Back in July, I reviewed Alien Skin Exposure 5, and decided it was one of the best Photoshop plugins for photographers to date. With its gorgeous film presets and full customization of every tool imaginable, Alien Skin seemed to be miles ahead of the competition, making a system that works well for both the beginner and seasoned pro. This morning, Alien Skin announced the followup to their flagship plugin, with Exposure 6.
Perhaps the biggest separation with the new Exposure 6 and previous versions is the inclusion of Bokeh, a popular plugin from Alien Skin that allows you to add realistic bokeh to your images and adjust it as needed. With features such as lens simulation, motion blur, and tilt-shift effects, you’re now able to create seamless effects with the power of one tool rather than multiple plugins.
The user interface has also been enhanced, to help provide better aesthetics and functionality to the system. With new panels built into the plugin, you’re now able to use sliders for global adjustments, such as exposure, contrast, clarity and more. Along with the new features, included in the system is over 450 preset effects to use on your images, with the ability to create your own, to help speed up your workflow and keep your images looking great.
Examples from Exposure 6 –
© Cliff Mautner
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© Cliff Mautner
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© Felix Kunze
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© Fer Juaristi
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© Fer Juaristi
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© Jeff Ascough
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© Jeff Ascough
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© Parker J Pfister
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© Parker J Pfister
While we haven’t yet had an opportunity to try their software, if it’s as any bit as good as the previous installments, it will be great. Alien Skin Exposure 6 won’t be available til June 2014 for $149 and available as an upgrade from Exposure 5 or older for $69. Anyone who buys Exposure 5 will receive a free upgrade to the Exposure 6 system when it becomes available. Exposure 6 will work with Photoshop CS6 or newer, Lightroom 5 or newer, Aperture 3 or newer and is also available to work as a standalone program.
