AUGUST 15, 2002
Reindeer Graphics Optipix 1.0
Image manipulation plugins for Adobe Photoshop
by David Nagel
Page 5 of 5

And the rest
The rest of the filters in the collection all offer fairly minor functionality to Photoshop. These include Nudge, which is the most useful of the bunch, offering sub-pixel nudging of layer content. [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Also included is Safe Sharpen, which is a variation on Photoshop's Sharpen filter. It's designed to produce sharpness in an image without exaggerating color noise and without distorting colors as much as the built-in filter. And it does a pretty decent job of it.



In the above example, you'll also see the Optipix Edge Enhancer filter. Edge Enhancer is the one filter in this collection that really lets me down. It has a limited range of application, to be sure. But this isn't what disappoints me. The real problem is that the preview for this filter doesn't even come close to resembling the final output. So you really have to guess at the settings, and, more often than not, you're going to wind up with the problem seen below.



The bottom line
I said in the beginning that the Blend Exposures filter was enough to justify purchasing this package. Auto Contrast, frame blending, Safe Sharpen and Nudge are just bonuses, and pretty decent ones at that. As for Edge Enhancer, well, nobody's forcing me to use it.

Now, it is possible for you to simulate or at least approximate the functions included in the Optipix collection using Photoshop's built-in tools. But the strong selling point of this collection is its time-saving functionality and the kind of quality you might not expect from automation. For this I give this package a Buy recommendation.

Optipix 1.0 is available now for Macintosh (OS 9 and OS X) and Windows for $99.95. For more information, visit http://www.reindeergraphics.com.


Contact the author: Dave Nagel is the producer of Creative Mac and Digital Media Designer; host of several World Wide User Groups, including Synthetik Studio Artist, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe LiveMotion, Creative Mac and Digital Media Designer; and executive producer of the Digital Media Net family of publications. You can reach him at dnagel@digitalmedianet.com.


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