Silver Efex--any Opinions?

[River Dog]

+1 for SFX, the Neopan setting and control points. Can be very subtle.

 

[Warren T.]

another +1 here.

Yes, it's possible to get the same results in LR, but not as quickly or easily. It's got a short learning curve, and IMO, it's well organized and it feels intuitive, like it was designed by photographers for photographers.

I use it it as a LR plug-in.

--Warren

 

[healyzh]

I use a lot of different ways to do my B&W conversions. Silver Efex Pro 2 is one of my favorites. Though when using it, I tend to use custom presets. For film emulation I like Exposure 3 (will upgrade to 4 as soon as I can afford to). Lately though, I find myself doing my B&W conversions (and most of my post processing) in "Capture One" from "Phase One". The difference in RAW conversions between Adobe Camera RAW and Capture One are really quite astonishing! Finally I'm able to get digital files, even from the D300 I've been using for several years, that I'm happy with, without having to resort to film emulation.

 

[gavinlg]

Yep, great software.

 

[peterm1]

I agree that its brilliant software as are all Nik products I have tried. If you are pushed for cash though you can learn to do it in your software of choice. Channels mixer in Photoshop works well. I like the way silver efex has supplementary tools and effects like a vignette filter and the ability to apply tinting to mono images.

 

[dovi]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply. It looks like the consensus is that the software is worth the cash. I am confident it's not a bad move to buy it.

I think Ill give it a whirl and see. The Demo Version is good for 15 Days.

 

[borret]

Silver Efex is an exceptional tool. It is pricey, but well worth the expense.

 

[boomguy57]

I love it, and use it for all my BW. Highly recommended and it works with Aperture or LR, so whatever you use, you're good.

 

[OurManInTangier]

I downloaded the 15 day trial and immediately purchased the full version as soon as the trial ended. The level of control and ability to use that control on very select areas is fantastic.

I'm not one who sees digital files as 'sterile' particularly, different and not as wide ranging as differing film emulsions certainly, but once you have the ability to add a touch of film character and adjust to your preference you really see some benefit to this software.

 

[sleepyhead]

Johann, nice examples, thanks.

How did you implement those "sloppy borders" in some of your example images? Are they part of Silver Efex?

If not, what software/actions?

THANKS

Another +1 for Silver Efex. I used to use Alien Skin Exposure for my BW conversions, but have switched to Silver Efex for the past few months (I still use Exposure for color, though).

I find that it does a pretty "close enough" job emulating film and de-sterilizing digital images form my M9, if you give yourself enough time to learn how to use it.

Some samples:


Bunny [+Honey] by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


Spared by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


Dear Catastrophe Waitress by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


A Symbiotic Relationship by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

 

[Benjamin Marks]

It is a feature of the program. Be aware that the boarder actually covers the very outside of your image. The program has a variety of boarder choices. I think they are located at the bottom right of the processing screen -- you will have to experiment with Boarder No. 1, Boarder No. 2 etc. to see what effect you want.

 

[Chinasaur]

I purchased Silver Efex™ 2 last year. Meh. Waste of money "for me". I don't use it and "for me" I find it's effects just look like noise vs film grain. You can actually get a similar effect by shooting at your cameras highest ISO and desaturating.

I don't have any artistic abilities..so for those that can make use of it's features to enhance their photos..I'm sure it has much functionality.

YMMV.

 

[AndrewNYC]

Process?

Process?

Johann, great feel to those. Can you share your process or settings in AilverFX?

Another +1 for Silver Efex. I used to use Alien Skin Exposure for my BW conversions, but have switched to Silver Efex for the past few months (I still use Exposure for color, though).

I find that it does a pretty "close enough" job emulating film and de-sterilizing digital images form my M9, if you give yourself enough time to learn how to use it.

Some samples:


Bunny [+Honey] by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


Spared by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


Dear Catastrophe Waitress by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr


A Symbiotic Relationship by The Johann Espiritu™, on Flickr

 

[---f]

I use it for my B&W conversions, but I can rarely use anything other than the Agfa and Neopan film profiles. Everything else seems to blow out highlights and lose shadows quickly. The structure tool and local controls for dodging and burning are amazing.

I noticed this too, I tend to flatten contrast a bit in lightroom before using Silver Efex or Exposure so it doesn't come out too contrasting after conversion.

 

[paulfish4570]

i have been using the trial SEP for a bit this morning. i like it. easy for me to navigate. i have tried only the tri-x and hp5 settings.

 

[borret]

Silver Efex Pro can also be used with scans of B&W negatives. The results are comparable to what only master printers can achieve in the darkroom. This is truly an exceptional tool.

 

[astro8]

I like it. I never use the film settings but brew my own for each image, starting usually with the neutral, high dynamic or full spectrum preset.

Then add dodge, burn, vignette, filters, grain or toning etc, etc to taste.

There is a lot of control and it's a quick process once one is aquainted with all the features.

 

[back alley]

completely ignorant here...

how does it work?
if i use pse now is this like a treatment after finishing in pse or instead of pse?

 

[Carole Dame]

I agree with Warren T, River Dog and intheviewfinder's comments. I have been using Silver Efex Pro 2 for a good month now. So far, it is THE best working tool for me. It has amazing features that bring out things that you could almost not see in your file or negative.

At the beginning, I started working images with some of the proposed settings, but I quickly set them aside once I got used to the various tools. The control point tool is amazing at getting as much detail as possible. You can add as many control points as you want to adjust different parts of the image. They can be grouped if necessary for global adjustments. I have tried the film simulations presets, but prefer to work from “scratch”. I always begin with the Structure tool, and work from there. For examples of my work with Silver Efex Pro 2, check out my RFF gallery.

For me, it's worth every cent!

 

[Carole Dame]

completely ignorant here...

how does it work?
if i use pse now is this like a treatment after finishing in pse or instead of pse?

It's a plug-in for Photoshop Lightroom or Aperture. It is used in conjonction with these. I don't know if the plug-in works with PSE.