I received notice just a few days ago that my friends over at Nik are offering a special $100 savings on the purchase of Color Efex Pro Complete Edition. For a limited time only, this special price gets you access to 52 filters in that collection, perfect for a jumping off point to create your own unique ‘look’ to your work. I use Tonal Contrast a great deal in my workflow, after initial workup in Lightroom or Viveza. I also use the brilliance and warmth, Glamour Glow, and a host of others as I envision my final image.

This image of a lone cypress tree outside of an old decaying church entrance represented a contrast of nature and man, and the story that when man’s makings begin to crumble, nature persists. The scene was quite flat in terms of color and contrast. I took the image into Viveza to locally adjust areas of the bright wall, and bring up the tree a bit. Then I took it into Color Efex Pro and added a touch of Brilliance and Warmth, and applied the Tonal Contrast filter at the end, but lightly, to bring out the grain of the stone.When beginning a process like this, I don’t always know what techniques I’ll use, but I have a vision for what I want the image to look like. Having worked with Nik filters a lot, I know certain ones will give me what I want for the photo. The smaller photo below is the original, unprocess RAW file from Lightroom.

Check out this link, and if you decide to purchase, please use the promo code of BTHARP at checkout. Not sure if it will save you an additional amount, as typically it doesn’t help on special offers, but it does let them know that I’m spreading the word!