PS Masking Plugins

[Garnick]

Not sure this is the proper place to post this request, but I'll give it a try. I'd like to get some opinions on masking plugins for PS. I just noticed that Perfect Mask from onOne is half price until end of day tomorrow. Certainly not a bad deal, but I've been looking at the Topaz offering as well and now don't have a lot of time to make a decision on the Perfect Mask. I haven't had an opportunity to peruse the trial version of PM yet, so I'd like to know if you folks have any particular pros or cons either way.

Gary 

[leuallen]

I have both the OnOne and Topaz plugins and have tried many others. The Topaz plug in is my choice.

Larry

[plugsnpixels]

Gary, both onOne and Topaz are currently offering large discounts. 30-day trials are offered by both developers so you can try and decide.

[walter.sk]

+1 for Topaz Remask3, but view some of the tutorials on youtube before you try it on a really difficult picture.

Topaz seems to be a company that has done a lot of innovation in their approach to processing.  While they have a large number of plugins now that may seem to overlap, and which can produce really grungy effects, they are easy to tame and use for very subtle effects, perhaps with fewer artifacts than NIK, which I also love.  Remask and Denoise are superb.

[plugsnpixels]

The trick is to tame the saturation. Some people love it, but my personal rule of thumb is to apply any effect you think looks good and then back it off 50%.

I've corresponded with the owner of Topaz and they do have a plan to consolidate the product line somewhat. Another rule-of-thumb is that Topaz' latest titles are often the best, as they are continually improving their technology, GUI, etc.

[leuallen]

One plus for Topaz is that they constantly update their programs in significant ways. I tried Remask when it first came out: it was crap. I then tried the next version and it was night and day better. The current version is superb. The upgrades are usually free and they come in a timely manner.

Larry

[langier]

Tried Fluid Mask (standalone and plug-in) but it wasn't so easy so I dropped it. Now using Topaz ReMask. It's easy and intuitive to use and works well.