be able to access and combine effects
from the separate PhotoKit products.
Previewing Toolbox results PhotoKit Color 2.0 uses non-destructive editing. All PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects create a new layer labeled with the name of the effect, leaving the original underlying image untouched, so it's always safe to experiment. PhotoKit Color 2.0 never, ever, changes the underlying image data. By far the easiest way to learn what the PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects do is to try them -- they can't do any harm. PhotoKit Color Sets |
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PhotoKit Color Effects The PhotoKit Color 2.0 sets offer a variety of effects organized by category. To see the effects in a set, click on the PhotoKit Effect pop-down menu. After selecting both the Set and the Effect, simply click on the 'OK' button and then PhotoKit Color 2.0 runs the effect on your image and returns the results in a separate layer or as a layer set containing two or more layers. |
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Getting help Click on the 'Help' button to launch the PhotoKit Color 2.0 User Guide. If you click on the 'Info' button you will go directly to the PhotoKit Color 2.0 Info Page at the Pixel Genius web site where you can check for updates, download free recipes and effects and how to contact Pixel Genius if you have any problems. Note: the 'Info' button requires an Internet connection. |
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PhotoKit Color 2.0 layer groups Most of the PhotoKit Color 2.0 effects add an open layer group, which can be seen in the Layers palette. This layer set is always be placed at the top of the layer stack, above all other layers. This arrangement allows you the flexibility to refine each of the effects. If you click on the layer group, you can reduce the overall opacity of the effect.If you click on the individual layers within the layer group, you can increase or reduce the strength of each layer. So for example, when using the Classic Chrome Film Effects series you will see a Classic Chrome layer group which includes a Color layer and a Contrast layer above it. If you click on either of these layers you can control the layer opacity to make the Color layer or Contrast layer stronger or weaker. |
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Merge Results |
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Batch Options When the Show Batch Options box is checked this will expand the Toolbox dialog to reveal the batch processing options. This topic is covered in detail in the Batch Processing section of the User Guide |
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Photoshop CS/CS2 and PhotoKit Color 2 System Requirements:
NOTE: To automatically install PhotoKit Color 2.0, a U.S. or International English version of Photoshop CS or CS2 must already be installed. PhotoKit Color 2.0 can be properly installed in any non-English version of Photoshop but must be installed using a manual selection and navigation to find the required 'Automate' Plug-in folder. PhotoKit Color 2.0 requires the core functionality only found in Adobe Photoshop version CS or CS2. PhotoKit Color 2.0 does NOT run in any other imaging application. PhotoKit Color 2.0 does NOT operate when installed in any version of Adobe Photoshop Elements. It does not work in PhotoDeluxe nor in Photoshop LE. The only applications that fully support PhotoKit Color 2.0 are Adobe Photoshop CS and CS2. Also note that in order to run, you must have a full color RGB color image open. PhotoKit Color 2.0 does not run on Grayscale, CMYK, Lab or Index Color mode images. PhotoKit Color 2.0 Sets & Effects List: Film Effects Classic Chrome, Vivid Chrome, US Chrome, Asian
Chrome, European Chrome, Cross Processing C41-E6 yellow (light), C41-E6 yellow (strong), C41-E6 green (light), C41-E6 green (strong), Color Overlay Red Overlay, Green Overlay, Emerald Overlay, Blue Overlay, Cyan Overlay, Split Toning Blue/Sepia Split, Blue/Cyan Split, Red/Green Split, Red/Sepia Split, Special Effects Blue Sky, Smog Sky, Sunshine, Dark Sunshine Dodge Tone Dodge Center Oval, Dodge 4 Corners, Dodge Top Corners, Dodge Bottom Corners, Burn Tone Burn Center Oval, Burn 4 Corners, Burn Top Corners, Burn Bottom Corners, Tone Enhance Plus 1/4 Stop, Plus 1/2 Stop, Plus 3/4 Stop, Plus 1 Stop Color Enhance Blue Enhance, Blue Enhance + Mask, Green Enhance, Green Enhance + Mask, CC Correction .075CC Yellow, .15CC Yellow, .30CC Yellow, .075CC Red, .15CC Red, .30CC Red, CT Correction CT Orange 1/8, CT Orange 1/4, CT Orange 1/2, CT Orange 3/4, CT Orange Full, RSA Color Correction RSA Gray Balance Standard, RSA Gray Balance Fine, RSA Neutralize, |
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