Are Luminosity Plugins a Ripoff? // How to create luminosity Masks for free
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ย. 2022
- Every time I show a luminosity mask panel on a youtube video... I always get criticized for showing a 3rd party plug in.... in todays video I show you how to create luminosity masks without the use of a plugin, as well as show some free alternatives to the premium panels.
Lumenzia can be found at www.gregbenzphotography.com
TK actions can be found at www.goodlight.us
Raya Pro can be found at www.shutterevolve.com - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
This was great. I love the way you teach. You make it seem straightforward instead of overwhelming. Thanks for taking an extra second to let us see where you’re pushing - it makes a difference!
There is actually another way to create luminosity masks build into photoshop. The Color Range panel in the select section allows you to pick areas of the image not only by color but also by luminance and you can tweak the selection to your liking with two sliders and then use them as a selection. It‘s way easier than using the channels. Though I personally prefer lumenzia because of the easy access to all the adjustments layers
Appreciate you going through these. I created some luminosity channel actions that helped me learn what was going on behind the scenes, but that tedious workflow was wearing me down. Went with Lumenzia and it's so incredibly convenient and light weight, well worth the price! As I've grown older I've realized the importance of maximizing time. Any tool that speeds up time behind the wheel allows for more time getting a good night's rest that we all need more of in this busy world.
Your explanation at the start of the video clarify a couple of points that I've been struggling with. Thanks, great stuff
One of the best videos I've found on how to create good luminosity masks, and I appreciate the breakdown of some of the add ons too
Hey Nick, another fantastic beginner/intermediate level, information packed tutorial! Keep it up.
Thanks for posting Nick. Great timing on creating this video. I’ve seen a ton of mask plugins on Instagram and have been thinking about trying one but not sure what direction to go. Great to know there are some free options out there to try. Keep drumming.
Hi Nick. I first learned how to use luminosity masks from your tutorials. I use Greg's Lumenzia and for me it's been a game changer. Like the idea of adding a couple of my own masks as you've shown here ! Many thanks for sharing.
Great video, Nick! I'm starting to learn luminosity masks. At first I was a little frustrated on how to effectively make them. This video discussing how to make your own and what's going on behind the scenes really helped my understanding. Thanks!
I'm just now getting into using luminosity mask. I used Greg Benz luminosity I find it easily to use especially for beginner. I can understand arguments for and against using a third party lumenzia mask. I think you should just use whatever you feel comfortable with personally. Another great video keep them coming
Thank you so much for sharing this information on the free versions of luminosity masking plugins. I'm just getting into luminosity masking but wasn't ready to dish out the money for a full version before I get the hang of it.
Thanks, Nick!! This is a GREAT explanation of Luminosity Masking!! I have it but never really used it because I really didn't understand it! This video helped me tremendously!!
Hi Nick: Another great video. Personally, I use the TK8 Panels and this has been the most productive tool in my post-processing routines. I highly recommend Tony's products to anyone. It has really improved my understanding of PS significantly. Keep well. . . Keith
Taa for that Nick. After your last video on this topic I grabbed the TK8 plugin and now I'm coping with the learning curve.
Great vid, love to see your wf with TK8 or Lumenzia. Hope the back gets better soon 🍻
Thank you so much Nick for the very informative video and introducing those panels! God bless you!
People spending thousands of dollars on photography gear, but to spend an extra $30-40 (depending on the plugin) to help get the most out of that gear, this is too much?
Nick, I think it was you that got me using TK panels a little over 4 years ago, and absolutely worth it!
On top of that, there are endless resources out there on creating luminosity masks without using any third party panels. If people don't want to cough up 1% of what they spent on their last camera for a powerful editing tool, go find a video that doesn't use them and stop giving Nick a hard time when he does.
@@ko300zx So you didn't watch the video, lol.
@@chrissnyder4439 I don't know what you're even trying to say. I am agreeing with you genius. Nick can use what he wants and if people aren't willing to fork over an extra few pennies compared to their gear costs, they can watch other resources, learn how to make luminosity masks with default photoshop tools, and then come back. Great he made this video, but he shouldn't have to just because people whine about it.
@@ko300zx I was just joking around because this very video shows how to make the masks without paying for them.
Thank you for your work Nick, you are a really good man with great taste for photography.
Nick, as you rightly say $35-40 for a plugin balanced against the costs of both equipment and travel along with the time saved in processing makes the purchase a no brainer!
Great overview of luminosity masks Nick! Yes, the plug-in benefits are their simplification of the process.
Big fan of Lumenzia and your tutorials really helped me up my post-processing game
Found this video and answered my own question. Thank you for your work!
Wow Nick... 👌
Fantastic video, all the info in the 10 min is time saver (like the plugins😅). I think is difficult to summarise this topic in a better way 👏
I didn't know there were free versions, I bought 5 years ago TK pluging (because of you) and it's perfect.
Thanks for your excellent content! 👍
Tony Kyper's Panel with Sean Bagshaw's tutorials are not only phenomenal products, they are downright cheap for the value that they provide (I would have paid three times as much for what they provide!). Beyond the panels, the photoshop toolbar makes the software so much more pleasant to use. They are a must for serious landscape photographers.
Agree 100% TK Fridays is my must watch each week. As for Raya, tried that unfortunately there are not much newer tutorials out there and I had an issue with another tool from the Raya Creator, never got an answer and I send a number of mails.
I’m happy to pay sub 50$ for a plugin that creates those masks automatically while providing other very useful functionalities on top of that. And Sean Bagshaw is so good at what he does…
Fabulous. Easy to follow, Nick. Thank you!
Another great video. Thanks Nick. Hoping the back is doing better.
Great video Nick. I use TK mostly but also have Steve Arnold’s panel which is quite good.
HUGE thank you... It's very kind of you, as an amateur it is the perfect solution for me.
Very informative video. Thank you Nick.
I use Lumenzia and it's absolutely worth it.
Thanks Nick. After your last video I realised I could do the same in Lightroom with luminance range masks. Very useful! I'll give those free panels a go. I don't use Photoshop that often.
Hope your back is fellig better, Nick!
Great points. The TK plugin saves me tons of time and the tools have helped to open up my creativity.
Thank YOU Nick. I've got a few shooting trips planned but when I get back I am going to dip my toe into using luminosity masks. Two thumbs up!
Thanks for this. It simplifies things.
Super helpful, thanks Nick. Hope the back is a lot better.
I appreciate this video. I’ve downloaded a few of them to try out and look forward to testing them. A few extra bucks to speed up editing is well worth the money
Thank you so much Nick !
I am very happy TK9 user. It has been my favorite plugins for many years. I cannot even imagine editing without it. I would give my vote to Tony anytime!
Very informative, thank you for the lesson. Greetings from Coshocton, Ohio!
Very helpful Nick, thank you.
I can't imagine editing without TK Actions. I also have Ray Pro, but Tony's actions are my day to day tool I can't live without! Huge time saver.
Nick, the best overview of luminosity masks on youtube, good job! Question: do you have to feather the selection to 100 when you use them and why?
Feathering the selection is essentially blurring the selection.. it is handy if you are going for a "glowy" effect. but its not needed
People commenting that you can create your own luminosity masks have waaaaaay too much time on their hands. I got Lumenzia a year ago and although I'm still learning all its capabilities it's quite an easy tool to use. Another great informative video Nick.
Totally agree.... you can do it all yourself but if there is a one click option to make the mask you will end up with yourself and it saves you time then why wouldn't you go with that option.
You do know that you can save series of actions in Photoshop and invoke them with one click, right? Takes five minutes to create this macro and five seconds to use it when needed.
Capture One has a nice feature in the Luma Range tools. Does about the same thing really easy once you know where it is and how it works. I've not been a big Capture One fan but it's growing on me... It's like a LR and PS rolled into one with a completely different interface that takes some getting used to. Nice because it's not subscription based. 🙂
Thanks, Nick.
After your last video about Lum Masking with TK, you have revolutionized my editing workflow. Ripoff? I dont think so! Especially after seeing the manual process I am much happier just using the TK panels.
Thank you --- well explained and informative :)
Definitely Lumenzia is a must, I recently used it for the edition of more than a hundred architectural and interior photography in a week, it was a life saver because I had few time for delivery. I edit with bracketting photos, so edition time is very long, it helped me reduce my edition time from a 25% to a 50% and it was the lite version! I will purchase the full version of course.
Very helpful, thank you!!
Well timed video Nick! Your down to earth approach is easy to connect with. Thanks!
I liken Photoshop Plug-ins (TK/Lumenzia/Raya Pro ect.) to something like Apple Car Play….sure my Defender navigation system works well enough, but Apple Car Play provides a much better connectivity experience with my iPhone/vehicle, and that’s why I use ACP every time I drive. Sure, ACP doesn’t cost anything now, but I have a haunch that this is going to change with some of the slated upgrades coming in 2023.
Apple just gets it….and so does Tony Kuyper, Greg Benz, others that take the BEST photography software program, Photoshop, and make it even better.
I have all the plugins, and I prefer TK because it is so comprehensive, and it has become second nature to me having started with the first version years ago.
Keep up the excellent work!
so true.. good analogy
Thanks Nick, found the video very helpful. Well done.
Neil M
Thanks Nick Great explanation, New Sub, thanks for sharing
Thanks Nick. Hopefully, this will shut up all the wankers who complained about your last luminosity mask video. I use TK Actions which makes Photoshop very quick and easy to use without having to remember a myriad of menu options and shortcut keys. TK8 has certainly speeded up my workflow and is well worth the cheap cost of purchase.
It's strange the stuff people will complain about and get righteously indignant over on TH-cam lol. Anyway... I'm a Lumenzia convert due to a video you posted a couple years ago at this point and I love it (and the awesome support that Greg includes).
Nice post Nick. Agree that the premium panels are great, but the free one’s get most of what you really need done. Given the cost of being a photographer 😢 the cost of the premium panels is a nothing-burger.
Thanks!
Hey Nick! Do you ever just add a new adjustment layer which will have a white mask with it and then click on the mask and then click on "select color range" and use the eye dropper to select the tonal range on the image that you want to mask? In the "select color range" box you can select lights, midtones or darks and use the fuzziness and range sliders to fine tune the mask.
I can’t say that I do, the color range and luminosity mask tools inside of TK actions and lumenzia are both so much faster and easier to dial in
Another great Video.
The best luminosity plugin that I've seen is the Infinite Tools Luma. Makes so much sense but I appreciate the informational video :D
Give me Lumenzia, or give me ... you know what, just give me Lumenzia. Thank you, Greg Benz, for making luminosity masks usable and quick. And thank you, Nick, for bringing it to my attention.
Since you use multiple products, what are the strengths and weaknesses (if any) of those apps? I like editing, and don't mind trying TK Actions if there's more stuff I can do with it.
I think that TK actions is incredibly powerful and with its newest iteration is probably the fastest as well. But what I love about lumenzia is that the interface does not change, it is streamlined and simple, comes with free tutorials, and free updates for life
@@NickPage thank you.
Magic! 👍🥂
Nick, a bit off subject, but do you use linear profiles as a starting point for you processing? I see you often get near the same starting point by taking the contrast out of the image, but was wondering what profile you start processing with in Lightroom. Thanks
I typically have never messed around with linear profiles, I don’t really see the benefit since Raw files are so flat to begin with… I will play around with different profiles if I am particularly far away from the end result I’m going for but most of the time I can get there simply using the camera calibration tab and HSL panel to control color
Great video Nick, have you tried John Weatherby’s Pro Panel at all. I just wondered what your thoughts were on it. 👍
I have not…. Its another “ one click solution type panel .. I don’t care for those typically
@@NickPage cheers Nick. Hope the back keeps getting better. 🤞
I’d be interested to know your file structures - what methods and/or redundancies you use to store files.
I use to own a drobo system for all my files that had four bays and it worked well. Now I have four separate hard drives and use a program to sync them all. I keep one hard drive with me and another at a separate location that has all my master files on in case I lose them to fire or theft. Then when needed I get that one and sync my new work to it and put it back at the second location.
I chose Greg Benz Lumenzia for my plug in. I do not regret the purchase one bit. To me, it makes things so simple and fast. In addition, Lumenzia has other options outside of simple masking such as vinnetting or color selection. When you can understand and fully appreciate the work flow of a luminosity mask plug-in, your overall work flow will speed up and allow you more time for editing even more images.
Thanks for this video.
I love the TK panels
If you really want to go old school and create your own luminosity masks but the amount of time it takes is off putting it’s so easy to create an action that makes all the masks in one hit. I think Phlearn and others have free actions that do this as well.
Been using Lum masks on landscapes and Astro photography for some time. I prefer TK actions myself.
Maybe Adobe changes the way of the the Highlights and Shadow recovery function, to match it with what you can do with luminosity masks. Just thinking if they can add at contrast slider, as a sub slider.
There’s always a sacrifice when trying to implement a slider. You’re always going to give up some kind of control and flexibility when you try to make something easier. I feel like people get addicted to sliders and ease of use. It’s the effect that light room is hard on peoples ability to learn postprocessing
A serious question for you Nick.... For some time now, I have been using selective colour range to generate my luminescence masks, without having to use any plug-ins.. Is this something you have tried ? It seems infinitely more adjustable, and has several pre-sets in the drop down menu to help generate the mask... I'm a long time admirer of your chanel, and I so agree with you - ditching ND grads to enhance images... Best regards and thumbs up from me..
It is considerably more flexible, but far more finicky to get exactly what you’re trying to do. Not to mention that these plug-ins often combine the flexibility of a true luminosity mask, with color adjustments utilizing a black-and-white conversion to alter the luminosity mask. Incredibly powerful and quite a bit more flexible and targeted then using a color range for example
Selective color masking is a really underused way to make refined masks, especially for light painting certain subjects and you want to isolate that color (like trees blending into a sky) Yes ND grads and exposure blending is the way to go now I think, putting something in front of the lens is just another way to reduce the quality of the light coming in.
Nick, I respect what you say. However, my approach is somewhat different in that I use Channel Operations to create custom luminosity masks, and thus I’m able to work lightning fast. This is something I learnt way back in PSv3 - and I don’t work in Lightroom.
Being someone who has used Photoshop and Capture One Pro it surprises me how much easier it is in Capture One than Photoshop even as long as its been around. No extra plugins to buy with Capture One. It has a color editor and luminosity slider that you can put on many layers. You should check them out it much more intuitive to use and ive been a Photoshop user but really not as much as i used to.
very nice video
Thank you for making PS a little less scary.
TK V6 is unfortunatley not Apple Silicon compatible - at least the basic version. Someone knows if the full version is?
There is another video by Robin Whalley showing a very similar process for Affinity Photo. The process of creating the masks can be saved as (what Affinity Photo calls) a macro, in order to save you having to go through the sequence of steps with every image. I'm not a PS user but I believe you can save these steps as an "Action"?
Affinity Photo also has a very neat tool called blend ranges, which allows you to finely blend out/in tonal ranges that you want to hide/show. It looks a bit like a curves adjustment and you can finely adjust the ranges , create curves etc. What I feel is missing is the ability to visualise the mask as a black and white version of the image.... I haven't figured that out yet.
yeah the "blend range" is very similar to the "blend if" in photoshop. it is useful and non destructive, but hard to visualize
@@NickPage yes exactly... the visualization is the problem. There is a workaround for it..... Create merge visible layer > draw a red rectangle over the whole canvas > group those two layers > with that group selected enter blend ranges ...... the red rectangle acts as a mask overlay and what is left red is the "selected" tonal ranges whereas the image will show through those areas that arent..... and any adjustment or filter added to the group will be masked to those ranges. I would prefer a much easier option however, such as the black and whites as with TK, Lumenzia et al. Serif are a difficult company to get answers from, however
Hello Nick! Do you think luminosity masks will be / should be integrated into PS in a more simple way?
I would think that someday they would be, but I don’t really have faith that they will be implemented in a user-friendly or powerful way to begin with.
I use plug ins but watched this to see how you create luminosity masks. When I tried the I get a pink overlay. And at 3 minutes I saw you did too but you quickly fixed it. How did you do that?
The pink overlay is the visible mask defined in the channels tab. Under the layers tab, click the adjustment layer icon to the left of the mask to revert back to the RGB channels without visible mask. Basically just click to the left of the mask under layers.
$30 for TK8, no it’s not a rip off. It’s incredible.
Agreed
I don't think you watched the video before leaving this comment, did you?
But... It you have to choose one best luminosity mask plugin...which one would you pick?
Lumenzia is the easiest to learn, TK actions is probably the most powerful
Very helpful, as an old bastard that thinks I can do everything myself because I have been using photoshop since PS3 (1995) I have fallen behind. I am getting some panels :)
Just an aside; I have been spending so much time in post, for 3 decades I never bothered with TH-cam videos until I gut Roku a few months ago and can learn from my easy chair instead of more ass time at the desk and office chair LOL. Good grief I am hopeless.
Tony Kuiper's TK9 for PS all the way! Cheap, easy to use and very powerful (free videos on TH-cam on how to use it too). Why would I not use them to save time, and make it easy and powerful?
Gradient Map 💪
Jeez, I've ended up with all three over the years. I was trying to find one that I found easy to use. Still looking but that is more of a 'me' issue than the tools.
I wanted to try the free version of Lumenzia and puchase it of course if it does the job for me as expected. Well, that was 45 minutes waste of time, of course it is not available for Apple Silicon, installation script didn't work, etc. etc. - That's generally a huge Adobe problem including 3rd party products, if you're not working on Windows and Intel, you're lost. Plugins such as Topaz Denoise or Luminar work as expected. Apple Silicon is out since two years and even Bridge is yet not available as native Apple Silicon version. Smaller companies such as Serif (Affinity Photo) and Capture One had native Apple Silicon solutions the day Apple started delivering ARM hardware. Besides the subscription system, that's another point on the long list to move away from Adobe.
Capture one does this so much better with "luma ranges", I'm amazed Adobe's solution is still so clunky.
its been a couple years since I tried capture one, so perhaps it has changed, but I really didn't care for it back then.
@@NickPage In fairness photoshop is by far the more powerful tool, capture one sits somewhere between lightroom and photoshop - more like lightroom with layers and masking. I only switched since it handles Fuji files a little better, but the overall experience is similar. Their implementation of luma ranges is basically like the levels adjustment tool, you drag sliders across a histogram, with secondary sliders for falloff so you can make gradients, and another one for feathering. It's pretty cool, but any of the solutions in your video will get the same result.
How the heck do you remember all of this. 😳
Once you Learn something and repeat it a few times it becomes just another tool in the toolbox
@@NickPage thanks for this. Without these short tutorials I've been struggling.
And get well soon mate.
I think they're a bargain, actually. Cheaper and more powerful than most photo editing software outside PS (e.g., DXO, etc.).
What did Tony do to you????
If you're buying cameras and lenses and all that... $30? Idk.
I'm mostly kidding but for how useful the tk8 panel is $30 is a steal.
Absolutely... photographers won't spend $30 to speed up their workflow but after a shoot spends $30 on a coffee and a cooked breakfast lol.
Lol I love plug-ins
Photoshop as a service is a ripoff, those panel aren't. As you said, paid once and pretty much lifetime free update!
You can make the masks yourself but why would you? The panels offer so much more than just mask creation btw ... I use Aaron Dowling's panel, which has a plethora of other features and shortcuts. Can't live without it.
In Marc Adamas' tutorials, he says he doesn't use layers or masks, presumably because he doesn't need them. Isn't that interesting? I've noticed as well that other commentators on this subject produce tutorials as a means of flogging their luminosity masks plug-ins. I have no problem with that, everyone has to make a buck. But having watched Marc's tutorial on clone painting in conjunction with the history panel, I have to tell you Nick, I'd rather use that workflow than fight my way through the infinite variations of luminosity masking. I respect the guy for what he's achieved in a commercial sense, but I take one look at Tony Kuypers massive plug-in and go walk the dog.
I’m familiar with Marcs workflow, and it’s not a workflow I would ever recommend. It works amazing for him and he is a master at it, but using layers, smart objects and layer masks are far easier to roll back and dial in when the future you decides that some things were over done or not done enough
I also don’t have to buy a burger and fries from What-a-Burger and make my own, but I do because they save me time, they do a good job, and I don’t need to listen to you. To each his own.
Got My TK Panel and love it {ATGTG} Thanks Plenty Big Time, Mahalo