Tonality Pro - new B&W plugin from MacPhun

[keith_cooper]

MacPhun have released a new plugin/app [Mac] for converting an processing B&W images.

I've used Silver Efex for a long time and one of the features of Tonality Pro that caught my attention was the ability to have multiple masked adjustment layers, much as I'd use in Photoshop. This works in Aperture/Lightroom too.

It's a V1.0 product, so a few minor quibbles ...but the layers in particular are very useful, for example by allowing me to add more processing to areas of land, without resulting in halo effects around clouds (which I dislike greatly)

I've written up quite a detailed article - hope it's of interest.

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/plugins/tonality-pro1.html

[Mark D Segal]

Hi Keith, I'll read with interest - perhaps this is answered in your review, but meanwhile, I'd be curious to see whether its layers do all that much more than I can achieve using LR's selection/selective editing capabilities (brush and gradient) in B&W mode.

[keith_cooper]

Hi Keith, I'll read with interest - perhaps this is answered in your review, but meanwhile, I'd be curious to see whether its layers do all that much more than I can achieve using LR's selection/selective editing capabilities (brush and gradient) in B&W mode.

My feeling is that they probably do - lack of layers is a big reason I've never got into Lightroom (it does nothing particularly of use for me in a way that I feel I want)

The example that's simplest to show, is the masked layers for sky and for land - there is an example in the review.

I note that it also offers some aspects of blending modes, although I didn't pursue that in the review.

If it worked as a smart filter that would be even better for LR I guess? but of course it does depend on how much processing you do

[Mark D Segal]

Thanks Keith, I've read your review now - as usual, well articulated and illustrated. Of course apart from Lightroom it would compete with Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 (which does integrate with Lightroom as a plug-in), also an extraordinarily capable piece of software.

Many people may consider Lightroom integration an important question, because the Lightroom clientele is huge for good reason - won't divert the discussion by going into all the good reasons for using Lightroom, but a salient one in this context is its seamless integration with both Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. Using Lightroom, I find it a largely self-contained highly capable image editing application from Ingestion (Library) to Print, Book or Web, for which I don't need to render about 95% of my images, whether I print in colour or B&W. Anyhow, thanks for bringing this product to our attention. I can see the layers feature may make it a worthwhile addition to the image editing arsenal. Worth some comparative testing relative to the obvious comparators.

[keith_cooper]

Thanks Mark

I've used SFX for several years, so any comparison is tricky, since you have to try and discount some of the 'familiarity' effect.

I'd like to hear how people use it with LR  - most aspects of my workflow are up for re-evaluation every year or two...
...but Im still never likely to start keywording/cataloguing by back collection of images! ;-)

[Mark D Segal]

Thanks Mark

I've used SFX for several years, so any comparison is tricky, since you have to try and discount some of the 'familiarity' effect.

I'd like to hear how people use it with LR  - most aspects of my workflow are up for re-evaluation every year or two...
...but Im still never likely to start keywording/cataloguing by back collection of images! ;-)

Hi Keith,

I have SFX with LR, but frankly haven't used it because I find I have enough control over the tonality I want just using LR's native capabilities. My approach is to exhaust what LR can do before turning to anything else, and most often it suffices. So I too would be interested in how others have used the two together.

Of course, there's no need to catalog all your images if you start using LR - only those you want managed in an LR workflow. :-)

[robgo2]

I am unable to put Tonality to the test, as it requires OS10.8 or later, and I have 10.7.5, but I wish to point out that one can have both B&W conversions and layer capability inside OnOne's Perfect Photo Suite 8.  Just use Perfect B&W for the conversion and Perfect Effects for the layering of various effects.  For me, this has replaced Silver Efex Pro, mainly because the OnOne combination is so much more flexible and powerful.  Tonality's layers may be great, but I highly doubt that they can match the versatility of Perfect Effects.  BTW, Perfect Photo Suite is now up to v8.5.

Rob