Eye candy is often used as a not-so-flattering description of the superficial attractiveness of something. If you’ve played around with computer graphics software, however, you might know that it takes on a whole new meaning when prefaced with the name Alien Skin. That Eye Candy lit up the graphics industry when it hit the scene - plug-ins for Photoshop that you could use to create amazing effects and textures.
Alien Skin recently introduced the Eye Candy Effects Collection, which is a compilation of five of its standalone products: Eye Candy 5 Textures, Eye Candy 5 Nature, Eye Candy 5 Impact, SnapArt and Xenofex 2. These products continue as plug-ins for Photoshop (or other applications that support the PS plug-in architecture, including Photoshop Elements and Corel Paint Shop Pro). The product ships with both Mac and Windows versions on the same media, and the latest version has been updated for Photoshop CS3 and as well, the Mac version is Universal.
Installation is straightforward. If you have more than one program that supports plug-ins, the installation program prompts you to pick which one you want. Once installed, the plug-ins show up as a choice in the Filters drop down menu. Using the Eye Candy filters is equally simple. Once you have the image you want to apply the effect to loaded into Photoshop, you simply access the appropriate filter style. Typically, you are presented a work panel which has a preview of what the effect will look like when applied to the photo along with controls that allow you to adjust relevant variables of the filter such as granularity, strength and so on. Say OK, and the software does its magic.
While the price tag might seem a bit steep (US$399 from the Alien Skin website), you get more than 50 effects filters within the five-product set. Eye Candy 5 Textures offers a range of organic (e.g., animal fur), inorganic (marble) and constructed (brick wall) textures. Nature replicates shapes and textures appearing as natural phenomena (e.g., ripples, fire, icicles, smoke), while Impact is a mix of lighting and texture effects (e.g., brushed metal, glass, bevel). Snap Art offers what is commonly known as natural media simulation - in other words, it applies painterly strokes and textures to an image to make it look as though it were created using natural art media such as watercolour on paper, oil on canvas or coloured pencil. Xeonofex 2 defies strict categorization because the filters cover a range of effects. One of my favourites, called Mosaic, makes the image look as though it were created using irregular mosaic tiles. Another superimposes a jigsaw puzzle pattern over an image. The Crumple filter applies textures that make the image look as though the paper it was printed on were crumpled up, then flattened out; while Burned Edges applies simulated scorching around the perimeter of the image.
Most image editors like Photoshop ship with a range of special effects filters, so you might wonder whether you need these or not. If you don’t care for the effects filters that are already available to you in Photoshop, it’s not likely you’ll find much use for these. On the other hand, if you’ve exhausted them and are looking for new variations, or are looking for that one special effect that doesn’t come with PS, you might find filter happiness in the Eye Candy Collection. And if you don’t need the whole set, you can buy the individual packages separately.
Alien Skin recently introduced the Eye Candy Effects Collection, which is a compilation of five of its standalone products: Eye Candy 5 Textures, Eye Candy 5 Nature, Eye Candy 5 Impact, SnapArt and Xenofex 2. These products continue as plug-ins for Photoshop (or other applications that support the PS plug-in architecture, including Photoshop Elements and Corel Paint Shop Pro). The product ships with both Mac and Windows versions on the same media, and the latest version has been updated for Photoshop CS3 and as well, the Mac version is Universal.
Installation is straightforward. If you have more than one program that supports plug-ins, the installation program prompts you to pick which one you want. Once installed, the plug-ins show up as a choice in the Filters drop down menu. Using the Eye Candy filters is equally simple. Once you have the image you want to apply the effect to loaded into Photoshop, you simply access the appropriate filter style. Typically, you are presented a work panel which has a preview of what the effect will look like when applied to the photo along with controls that allow you to adjust relevant variables of the filter such as granularity, strength and so on. Say OK, and the software does its magic.
While the price tag might seem a bit steep (US$399 from the Alien Skin website), you get more than 50 effects filters within the five-product set. Eye Candy 5 Textures offers a range of organic (e.g., animal fur), inorganic (marble) and constructed (brick wall) textures. Nature replicates shapes and textures appearing as natural phenomena (e.g., ripples, fire, icicles, smoke), while Impact is a mix of lighting and texture effects (e.g., brushed metal, glass, bevel). Snap Art offers what is commonly known as natural media simulation - in other words, it applies painterly strokes and textures to an image to make it look as though it were created using natural art media such as watercolour on paper, oil on canvas or coloured pencil. Xeonofex 2 defies strict categorization because the filters cover a range of effects. One of my favourites, called Mosaic, makes the image look as though it were created using irregular mosaic tiles. Another superimposes a jigsaw puzzle pattern over an image. The Crumple filter applies textures that make the image look as though the paper it was printed on were crumpled up, then flattened out; while Burned Edges applies simulated scorching around the perimeter of the image.
Most image editors like Photoshop ship with a range of special effects filters, so you might wonder whether you need these or not. If you don’t care for the effects filters that are already available to you in Photoshop, it’s not likely you’ll find much use for these. On the other hand, if you’ve exhausted them and are looking for new variations, or are looking for that one special effect that doesn’t come with PS, you might find filter happiness in the Eye Candy Collection. And if you don’t need the whole set, you can buy the individual packages separately.
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