Nik Software Color Efex 3.0 Reflector Effect

PROBLEM: You take a picture and the persons face is dark because the sun is behind them. This happens all the time, but the solution to the problem is quite simple if you have the right tool.

In this video (no audio), I demonstrate how the Reflector effect works in Nik Software's Color Efex 3.0. While the video is shown using Adobe Lightroom 2.4, a near identical user-interface exists in Photoshop so the same concepts apply.

Here's what I do in the video:

1. Export the image for editing (with current Lightroom edits) to the Nik Software Color Efex 3.0 for Adobe Lightroom plug-in. This creates a TIF file (other options available) for modification. Alternatively, I could have chosen the filter in Photoshop and had the effect simply added as a new layer in my PSD file.

2. I select the reflector filter and then I click around to show the effects of the options available.

3. I show how putting a negative control point removes the effect (which is what I don't want), I show how to delete a control point, and then I show how to add a control point to limit the scope of my change JUST to the man's face. This is powerful because I do this quickly and easily without using complex or time consuming masking techniques.

4. After getting the results I like, I saved the changes and they are automatically updated in Lightroom.

As you can see from the video, it takes only a minute and the results are very close to what you'd get if you had a real gold, silver or silver/gold mix reflector with you.

Visit my blog at http://ronmart.blogspot.com for a 15% discount on Nik Software products as well as reviews on this and other products.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Photoshop
• Color Efex
• Nik Software
• ronmart
• ronmart.blogspot.com
• photography
• reflector
• plug-in
• Adobe
• Lightroom