[BruceBanner]

I saw this pic on flickr;



Asked how the pastel/pencil effect was achieved and the photographer said he used this software;

https://www.topazlabs.com/simplify

Anyone had any experience with this particular software?

[atcoombs]

Yes, I use most of the Topaz plugins. You can download them from Topaz for a free thirty day trial. I recommend them.

---------- Post added 04-17-16 at 06:11 PM ----------

Also, on their website you can find video tutorials for all their products, worth checking out.

[MikeD]

I have used Topaz for several years, they have great plugins, they will work with all major program like Photoshop, lightroom, Elements, etc. There noise program Denoise is probably the best on the market. It was reviewed here a yr or so ago, and has been upgraded since then.

[Bruce Clark]

Topaz has a great suite of programs of which Simplify is one. I have not used Simplify to a huge extent but in common with other Topax plugins it works well with Photohop. Photoshop Elements and Lightroom among other editing programs. I generally use it with Photoshop Elements.

General principle is to create a duplicate layer and perform the Simplify operations on that layer. It is easy them to either delete the layer or vary the intensity of the effect altering the opacity of the layer.

How to achieve a particular effect, ie. to reproduce the above image, is probably impossible to describe as there are so many presets and variations possible. Best to get in there and experiment. As previous posters have noted, there are trial versions available and every so often Topaz offer quite substantial discounts. Notice of these discounts often appear on this site.