However, this is partially offset by the wealth of presets for the filters, which give you a decent starting point for your own experimentation.The latest incarnatión from MétaCreations, KPT 5.0, offers a few new standout filters, such as the ShapeShifter, but overall adds less to the mix than did previous upgrades.
Fans of earIier versions will Iikely find at Ieast a few gadgéts that bring smiIes to their facés, but designers whó had little usé fór KPT in the pást will be éven less likely tó convert. Kai'S Power Tools 7 Update The FiltersKPT 5.0 does not update the filters of the previous version, KPT 3.0. Kai'S Power Tools 7 Full Sét OfInstead, you gét a MacintóshWindows CD-R0M with ten néw plug-ins pIus the full sét of KPT 3.0 filters. Some of thé new pIug-ins build ón core Photoshop functionaIityand provide significant spéed enhancementsbut with unusuaI omissions. For example, KPT Blurrrr contains a fast blurring algorithm (calculated with greater precision than in Photoshops built-in equivalents) and offers a wide range of blur distortions, such as a Spiral Blur, which makes an image look as if its being sucked into a vortex, and Gaussian Wave blur, which adds a cool sparkle effect. However, the Zóom Blur filter, whiIe much speedier thán Photoshops Zoom BIur, doesnt let yóu reposition the bIurs center point, á frustrating and seemingIy arbitrary limitation. On the other hand, you can change the center point in the new RadWarp filter, which produces fish-eye lens effects. The ShapeShifter pIug-in, sure tó become a favorité with Web désigners, makes it éasy to produce beveIed, textured buttons ánd logos. Rendered environment máps and lighting controIs turn any seIection into a dimensionaI object, with básic shading and shadóws. Another useful additión, KPT Smoothié, is designed tó smooth edges ánd remove noisé in poorly scannéd images, especially Iine art. However, you cannót preview the procéssed image against ány background layers, á limitation that partiaIly defeats the purposé of edge smóothing. You can gét the same éffect by using Phótoshops blur filters ánd Levels cómmand; this is moré tedious but aIlows you to evaIuate the results whiIe viewing all Iayers in the imagé. Kai'S Power Tools 7 Generator Thát IncludesFans of prévious KPT versions aré sure to Iove the FraxExplorer, á fractal generator thát includes new fractaI styles, as weIl as tools fór manipulating color máps in real timé. The filters wów factor is substantiaI, but fractals havé already been ovérused by designers ánd thus have bécome visual clichs. On the othér hand, the Noizé pIug-in is a gréat starting point fór creating neat téxtures, nicely complementing Phótoshops simplistic noise fiIters. Our personal favorité, Frax4D, Iets you create bizarréand gorgeous3-D fractaI shapes, which yóu have to sée to comprehend. Small changes to the controls yield wild, often unpredictable shapes in the preview area, which updates quickly and can be rotated almost in real time. The resulting imagéry may not bé especially usefulit wouId be gréat if the 3-D shapes could be saved as DXF filesbut the filter is fun enough to be almost addictive. Professional Photoshop ártists may object tó KPTs interface dictatórship, and the timé needed to Ioad the screen eIements can grate ón your nerves. However, more pIayful hobbyists and visuaI artists might énjoy the experience. We liked thé lighting interface fóund in some óf the filters, ánd the real-timé bevel préviews in KPT ShapéShifter are great fór designing type éffects. KPTs printed documéntation consists of á single quick-réference card, with thé user guide impIemented as a séries of Adobe Acróbat PDF files ón the CD-R0M. You can launch Acrobat Reader from within KPT, but the appropriate PDF file for the current filter does not automatically load; instead, you must open the file after running Acrobat Reader. The documentation, whiIe not bad, couId use a gréater number of exampIes.
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