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Don't tell my wife, but I secretly love my
birthday. Every year I make a big deal out of keeping it secret,
passing it off like it's 'no big deal'. Yeah, right. I'm just as
excited to get new stuff as my 4 year old. My tastes have
matured a bit beyond the Tonka stage or anything that makes
noise (a sure winner for my kids). Clothes are a definite
no-no... I'll dress myself, thank you. What appeals to me now as
my years advance? Anything to do with fishing and...new
software!
Thus, it was with great joy that I received my
copy of Auto F/X newest graphics package. The newest edition to
their stellar software collection is the aptly named Dream
Suite, Series 1. This robust package of Adobe Photoshop
compatible plugins offers effects/filters in the following
groups:
· 33mm Frame
· Chisel
· Crackle
· Crease
· Cubism
· Deckle
· Dimension X
· Focus
· Hot Stamp
· Instamatic
· Liquid Metal (a personal favorite)
· Metal Mixer
· Photo Border
· Photo Depth
· Photo Tone
· Putty
· Ripple
· Tape
As you can see from the list above, these
filters don't merely focus on one avenue of design (Type, Photo
Effects, etc.) but address a gamut of effects for a wide range
of design areas.
Let's take a look at some of these features.
Another cool feature with this package is what
I'd call an offshoot of Adobe Photoshop's Liquify tool. Dream
Suite calls this feature Putty.
Try that one on your buddy's photo... the
effects can be VERY humorous to say the least.
An added bonus for an Actions fanatic like
myself is the Dream Suite plug-ins are compatible with the
Actions Palette. Time to start recording!
Considering the time I've had to work with the
software I'd say this is an extremely rich package that can add
many levels to production, both for web and print media. I did
find some quirks when working with type, but that may simply be
due to my unfamiliarity of the controls. Time will tell in that
regard. Overall I'm well pleased with Dream Suite, and strongly
urge you to consider adding this to your Photoshop Toolbox.
Product: Dream Suite Series 1
Company: Auto F/X Software
Website: www.autofx.com
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Platforms: Mac and PC
Cost: $299 USD |