Topaz Labs LLC TP-BWE-C-001-GN User manual

User Manual

Workow

Topaz B&W Eects

I. Installation

A. How to Install
B. Entering Your Key
C. Host-Specic Installation

1. Paint Shop Pro

2. Photo Impact

3. Irfanview

D. Uninstalling

II. Introduction

A. About Topaz B&W Eects 8

1. Primary Functions

B. Program Features
C. New B&W Eects 2 Features
D. Smart Brush .

E. Grain Engine
F. Adaptive Exposure

G. Curve Tool

H. Quad Tone

I. Eects Menu

J. Collections

K. Split Screen

IV. Work Area

A. Interface 21
B. Preview
C. Eects & Presets

1. Adding Presets

2. Deleting Presets 28

3. Importing Presets

4. Exporting Presets

5. Sharing Presets

D. Tools

E. Menu

1. Preferences

2. Check for Update

3. Enter Key

4. What’s This?

5. User Guide 32

6. Tech Support 32

10

11
12
13

14

15

16

17

20

25
27

28

29
29
29
30

31
31
31

32
32

7. Product Info 32

3
3
3
4
5

6

7

8
9

IV. Settings & Parameters

A. Conversion - Basic Exposure

B. Conversion - Adaptive Exposure

C. Conversion - Color Sensitivity

D. Conversion - Color Filter

E. Conversion - Curve Tool

F. Creative Eects

G. Creative Eects - Simplify

H. Creative Eects - Diusion

I. Creative Eects - Posterize

J. Creative Eects - Camera Shake

K. Local Adjustments

L. Finishing Touches - Silver & Paper Tone

M. Finishing Touches - Quad Tone

N. Finishing Touches - Grain

O. Finishing Touches - Border

P. Finishing Touches - Edge Exposure
Q. Finishing Touches - Vignette
R. Finishing Touches - Transparency

VI. Workow

A. Sample Project #1

VII. Additional Resources

A. Glossary

B. FAQ’s
C. Connect

D. Company Info

8. Gallery

9. MyTopaz

10. Tutorials

11. About

32
32
32
32

33

34

38

39

40

40

41

41
42
42
43
44
45
46
47
47
48
49

50

58

60

62
63

2

User Manual

Installation

Topaz B&W Eects

Topaz B&W Eects is a Photoshop plug-in, which
means it won’t run by itself and requires a compatible
host program for use.

To Install

1. Close Photoshop or other image editing program if
you are using it.

2. Double-click on the Topaz B&W Eects folder to
access the installer, and then follow the on-screen
instructions.

Mac Dmg Windows exe

3. Your Topaz B&W Eects plug-in will automatically be
installed in your Photoshop plug-ins folder.

4. After the installation, you will need to enter your
license or trial key.

Important for Mac Users:

After installation, Topaz B&W Eects will be installed in
the following folder: “ Macintosh HD -> Library -> Ap­plication Support -> Topaz Labs -> BW Eects 2”.

Entering Your Key

Entering your trial key allows you to save your projects
and print them during your evaluation period. Entering
your license key allows you do the same, except with­out any time limitations.

1. Start by opening up an image in Photoshop.

2. Go to Filters -> Topaz Labs -> BW Eects 2 -> Menu

-> Enter key.

3. You can then copy and paste or type your key in.

Important: To install the product on a second comput­er, you will need to download Topaz B&W Eects and
then enter your same license key.

Host-Specic Installation

Topaz B&W Eects is also compatible with Lightroom,
Aperture and iPhoto. To use B&W Eects in any of
these programs you will need to download and install
the free Topaz Fusion Express compatibility add on.
You can get it online at: www.topazlabs.com/down-

loads

In Windows, Topaz B&W Eects is supported by most
host applications that support Photoshop plug-ins.
This includes Paint Shop Pro, Photo Impact and Irfan­view, although there are additional host programs that
may also support Topaz B&W Eects.

3

If your Photoshop is installed in a customized location,
you will need to manually create a shortcut (alias) link
inside folder “<Photoshop install folder> -> Plug-ins”
that links to “ Macintosh HD -> Library -> Application
Support -> Topaz Labs -> BW Eects 2 -> Plug-ins”.

To install B&W Eects in either Paint Shop Pro, Photo
Impact, or Irfanview rst download Topaz B&W Eects
to the default location. Then, to congure it into each
program, follow the host-specic instructions on the
next page.

User Manual

Installation

Topaz B&W Eects

How to install Topaz B&W Eects in Paintshop Pro

1. First launch PaintShop Pro / Photo Impact.

2. Go to Menu le -> Preferences -> File Locations.
Select “Plug-ins” from the “File Types” list and click
“Add”.

3. Choose C: \ Program Files \ Topaz Labs \ Topaz BW
Eects 2\Plugins and click “OK”.

4

4. Topaz BW Eects is now available to use. Simply go
to Eects -> Plug-ins and select “B&W Eects 2”.

User Manual

Installation

Topaz B&W Eects

How to install Topaz B&W Eects in Photo Impact

1. First launch Photo Impact.

2. Go to File -> Preferences -> General or use shortcut
key F6.

Then click on the button and browse to nd the
B&W Eects plug-in folder located in: C:\Program Files\
Topaz Labs\Topaz BW Eects 2 plug-ins and click “OK”.

5

4. Restart Photo Impact. Go to Menu -> Eect to access
the plug-in.

3. Select Plug-ins from the Categories list.

User Manual

Installation

Topaz B&W Eects

How to install Topaz B&W Eects in Irfanview

1. Make sure that you have downloaded and installed
the 8bf plug-in add-on, available on the Irfanview
webpage.

2. Open Irfanview and go to Image -> Eects -> Adobe
8BF lters.

(http://www.software.com/irfanview-plugin)

3. In the screen that pops up, select “Add 8BF lters”
and navigate to the C:\Program Files\Topaz Labs\To­paz BW Eects 2 \Plug-ins folder and click “OK”. You
will then see “Topaz B&W Eects 2” in the Available/
Loadable 8BF Filters section.

6

4. To use Topaz B&W Eects 2 in the future, simply go
to Image -> Eects> Adobe 8BF lters again and select
“Topaz B&W Eects 2”.

User Manual

Uninstalling

Topaz B&W Eects

To uninstall Topaz B&W Eects follow these instruc­tions:

Mac

1. Quit Photoshop (or other editing program).

2. Navigate to the Topaz Labs support les and frames
located at: Macintosh HD -> Library -> Application Sup­port -> Topaz Labs.

3. Locate the Topaz B&W Eects 2 folder and move it
to the trash. You will need to enter your system pass­word to OK this change.

4. Navigate to your Photoshop plug-ins folder located
at: Applications -> Photoshop -> Plug-ins

5. Locate any leftover Topaz B&W Eects 2 les and
move it to the trash.

2. Click on the Start Menu and select Control Panel.

3. Select Programs, then Uninstall a Program.

4. Select Topaz B&W Eects 2 and click remove.

Windows 7

1. Quit Photoshop (or other editing program).

2. Click on the Start Menu and select Control Panel ->
Programs -> Programs and Features.

3. Select Topaz B&W Eects 2 and click uninstall.

*Please note that if you also have the 64-bit version of

B&W Eects 2 installed, then you will need to rst un-

install this version before you can uninstall the regular
version.

*

7

Windows XP

1. Quit Photoshop (or other editing program).

2. Click on the Start Menu and select Control Panel.

3. Double-click on Add / Remove programs.

4. Select Topaz B&W Eects 2 and click remove.

Windows Vista

1. Quit Photoshop (or other editing program).

*

*

Before After

User Manual

Introduction

Topaz B&W Eects

Topaz B&W Eects

About Topaz B&W Eects

Topaz B&W Eects is a black and white converter and
image enhancer that can achieve a variety of looks,
making it easy to create stunning black and white com­positions.

Before - By Topaz User Steve Rich

More than your traditional black and white conversion
tool, Topaz B&W Eects oers more tools and ex­ibility for a diverse range of looks from traditional to
stylized and beyond.

The Primary Functions of Topaz B&W Eects Include:

1. Dynamically convert images to black and white with
maximum contrast control.

2. Balance and enhance tonal range of grays while indi­vidually controlling the range of blacks and whites.

8

3. Create an authentic feel of lm by applying real grain.

4. Enhance images with maximum detail and depth.

5. Selectively enhance images with color, dodge, burn,
smooth or detail.

6. Add creative styles - like HDR, diusion, painterly ef­fects and more.

After - By Topaz User Steve Rich

7. Add nishing eects like vignettes, boarders, quad
toning and more.

Visit the B&W Eects Gallery to see more examples:

http://gallery.topazlabs.com/keyword/bweects

User Manual

Introduction

Topaz B&W Eects

B&W Eects Features

1. Smart Brush. Intuitive selective adjustment brush
for burning, dodging, smoothing, selective color and
selective detail - plus edge-aware options.

2. Advanced Grain Engine. For the most authentic lm
grain look.

3. Preset Collections. Presets are organized into 7
unique collections.

4. Eect enable/disable. Clickable preview options
that allow you to hide or view a set of adjustments for
easy comparison.

5. Stage-based layout. For a simple and streamlined
workow. All of the tools are broken down into steps
to help ease you through the editing process.

6. Split Screen. Use the 2-screen split view for easy
before and after comparison.

13. Preset Navigation. Use the up / down arrow keys
to navigate the preset list and display the selected
preset thumbnail (in preset preview window). Use
the return (Enter) key to apply the currently selected
preset.

14. Enable / Disable Tool Tips. Option to enable or dis-
able the pop up tool tips.

15. Quick Slider Reset. Double click on the slider
name to reset default slider values.

9

7. Preset Enable / Disable option. Option to enable
or disable the preset preview processing at program
startup.

8. Localized reset all buttons. Reset only the param-
eters in a specic tab.

9. Undo / Redo buttons.

10. Collapsible side panels. Expand and collapse the

preset panel and the tool panel for an adjustable
workspace.

11. Snap / Recall collection. Save up to 99 snapshot

settings for comparison.

12. Auto Updater. Get software updates instantly.

Before - By Topaz User Gavin Seim

After - By Topaz User Gavin Seim

Topaz B&W Eects

User Manual

New B&W Eects 2 Features

1. User Interface Design. With B&W Eects v2, we are
introducing a much cleaner, more ecient interface
to improve useability and workow.

2. Preset Preview. A larger, oating preview is dis­played when hovering over presets.

3. Preset QuickLook View. A full-screen, pop-up grid
view that shows all the presets in a certain collection
at the same time.

Introduction

4. Grain Enhancements. The grain algorithm has been

enhanced, allowing for even more realistic grain cre­ation from the true grain library.

5. Color Filter and Sensitivity Enhancements. The
strength and quality of both the Color Filter and Color
Sensitivity have been improved.

6. Quick Tools. Adjust contrast, brightness, adaptive
exposure and more without
having to access the full adjustment panel.

7. Loupe. Quickly view a small portion of an image at
100% zoom.

8. Viewing Enhancements. Easily change the main
preview background color and hide side panels for
less distraction.

10

Before Topaz B&W Eects

After Topaz B&W Eects

User Manual

Features

Topaz B&W Eects

Smart Brush

Topaz B&W Eects includes edge-aware brush techol­ogy for local adjustments. The ve-in-one tool brush
is designed to help you easily and eectively achieve
selective adjustments during your workow. Also
includes local undo/redo (up to 4 steps) and a local
reset all button.

Adjustment Types

This tool has ve dierent modes that allow you to
determine the exact type of adjustment you want to
apply to help put the emphasis where you want it in
your image. By simply brushing (click and drag) on
any area in your image you can easily make localized
adjustments.

Dodge - lightens areas of an image
Burn - darkens areas of an image

Color - reintroduces original image color
Detail - enhances detail in image
Smooth - smooths out areas of an image

Using the Brush

To use the selective brush, you will need to select
your adjustment type. For Dodge, Burn, Detail and
Smooth you will also set the Overall Strength slider
to determine how strong the aect will be applied to
your image. Once your values are set you can set your
brush characteristics - brush size, opacity, hardness
and edge aware. Then go ahead and draw across any
area in your image to apply the eect.

11

Edge Awareness

Controls how edge aware your brush is. Use a higher
value for more precise selections and a lower value
for a more natural stroke and transition.

Removing Your Selections

If you switch to the Eraser this will allow you to erase
adjustments made.

The mask view allows you to see the areas where your
selective adjustments are being appiled in your image.

Topaz B&W Eects

User Manual

Advanced Grain Engine

B&W Eect’s grain engine applies true or simulated
lm grain to the image. The grain options were de­veloped from scans of real lm for an authentic look
and feel. Choose from the library of popular true grain
types. You can use the sliders to further customize
the grain contrast and size in your image.

Features

Before - By Topaz User Jim LaSala

After - By Topaz User Jim LaSala

12

Topaz B&W Eects

User Manual

Adaptive Exposure

B&W Eects integrates the power of Topaz Adjust’s
Adaptive Exposure to enhance the dynamic range of
your image. This allows you to enhance both detail and
depth and can create HDR-style looks.

Apply a variety of tone mapped eects using the
unique sliders to adjust the range of the highest and
lowest luminance regions where detail is visible. You
can also correct exposure, balance lighting and rede­ne tonal values.

Features

Before - By Topaz User Jim LaSala

After - By Topaz User Jim LaSala

13

User Manual

Features

Topaz B&W Eects

Curve Tool

B&W Eects also integrates the powerful and ex­ible Curve Tool + histogram into the workow. Using
the Curve Tool you can adjust image tonality to help
emphasize tones, contrast and brightness within your
image.

Creative Eects

The Creative Eects tab includes creative stylized tools
from other Topaz programs (Topaz Simplify and Topaz
Lens Eects). These creative eects are great for add­ing realistic, graphic and artistic eects to your image.

14

It includes pre-loaded curve presets for quick curve
adjustments or you can simply click and drag to add/
move anchor points. Use the Reset button to revert
back to the default settings.

Topaz B&W Eects

User Manual

Quad Tone

Quad Tone allows for 4 dierent tones to be selected
and applied to dierent tonal regions within an image.

Features

Original Image

15

Cyanotype Collection - Cerulean Cambridge Preset

User Manual

Features

Topaz B&W Eects

Eects Menu

The Eects menu features 8 default preset and 3 user
collections which helps to manage your user-made
presets - there’s over 200 default presets included in
Topaz B&W Eects.

Each Eect features a set of its own presets that can
be applied to your image. During your workow you
can select the type of eect that you want and then
choose from one of the included presets in that cat­egory.

As in the other Topaz programs, you also have a pre­sets panel. You can create and save your own presets.
You also have the ability to export and import presets

- allowing you to share with your friends.

* Default presets that come with the program can not
be deleted.

16

Eects can Not be added. However, you are able to

create new presets and add them to any of the

collections listed in the Eects Menu.

User Manual

Features

Topaz B&W Eects

Preset Collections

The Eects category breaks all of the included presets
down into Collections - each oering a dierent style
of eects. Unique to Topaz are the Van Dyke Brown
Collection, Cyanotype Collection, Opalotype Collec­tion and the Albumen Collection which all simulate
historical printing processes. This allows you to give
your image an authentic look.

Traditional Collection

Features simplied black and white conversions that
are very classic and minimalistic.

17

Classic Preset

Toned Collection

Traditional conversions infused with toned color.

Original Image

Sepia and Selenium I Preset

User Manual

Features

Topaz B&W Eects

Stylized Collection

Includes creative eects like poster eects, cartoon
eects, diusion and more.

Adaptive Diusion Preset

Cyanotype Collection

Presets here simulate the Cyanotype photographic
printing process, which results in a cyan or blue print.
Discovered and developed by Sir John Herschel in
1842, this process was popularized in engineering
circles to make blueprints. A simple and fun process,
multiple variations can be seen through toning and
development options.

18

Painterly Preset

Teal Dynamic Preset

To learn more about Eect Collections and other

Topaz B&W Eect’s features sign up for one of our

FREE webinars. www.topazlabs.com/webinars

Topaz B&W Eects

User Manual

Albumen Collection

The Albumen print was the most common photo­graphic print used in the nineteenth century, and
represents 80% of all surviving 19th century photo­graphs. Albumen prints can vary in color from purple
to chocolate brown. They fade to yellow, and the
highlights are often gold.

Chocolate Dynamic Preset

Features

Coee Dynamic Preset

Opalotype Collection

An early photographic printing process, Opalotypes
were printed on sheets of translucent white glass
called opal or milk glass. Opalotypes were sometimes
hand-tinted with colors to enhance their eect and
they have been compared the mood of a watercolor
or pastel.

19

Van Dyke Brown Collection

Presets here simulate the Van Dyke Brown photo­graphic process, developed in the mid 19th century.
The process is named after the Flemish artist Sir
Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), whose work is charac­terized by lush sepia and brown tonalities. Through
dierent toning and chemical options, prints will vary
in hue, strength and color.

Hand Tinted Cream Preset

User Manual

Features

Topaz B&W Eects

Split Screen View

Topaz B&W Eects 2 interface features a 2-screen split
viewing option for easy before and after comparison.

Use the single screen button

to see the full image preview.
Use the 2-split button to see
before and after comparison.
Use the preview navigator (top right of interface) to pan
the preivew or drag the images around in the preview.

20