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Adobe Hikes the Price of it’s Photography Plan – Some alternatives

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Edit (5/8/19): Adobe appears to have succumbed to the pressure. They’ve currently withdrawn their price hike, for the moment.

On May 2nd, Petapixel posted a story about Adobe increasing the price of it’s Photography Plan from $9.99/mo to $19.99/mo. Doubling it’s price!

As you all know, I’m an Adobe person. I love the Adobe ecosystem, it’s offerings, and it’s power. Photoshop was my first “Adobe baby”, when I started using it at Version 2.5 (before layers were invented, let alone, editable text!). I am an Adobe Certified Instructor for Photoshop and an Adobe Community Professional.

However, I don’t know if this price increase is a great idea for Adobe, unless they’re comfortable losing their Photography customers. YES, paying into the subscription plan will keep you up to date on ALL the new features of Photoshop and Lightroom as they come up. YES, Photoshop is still the most powerful image editor out there, especially for people who want to create composites and compositions, include the ability to create video (and work with video clips), and work in 3D in their image editor. It has many graphic features not employed by it’s competitors in the image editing space. However, for those who are strictly focused on their photography, who want power and don’t care about Photoshop’s powerful design capabilities, their 3D, and their video options (and more), there are some AMAZINGLY POWERFUL Alternatives:

ON1 Photo Raw is about to release their 2019.5 version of their incredibly powerful image editing software. This software has functions that replace much of Lightroom, and Photoshop allowing Presets, Filters, Color Look-Up Tables, POWERFUL AI lead masking, retouching, layers, HDR, Panorama,World Class image resizing and more. On1 Photo Raw allows for:

  • Image organization and Editing
  • Working with any file type you throw at it: RAW, jpg, psd, png, and more
  • Installation on up to 5 computers, Mac or Windows
  • No Importing!
  • Direct migration from Lightroom (so you don’t lose the work you’ve done)
  • Tons of tutorials

On1 Photo Raw costs $63.99 (for upgrade), $79.99 Full Version, or $129.99 (including On1 Plus Pro – amazing support, free presets, and more). And you OWN the license – NO SUBSCRIPTION. Buy 2019.2 today, and you’ll receive the upgrade to 2019.5 for free, when it comes out.

Skylum is offering a Discount to their Luminar 3.1 application until May 14th.

Luminar 3.1 offers:

  • AI Image Enhancement (one click enhancements)
  • A Full-Featured Organizer and Editor (with keywording, labeling, rating and more)
  • Powerful Presets to use as they are, or to edit
  • Layers, Blends, Filters (50+), Masks
  • AI Sky Enhancer
  • AI Foliage Enhancer
  • Erase Unwanted Objects
  • Powerful Noise Reduction
  • Non-Destructive Photo Editing
  • Workspaces
  • Activation on up to 5 Computers – Windows or Mac

And, if you order before May 14th, you get a great discount, Plus “Photography 101” Video Course at a SERIOUS discount!

$60 Full Price ($50, with discount code: SGANS_DISC) – regular price $70
$69 including Photography 101 Video Course ($59, with discount code: SGANS_DISC) – regular price $169!
$129 including Aurora HDR and Photography 101 Video Course ($119, with discount code: SGANS_DISC) – regular price $268!

Again, you OWN the license – no subscriptions!

Affinity Photo is also a powerful alternative for Photoshop. And serif.com has created a strong ecosystem of their own – offering an Illustrator and an InDesign alternative as well. Affinity Photo can be purchased at $69.99 (Canadian dollars)

And for those of you who like to work with Donation-ware (FREE, but requesting donations), please take a look at GIMP – a powerful, cross-platform image editor at https://www.gimp.org

If you feel I left your favorite out of this list, please say something in the comments!

Multiple Deals Available for Photolemur!

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Photolemur is the #1 AUTOMATIC Photo Editor. This means, you don’t have to do much of anything to make an “eh” photo into a “WOW” Photo!

It uses artificial intelligence to make decisions to enhance your images, and then you have a few controls, in case you feel you want to use them. There’s nothing simpler, to create great looking photos!

Here are the available deals (click the links to get to the offers:

Single License – 35% Off = $22.74

Family License (5 devices) – 40% Off = $29.40

Family License + Awesome Bonuses – 65% Off! = $39.99   (bonuses included: Photo Enhancement on Autopilot – Picaboo hardcover photo book + The Compelling Photograph by A. McKinnell – Ebook)

On1’s Photo RAW 2018.1 Intro Offer Ends 4/27/18 – $50 OFF with my link!

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Photographers LOVE On1 Photo RAW 2018.1!

The Adobe World is an excellent one. So much so, that even it’s competitor, On1 has made it’s software usable as a plugin to Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.

BUT, On1 Photo RAW 2018.1 has positioned itself to be a replacement for the Adobe workflow – without having to pay subscription fees! Now, I have to admit, this software is for image editing, refining, adjusting, and it doesn’t have near the capabilities of Photoshop for Compositing, Animation, 3D and more. This is an Image Editor – and a SERIOUSLY GREAT ONE! There are so many refinements and effects, you can take an image you might have thought to throw away, and create something you may want to hang on your wall! If your focus is Photography, this is one you can’t do without! And it’s all available for $69!!!

Of course, you can try this free for 30 Days, if you Click HERE.

Or, if you want to take advantage of this Limited Time Offer – Click HERE.

Skylum Luminar update 1.2.0 JUPITER – released today with a GREAT deal!

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Skylum Logo Luminar Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, Skylum (previously MacPhun) Software released a new update to their amazing photo editor, Luminar (this version called Jupiter).
Of course, Luminar can be used as a Photoshop Plugin, but it’s also positioned to work as a Lightroom/Photoshop replacement for photo editing (all this, WITHOUT a subscription fee!)

Pricing as follows:

Current users of Luminar may upgrade for $49 ($39 with coupon code SGANS_DISC)
New users can purchase Luminar 2018 for $69 ($59 with coupon code SGANS_DISC)

BONUSES Included in this offer:

  • Luminar 2018: the most powerful and technologically advanced photo editor for Mac & Windows (worth $69) – Luminar 2018 is a fast, versatile, and intuitive image editor, which can take your workflow from RAW file to fully finished image without needing to use any other image editor.

  • The Complete Landscape Photography Guide ebook from Photzy (worth $50) – An outstanding guide written by professional photographer and writer Kent DuFault. This ebook has something for everyone, with 237 pages packed full of information and assignments that will transform your landscape photography.

  • Aerial Photography & Video with Matt Granger (worth $79) – World-renowned photographer, Matt Granger will share planning, shooting and editing aerial stills and video. Matt will also demonstrate editing with Luminar 2018 on his still aerial images..

  • Photography Tutorial by Daniel Kordan (worth $29) – Extensive tutorial with a full workflow demonstration by expert landscape photographer Daniel Kordan. This tutorial includes shooting and post-processing images in Luminar 2018.

  • 119 Dramatic & Romantic Sky overlays (worth $29) – This is an amazing addition to your photo editing workflow, and will help give boring skies that ‘wow!’ factor.

  • Splitsville Presets By Brian Matiash (worth $15) – Add a professional polish to your images with these cool presets.

We have a TON of new and updated features in this one:

Speed improvements to get more done in less time

Skylum has dramatically increased the speed of editing across all areas of Luminar. Now images open faster, filters apply quicker, and the entire application is more responsive.

  • Most users will see snappier sliders as they’ve gained performance boosts of 3-25x for easier adjustments.
  • Luminar better uses the operating system for faster performance, with many operations seeing significant boosts.

Luminar Jupiter also got numerous interface and user experience improvements based on users’ feedback for an improved editing experience. The new version has several “under-the-hood” enhancements to add stability as well as to improve performance when editing even the largest of images.

Better RAW conversion

  • Better exposure calculation. Refined initial brightness setting for RAW files produces a perfect match to how a camera saw the scene.
  • Cleaner gradients. Improved de-mosaic process for even cleaner image conversion, i.e. smooth transitions in areas like skies and shadows for accurate color and less noise.
  • Fewer halos.If an image has high contrast areas, the improved Defringe option will help with backlit areas or strong contrast.
  • More cameras, better compatibility. Now even more RAW formats can be edited natively with the RAW Develop filter. Plus, a large set of existing camera modules have been refined for even better RAW conversion.
  • Reduced chromatic aberration. If a lens shows color artifacts in high contrast or backlit areas, the new Auto Chromatic aberration removal option will help to get rid of green and cyan shifts.

Automatic lens distortion removal

Getting the perfect shot is now easier than ever. The RAW Develop filter analyzes an image and its metadata to calculate an Automatic Lens Distortion fix that can be applied in one-click. This is a perfect tool to get rid of wide angle distortion and get truer perspective lines and more attractive portraits.

Advanced support for DCP Profiles

Luminar recognizes the industry standard DNG Camera Profile, or “DCP” files, that users may already have on their computers (or have purchased from third parties) to ensure accurate and consistent colors. Users will also be able to use DCP profiles from DNG files. This feature is currently available for Mac and will be available soon for Windows.

Essential New Features for Windows Users

The Skylum team has put a lot of effort into making the Windows experience be world-class and significantly faster. In fact, the PC version now matches the Mac version for all core features with Batch Processing, Free Transform and Flip and Rotate tools.

Here are some Windows-specific additions

  • NEW: BATCH PROCESSING. The powerful Batch Processing workflow saves time and effort.
  • NEW: EASY TRANSFORMATIONS. To easily transform the shape of an image, the Free Transform tool can scale and position an object as needed. Plus users can easily Flip and Rotate an image using the Image menu commands.
  • Better cloning. Users can quickly call up the Clone & Stamp module by pressing Ctrl + J. Softness, opacity, and size of the brush can also now be modified.
  • Cleaner zooms. Accelerated zooming now delivers a cleaner image at all sizes. Images appear sharper when the zoom is beyond 100% for detail work. Plus the new version provides a cleaner preview when zoomed out to see the whole image.
  • Preview mode.To check out a photo free from any distractions users can now use Full Screen Preview – a great way to really study an image in detail.
  • Localization support.It’s even easier to use Luminar in a different language. The localizations have been improved for greater accuracy and can now be changed from the File menu in Windows version.
  • Better masking controls. Users can create masks more easily when painting masks. Holding down the spacebar and dragging with the cursor, pans and moves the image when masking.
  • Improved workflow with other applications.When using Luminar as a plugin with other applications, color profiles are properly included. This change also improves image exporting with attached profiles.
  • Shared workspaces.Users can now share their custom workspaces.

If you’ve been waiting for a great time to buy or upgrade your version of Luminar – THIS IS IT!

Here are some before and after images, made in Luminar:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MacPhun is now Officially SKYLUM – and they’re offering deals!

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MacPhun Software has officially become SKYLUM. Over the years, their offerings have become renowned as extraordinary Photoshop Plugins and stand-alone Photo Editing Apps on BOTH platforms, so their new focus is to ensure that people know that the power of these apps are no longer strictly Mac-based (and haven’t been for some time!

Currently, they’re offering Purchase and Upgrade discounts on Luminar 2018 and Aurora HDR 2018, along with some excellent bonuses. But hurry – This offer is only valid from February 15 Through February 26, 2018

Luminar 2018

is a universal all-in-one photo app designed to offer everything a modern photographer needs for photo editing. Luminar features advanced controls that are easy to use. Intelligent filters like Accent AI make it easy to get a great-looking image in seconds. Users will also benefit from new intelligent filters and real-time noise removal. With default and custom adaptive workspaces tailored to match styles of shooting, and scores of one-click categorized presets, Luminar delivers a complete experience that avoids clutter and complexity. – Experience it today by clicking here.

See these sample Before and After photos, to see what you can accomplish with Luminar 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click Here To Download a Trial of Luminar 2018 

The Pricing on this deal is:

  • Current users of Luminar may upgrade for $49 ($39 with coupon code SGANS_DISC)
  • New users can purchase Luminar 2018 for $69 ($59 with coupon code SGANS_DISC)

Included, are these bonuses:

  • 2 E-books from Andrew Gibson: “The Creative Photographer” and “Mastering Exposure”
  • Ultra Violet LUTs by Richard Harrington
  • Ultra Violet Preset Pack by Richard Harrington
  • Futuristic Preset Pack

 

 

Aurora HDR 2018

(voted Best Mac App of the Year)  is the world’s ultimate HDR photo solution, chock full of new tools and capabilities that will exceed your expectations. As a one-stop tool kit for casual and pro photographers alike, it’s versatile interface features a faster, more powerful, more feature-rich and satisfying experience than any other HDR software or combination of tools. Perfect for single shots or multiple-exposure brackets, Aurora HDR 2018 gives you the ultimate freedom to create.

See these sample Before and After photos, to see what you can accomplish with Aurora HDR 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Click here to download a Trial version of Aurora HDR 2018

The Pricing on this deal is:

  • Current users of Aurora HDR may upgrade for $59 ($49 with coupon code SGANS_DSC)

  • New users can purchase Aurora HDR 2018 for $99 ($89 with coupon code SGANS_DSC )

Included are these Bonuses:

  • “Accelerate Your Photography” Ebook by Anne McKinnell

  • Deep dive Video Tutorial from Trey Ratcliff

  • Warm & Beautiful Preset Pack (15 presets)

To Directly Purchase either of these offers, please visit:
Luminar 2018 February Offer

Aurora HDR 2018 February Offer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MacPhun Black Friday Offer for Luminar 2018 and Aurora HDR 2018 – PLUS Discount Coupon HERE!

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 Macphun’s Black Friday offers are here!

This year, both apps are offered with special bonuses AND with special Black Friday pricing! In fact, they’re now ALSO offering their previous versions of the MacPhun Creative Kit 2016 (and also their individual apps) at a 30% discount

About Luminar:
Luminar 2018 offers everything a modern photographer needs for photo editing, including new filters powered by artificial intelligence, major speed improvements, a dedicated RAW develop module and a forthcoming in 2018; digital asset management platform.

Users will also benefit from the new intelligent Sun Rays filter, LUT support, and real-time noise removal. With workspaces that match different styles of editing, Luminar adapts to deliver a complete experience that avoids clutter and complexity.

Luminar 2018 has been re-built from the ground up for dramatic performance boosts. Existing filters deliver richer colors and depth in less time. A brand new streamlined user interface speeds up working with presets, filters, and masks. With full support of pro options like layers, masks, and blending modes, complex repairs and photo composites can be easily accomplished.

In fact, Luminar has just received it’s first point update – the new version is 1.0.1

  • Current users of Luminar may upgrade at a Black Friday price of $49 ($39 with your coupon code)
  • New users can purchase Luminar 2018 for $69 ($59 with your coupon code)
  • A collection of bonuses will also be included with every purchase.

The Bonuses: 

  • A Pack of Urban presets from Contrastly
  • Creative Look LUTs Collection for use in Luminar 2018
  • The Ultra-Wide Landscape Ebook by Ian Plant
  • Lights&Shadows Photo Training Video by Matt Granger

Those who pre-ordered Luminar 2018, will get these bonuses for free.

About Aurora HDR 2018

Aurora HDR is not just a tool for merging bracketed images, it also provides numerous tools and countless options to create perfect HDR photos for every taste – from one-click presets and advanced tone-mapping, to layers, noise reduction, and powerful luminosity masking controls.

  • Current users of Aurora HDR may upgrade at a Black Friday price of $49 ($39 with your coupon code)
  • New users can purchase Aurora HDR 2018 for $89 ($79 with your coupon code)
  • A collection of bonuses will also be included with every purchase.

Bonuses:

  • Deep Dive video tutorial from Trey Ratcliff
  • 40 realistic presets by PresetPro
  • A Special Ebook

Coupon Code:

Don’t forget to enter SGANS_DISC on checkout, to get an additional $10 off your purchase!

Photolemur Black Friday Deal – up to 60% off!

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PHOTOLEMUR 2.2 SPECTRE – The easiest, smartest Photo Enhancer I’ve found is on a Black Friday deal this weekend! For a limited time, save as much as 60% off, and prices as low as $24!

The new version of Photolemur 2.2 Spectre offers:

  • Opacity Slider
    After a successful launch of the Photolemur 2.0, we received feedback from our users that they wanted to have at least some control over the end result. That’s why tith 2.2, you have full control over the image processing technology. In the new version of the app, we’ll present one slider that will help to control that beautiful end result. With this new feature –– you and only you define the final look of your photos.
    Smarter Enhancement Tech
  • Faster Processing
  • New Sky Enhancement
  • New Noise Reduction

Plus – a bonus FREE Picaboo hardcover photo book (your photos in a hardcover book) – $50 value

Photolemur 2.2 Spectre is

  • A Stand Alone App
  • A Lightroom Plugin
  • An External Editor for Apple Photos
  • And works on Macs and Windows Computers

This Photo Enhancer, which uses artificial intelligence to make your photos better- whether you’ve shot with your device, your fancy DSLR in Camera RAW, or with any other photo method will give you simple, quick, one-click improvements for all your photos.

On1 Photo RAW 2018 is now available!

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We’ve had the pre-order going for a while, with a very nice discount, but the ACTUAL release went live at the end of last week!

For those of you who purchased the pre-order, please visit the link provided with your purchase confirmation email to download the full release.

For those who HAVEN’T yet purchased, here’s some of what you’re missing:

Click HERE to download a Free Trial!

About ON1 Photo RAW 2018
ON1 Photo RAW 2018 includes the essential tools and features every photographer needs in their workflow. Our super fast, non-destructive, and state-of-the-art processing engine gives you an ultra smooth and efficient editing experience. ON1 Photo RAW is focused on allowing you to get the most out of every photo. Photographers now have a tool with fast photo management, hundreds of customizable photo effects, fast and beautiful HDR, panos, masking and selection tools, layers, and much more—in one app.

ON1 BENEFITS
• No subscription
• Own it forever
• Migration assistant
• Open cloud storage integration
• Hundreds of free training videos
• World-class service and support

Video Training
ON1 Photo RAW 2018 Overview: https://youtu.be/k6QWJaqwdNU
New Color Range Masks: https://youtu.be/OVAZo59TIRE
Mew Luminosity Mask Tools: https://youtu.be/v7ry-zRGqAk
HDR: https://youtu.be/BTymQgFCkh0
Pano: https://youtu.be/P6ahMfxGiHs
Paint With Color Brush: https://youtu.be/2DiuYS2UBbM
New Noise Adjustment Brush: https://youtu.be/KrM-e75OwSU
New Mask Blur Chisel: https://youtu.be/1T7ZL4vOFs4
Remove Haze from a Photo: https://youtu.be/vzz1ueLqTis

Offer Availability
ON1 Photo RAW 2018 will be available November 9th or 10th for download.

NEW On1 Photo RAW 2017.6 – SUMMER SALE

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On1 Photo RAW 2017.6

For those who don’t yet have On1Photo – On1 is offering a 50% off sale – Ending August 31st! Price for everything below is just $49.99!!!
On1 Photo RAW is not JUST for RAW files – the power of this app extends WAY beyond RAW, and will do a BEAUTIFUL job of giving you creative control over your jpeg files, even files from your Camera Phone!

Here’s what you get with this free offer!

ON1 Photo RAW 2017.6

The next generation of ON1 with NEW Browse, Develop, Effects, Resize, and Layers. – $119.99

ON1 Master Course: Landscape Photography Workflow & ON1 Photo RAW 2017.6

Learn how to bring your landscapes to life with Matt Kloskowski’s workflow in ON1 Photo RAW 2017.6. View details » – $49.99

Portrait & Studio Photography Video Course

This video series by ON1 gurus Liz LePage & Hudson Henry covers everything you need to know about Portrait & Studio Photography. View details » – $29.99

Hudson Henry Core Landscape ON1 Presets

10 fundamental presets for every landscape photographer to add to their collection, packaged with a special instructional video for how to create your own similar styles for your photos. View details » – $14.99

Hudson Henry Core Portrait ON1 Presets

10 fundamental presets for every portrait photographer to add to their collection, packaged with a special intructional video for how to create your own beautiful styles for your photos. View details » – $14.99

TOTAL VALUE – $229.95

YOUR PRICE: $49.99

ON1 Photo RAW! Version 2017.6, is a free update for product owners, is available for immediate download.ON1 Photo RAW 2017.6 includes more new features, speed improvements, and many other updates. In addition, we’ve included many fixes for issues reported by ON1 customers.

Mac OS X:
http://ononesoft.cachefly.net/photoraw2017/mac/3844/ON1_Photo_RAW_2017.dmg

Windows:
http://ononesoft.cachefly.net/photoraw2017/win/3844/ON1_Photo_RAW_2017.exe

What’s new in ON1 Photo RAW 2017.6:

– Fast Preview Mode — When you have just come back from a shoot and you want to dive in a view hundreds or even thousands of photos, Fast Preview Mode lets you rip through them faster than anything. No need to catalog them first.

– Browse Performance Improvements — We have made Browsing ever faster than it was! It loads thumbnails and fit-screen previews faster and it remembers more so that it will be even faster than next time you view the same photos.

– Cataloged Folders — Indexed folders, one of the most powerful features in Browse, have grown-up into Cataloged Folders. Your cataloged folders are scanned and kept up-to-date automatically. Large previews are generated in the background to make browsing much faster too. The powerful database behind Cataloged Folders enabled fast searching and viewing across folders and drives.

– Kelvin Color Temp — When processing RAW photos, the color temperature range is now measured in Kelvin degrees, giving you a larger and more accurate range to make adjustments.

– Rotate Photos Anywhere — Now you can rotate photos in any view in Browse, Develop or Effects.

– Compressed Photoshop Files — When you export or create Photoshop PSD files, they are now losslessly compressed, making them half the size they used to be.

– Other Improvements — Zooming and panning the photo is more intuitive. The Crop tool now remembers the last used used crop settings

– Photo Via improvements — Updated support for new Google and Dropbox sign-in versions. updated, labels improved, bugs fixed.

– Increased the maximum amount of motion blur.

– Added Lens Correction for fixed-lens cameras.

– Added support for the Canon 6D Mark II, Olympus TG-5, Nikon D7500, Leica TL2, Canon Rebel SL2/200D

– Other bug fixes and performance improvements

Excellent Easy and Powerful Image Optimization Software – Photolemur!

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Hi guys! So many of you have been interested in some of the amazing professional level image manipulation and improvement programs I’ve shown – but others have asked me if there’s anything out there that just works easily and effectively without a learning curve.

Have I got the software for you!

Photolemur has such tremendous ease of use, and wonderful algorithms! It uses artificial intelligence based on a huge database of adjustments that can be made to an image, along with artificial intelligence to learn your preferred settings – and instantly improves your images without any work on your part at all – or, if you choose, just a little work. In addition, it works on jpeg images AND Raw images!

Watch my demo below and check out Photolemur’s website for more information on the software, it’s various versions, and it’s availability for both Windows and Macintosh computers.