Before using it on my client’s photo, I wanted to give the product a run-through and test each of the filters. That, I quickly discovered, was a lot of filters! The product ships with 60 cutting-edge filters for rapidly improving and enhancing photos in any production environment. Each of those filters can be combined together to create a virtually infinite set of looks and moods that give you a true creative edge. There are over 300 instant preset looks included with the software as well and you can also capture looks as presets and replay them on other photos which I found invaluable.
When using MTTC, you have the option to save your creation in a variety of formats. Go to the File > Save menu option and save your work using any of the following formats:
.psd : Photoshop Native File Format: Includes full transparency layer support
.tif : Saves a standard Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
.jpg : Saves images to a default Best Quality JPG setting
.png : PNG24: Includes transparency mask support and lossless compression
.bmp : Bitmap File Format: Basic graphic file format for Windows
I should start by saying that this product offers what I consider a huge bonus. It ships with both an application and a plug-in for Photoshop 7 through CS4, so that you can use it in whatever way best fits your workflow. The developer also scores points out of the gate for their intro in their manual that offers a quick overview of the interface:
The interface is pretty simple to understand. Use the Select Effect Menu to apply effects to your photo. The effects stack on the Layer Palette and you can delete any effect you don’t want by clicking the Delete Effect Button on the bottom of the layer palette. You can apply most effects to the entire image by using the Mode: Global menu option at the top of the effect palette. Use the Red Brush-Off tool to remove the effect from wherever you brush. Use the Brush Palette to control the size and the opacity of the brush. If you want to apply the effect to localized areas of the photo use the Mode: Brush-On menu option . This only applies the effect to the places where you brush using the Green Brush-On tool . To preview the image without the effect click on the Original button at the top of the interface. To load one of the hundreds of presets that come with the program, click on the Select
Layer Preset button I at the top of the interface.
Having this overview made diving into the product less daunting for sure. The summary gave me a good handle on how I could expect things to work. Each effect filter is categorized (intuitively) under the section that best relates to its functionality. When you select an effect, it is typically applied to the
photo and you will see a result right away. There are, however, some effects that require you to brush before the result is shown. Examples of those that require brushing on are Portrait Filters, Hand Tinting and Under Color. As soon as you select an effect it is rendered on your photo and your preview updates. The effect is also placed on the Layer Palette where you can easily delete it if you don’t want it. This made it quick and easy to view an effect and rule it out if I wasn’t happy with the results. What’s really cool, is that if you have multiple effects they combine and ‘stack’ on the Layer Palette.
When a new effect is added to your photo it stacks on the Layer Palette in the order it was applied. Then, when you select the Effect on the Layer Palette it becomes highlighted. From here you can delete it, temporarily turn it off, or even reorder the effects which gives you completely new looks. The photo I was testing on changed significantly just by utilizing the reordering feature.
The Layers Palette boasts an Opacity slider which controls the opacity for whatever effect you have selected at the time. Reducing the opacity blend the effect into the original image based on the opacity level.
Modes of Effects application:
Most of the time you will want to apply an effect to the entire image and then, if needed, remove it from selected areas. When brushing off the effect on a portion of your image, the Brush Palette lets you set the Opacity for the Brush-Off tool. Here, you just need to keep in mind that lower opacity
lets you remove the effect by degrees based on the percentage of opacity. At any time—also way cool—you can Click the Original button at the top of the interface to compare your changes.
Okay, so to start applying effects, you just open a photo, go to the Select Effect menu, and choose any one of the available filters. I had a hard time deciding which effect to choose first. There were a wide variety which all produce dramatically different effects. And those could be combined, so it virtually is an endless supply of creative options. Once you choose and effect, as explained above, it will be added to the Layer Palette. The effect controls appear on the left side of the interface and they controls vary based on the effect but most have a Brush-On / Brush-Off method that is central to using the software.
Global is the default mode for most effects, which applies it to your entire image. You can then use the Brush-Off tool to remove it from any areas you want. If you use the Brush-Off tool and want to add back to an area you’ve erased, just use the Brush-On tool to fill the area back in. Foolproof really.
The Gradient Path tool lets you draw a simple path that renders the effect through a smooth gradient mask that is rendered behind the scenes. You simply click and then drag your mouse from outside the photo area and then drop it on your photo. You then have the ability to click on end-points to be able to drag to whatever position you want. You can also have multiple Gradient Paths applied to your photo and can have them coming onto the photo from any angle or side. This one I played with for a long while, seeing what variations I could get. Definitely a lot of options.
Many of the effects in MTTC have an Effect Mask tool. Using this tool, you can choose to apply the effect through a mask and can achieve an artistic result. Using the Mode menu on the effect to apply the Effect Mask, you have an option to apply the mask through the Brush-On mode or with a Global mode. When you choose an Effect Mask you are presented with the Effect Mask Catalog. Select an effect and click on it then press the Apply to Image button to have the effect that you’re working with filtered through the mask. You always have the option of undo remember. You can remove the effect mask by just clicking on the Effect Mask Tool again and clicking on the Clear From Image button at the bottom of the catalog window. Voila! Try out as many as you want without fear of being stuck with something you never wanted.
The Effect Mask tool is very powerful. By far, my favorite. Options and controls when working with this tool include a Thumbnails tab which shows you, at a glance, previews of the masks. In your general controls, the developer has provided a proxy option that defines the maximum preview size that the software renders to while working with your images. This preview displays how the final high-resolution version will look once you’ve saved the file or brought it back into a host application (such as Photoshop). The proxy system was designed to vastly speed up complex operations that this software uses to render photo-realistic high-quality graphics.
A History tab shows you your last 25 mask effects that you selected, really handy if you are in there exploring your options and can’t remember the one you really loved. It’s also great for being able to find an effect you used on an earlier project and would like to use again.
You can also add effect masks to a Favorites tab easily by selecting it, then clicking on the Favorites tab. It is then automatically entered and it remains specific to that effect. That means you can have a Favorites section for each effect. Also way handy.
If you have decided on an Effect Mask to use, or try, simply click the Apply to Image button and the effect will be filtered through the Effect Mask onto your photo. Once again, it’s that easy.
Layer Presets, as the developer explains in the comprehensive manual, are a powerful part of MTTC. There are hundreds of presets included and you can also create your own and add them to your collection. The top of the interface presents you with two buttons that control presets: Select Layer
Preset and Save Layer Preset.
Use the Select Layer Preset to open the Presets catalog where you can preview and/or select a preset. If you want to save/capture the effect(s) you are currently applying to your image, you simply select the Use the Save Layer Preset. Options to clone or edit a preset are controlled through the Layer palette. Additionally, your brush settings are captured when you save a preset and will be applied to any future images you choose to use that preset on.
The Layer Palette holds a lot of the controls in MTTC. They aren’t overwhelming, just located where it makes sense and it is through this palette that you will control things such as: Opacity, Effects Menu, the Add New Layer option, Clone Layer, Add Masking Layer and the ability to delete an effect. Having all of those in one palette is great and saves time for sure.
When working with some of the effects (Hand Tinting, Under Color or any of the Portrait Effects) you’ll find it of value l to use multiple instances of an effect to achieve the look you want. For instance, on a portrait, you may want to use two instances of a Smooth Skin effect—one with a stronger setting for one area of the face and one with a lighter setting on another. Helpfully, the developer suggests you rename the effects so that they make sense to you. It’s easy. You just double-click the layer you want to rename and the Layer Name dialog will appear for you to rename it.
All you users who are Photoshop Actions die-hards will love the fact that Mystical Tint Tone and Color is actions aware and works with Photoshop 7 and higher actions. You can create a new action using the Photoshop actions palette, press the Record button on the Actions palette then select the plug-in and keep working. Then, when you exit the plug-in, you just click the Stop button and your action will be recorded for later play-back. If you use any effect brushes the strokes you use while working in the plug-in are recorded and played back using the action. This developer, obviously, is listening to real users, implementing the features we find most valuable.
There are a number of other powerful controls and options in this package as well. I intend to spend a little time discovering the power each of them affords me in my future design work. And MTTC ships with a catalog (59 pages) of effects and examples of how they look and how they changed an image. This was invaluable as I could rule out specific effects based on the look I was going for as opposed to trying each one, although I admit I did that too. Color Effects include such options as Antique Photo, Afternoon Sun, Black and White, Color Bleach, Contrast, Mixer and Tone, Cool Colors, Green Foliage, HSB Adjust, Moon Glow, Sepia, Vitality and many more. Tint options included creative choices such as Blue Sky, Hand Tinting, Gradient Tinting, Under Color and Cool or Warm Gray. That doesn’t include, or even touch on, the numerous Tonal Effects, Lens Filters, Sharpening options, Smoothing options, HDR Filters, and some special brush options. I’m already addicted to the Portrait effects/options that include Smooth Skin, Skin Color, Flesh Tone, Enhance Eyes, Enhance Hair, Enhance Lips, Reshape and Enlarge / Reduce.
I figured out that I could, quite possibly, never run out of creative options with this software, which for me, makes it a profitable investment. On to my client’s wedding photo now. I’m well-equipped with MTTC and can see far more jobs in my future being a breeze as well.
System Requirements
Windows
OS: 2000 / XP / Vista
Memory: 1 GB
Disk Space: 75 MB
Photoshop Support: 7.0 through CS4
Macintosh
OS: OS X / PPC or Intel
Memory: 1 GB
Disk Space: 75 MB
Photoshop Support: 7.0 through CS4
