I’m pleased to announce the immediate release of The Photographer’s Guide to Color Efex Pro 4! This was a huge undertaking for me, as Color Efex Pro has over 50 different filters, and I had to understand each one in order to make this book as comprehensive as possible. Now, after months of research and experimentation, I’m pleased to release a guide that will have something for just about everyone.

Clear, Concise Explanations

I went through every filter and figured out what made it tick. I then grouped the filters by function. For example, the “Core Contrast & Color” filters are those that you’d use to establish the baseline color and contrast settings with, while the “Detail” filters offer ways of adjusting sharpness and local contrast. I present each filter with its slider controls and show screenshots and examples of the effects they produce. Along the way, I offer tips and tricks for getting the most out of each filter (Did you know that you can use Dynamic Skin Softener for removing luminance noise?).

Building Recipes

I created 29 custom settings recipes for Color Efex Pro 4, and they are described in the text. Moreover, the book download includes the 29 recipe files, so all you need to do is install them and you can start getting creative with a single mouse click. These recipes include settings for soft portraits, high/low-key images, landscapes, and selective adjustments (adding sparkle to eyes).

Going Beyond the Presets

While the recipes are cool, I also walk you through step by-step instructions of how you can use them and tailor them to produce even more creative images. I offer examples for portraits, wildlife, landscapes, and general creative processing. I also show you how you can use Color Efex Pro 4 with the Nik Selective Brush Tools in Adobe Photoshop and Elements to get even more out of the software.

Free Excerpt

I’ve made the first 24 pages of The Photographer’s Guide to Color Efex Pro 4 available for free download. View it here.

Tech Specs: The Photographer’s Guide to Color Efex Pro 4

• ISBN 978-1-4675-3168-9
• 234 pages, landscape format 8.26×11″
• Adobe Reader 7.0 compatible PDF file
• User printable
• iPad compatible (requires transfer from a computer to iTunes)
• Includes 29 settings presets for use with Color Efex Pro 4