#Question about Convolver
7 messages in this thread
Hi Julie,
Have been using Convolver for a couple of days and am sort of
dissapointed , I mean it does serve a purpose but it only deals with a couple
of filters. I think the Power tools for windows version 2 was well worth the
money I spent where as Convolver left me wanting a whole lot more in the way of
filters . Don't get me wrong the control you give me over a couple of filters
are great but after using your other programs I was expecting and wanting a
decent number of filters to play with besides blur and a couple of color
filters. %-( Sad in N.Y.
Lance, play with Convolver some more. I think it's really remarkable. It's,
perhaps, a little more subtle than KPT, but I'm finding it very useful. I guess
I don't think of it as a set of filters so much as a tool–maybe that makes a
difference.
–Heidi
I have found it to have an occasional effect that I needed but it wasn't so
dramatic that every time I needed to explore a new possibility I went straight
to convolver , Kind of useful for some people I am sure just not to me ! any
way enjoy and happy exploring.
Lance,
I agree with Heidi. You're not often going to get a "stunning" effect like you
can with the Gradient designer, however, I have gotten a few wonderful, unique
effects that I can't do without Convolver.
For example, Convolver and thin text work very well together. Embossed letters
come quickly in explore mode (uncheck the tint influence). Then, create a drop
shadow for the text and explore some more. To get a chrome effect use thin
black letters and explore (again without the tint).
Have you gotten your fifth star yet? It's reward is my favorite feature. Use
the hints if you don't like the carrot-dangling thing. Then, when you get your
star, sit back and wait for something cool to appear.
IMHO, Convolver is worth the money. On the mundane side alone, it gives you
excellent control and allows interaction between effects that you can't easily
do with most filters.
I had actually canceled my Convolver order once I saw the ads. But, bless
their hearts, they sent it anyway. And I guess I needed something cool in the
mail that day, because I installed it anyway.
Well I am stuck with it now so I am sure I will find a small niche for it
somewhere in my filter arsonal however small it will be. I haven't gotten past
my second star yet as I don't spend alot of time just playing around with it ,
if there isn't a specific need for a blur or hue or tint I would rather stick
to the native programs which give control over the filters also. Enjoy and lets
hope that an update has more goodies to add to the bag of tricks!
Lance, I don't meant to beat up on you or beat this into the ground, but
Convolver provides a *lot of control. Have you tried the Designer or Tweak
modes? You can control the amount of effect very closely and see just what
you're getting.
–Heidi
Hi Lance,
Convolver is a much different animal than Kai's Power Tools – there's no doubt
about that… Kai's Power Tools is a grabbag of dramatic and noticeable tools
and effects while Convolver is more of a detail and production tool.
Before you put it away, I'll share my favorite uses and rationales:
– A favorite tip: Color control. You can selectively remove colors in addition
to tinting… invaluable.
– Convolver can do in one step what may take Photoshop many many steps. Every
time you process your image with a filter, you will lose information, no matter
what. Convolver also processes the information at an internal 48-bit, which
helps you to avoid banding (which is a large problem in Photoshop).
– My absolute favorite thing about Convo is the ability to have all of the
standard Photoshop tools right in one palatte which I can work. I have a
standard sequence of blurring, unsharp masking, and tweaking that I do with
scanned images, and Convo allows me to save these settings and save a lot of
time. The whole metaphor of being able to preview how your image will look with
all the effects helps me create exactly what I want, without guesswork.
– Most of the effects you can achieve with Gallery Effects, you can do with
Convolver.
– Another favorite tip: Embossing control. Standard embosses are nice, but it's
more uncommon to get an emboss to your image that will preserve the colors –
Convo gives you complete control here.
– I always go straight to Convolver before any other filter to tweak and clean
up.
Hopefully soon I'll have some tips to upload here for using our products…
will see if I can get some Convo tips to upload.
-Julie, KPT team