Highly anticipated collection of Photoshop add-ons leaves much to be desired
Extensis' Phototools, like every other plug-in for Photoshop, tries to make either difficult or time consuming tasks simple. PhotoTools includes a handful of special effects filters, as well as some new window toolbars (rightly dubbed "PhotoBars") that try to make Photoshop a little easier to use.
PhotoTools 2.0 adds five filters to Photoshop, all of which contain only slight modifications from some of the most common 'effects' filters. First, PhotoBevel allows you to make a selection, such as text, seem as though someone cut out the shape with a chisel.
This is a very popular effect (Macinsoft's logo contains bother inner and outer bevels, created with Eye Candy) and, just like with most filters of this kind, you can adjust the lighting, highlight & shadow colors, and the size of the area that is beveled.
Next, PhotoButton, as its name implies, allows you to quickly create 3D buttons.
As with the bevel tool, you can adjust the lighting as well as the material that different parts of the button are made out of, the shape of the button, whether the button is extruding inwards or outwards as well as how much the button protrudes - a myriad of options for what turns out to look pretty much the same no matter what your settings are.
PhotoGlow essentially allows the user to make a a specified color radiate from a selection (giving it a glowing impression) while PhotoEmboss lifts up the specified selection based of the brightness, creating an effect almost identical to that of the PhotoBevel filter.
Lastly, the Photo Shadow filter allows you to give a selection a shadow, be it perspective or a simple drop. You can change the direction of the light, the color of the shadow, and the kind of shadow it is.
PowerBars, the other main feature of PhotoTools, sets up mini windows that give you a handful of customizable, executable commands at the click of the mouse. The windows add click 'n' run buttons for Photo Commands, Default, Modes, and Filters windows (although each window can be customized to include virtually any command you want).
The PhotoCommands window allows you to use PhotoTools filters without having to go into the filters menu. The Default toolbar lets you accomplish different effects that are embedded in multiple menus, such as flipping and rotating. The Modes window can simply change the color mode (grey scale,RGB, etc.) with a single click click and, finally, the Filter window lets you select any filter you have installed without going to the filters menu. Although the PhotoBars seem like a great a idea and are a nice touch, they don't really serve much of a purpose. I'd rather hit command-F to reapply a filter then maneuver the cursor of a small button. Also, the buttons that are created in the toolbar have nothing to do with most of the actions they perform, therefore requiring you to memorize which does what, unless you want to place the cursor over and wait a second for it to tell you. These windows also do not blend it with the standard Photoshop toolbars and use an entirely different color scheme. PhotoBars are no doubt a good idea but they certainly need perfecting before they become a feasible alternative to what everyone is used to.
PhotoTools' filters really have no artistic value, although they do add some nice effects to on screen graphics. However, with only five filters included in the $199 package, you're better of purchasing Eye Candy, which carries a similar price tag but includes 21 eye popping filters. PhotoTools' execution of the filters are also below par and produce less than stunning results when compared to other filter sets. Although the real time preview is a treat, it doesn't make up for the botched results that the filters produce.
The new PhotoBars that Extensis added, as mentioned earlier, need to be improved. Currently, these windows are rather useless since the time that it saves (if you actually get into the habit of using them) is extremely minimal.
Extensis, a respected firm in the graphics arts field, came up well short with their release of PhotoTools 2.0. It's a solid improvement over 1.0, but the outlandish price and limited features makes it a sleeper, especially when compared to the alternatives.
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 SRP: $129.99; Upgrade: $49.99 |