On this page I would like to share with you the tools I use to make the works that you come across on this website.
Photo editing software
Adobe Lightroom Classic as part of the Photography Deal from Adobe.
Great program to quickly edit, catalog and export photo’s. Using Adobe Lightroom, which is also included in the photographer subscription, I manage the photos I have taken. From Lightroom I load my photos into Photoshop and export the works as soon as everything is adjusted to your liking.
Adobe Photoshop CC also part of the Photography deal from Adobe.
It is not surprising that I use Adobe Photoshop cc a lot, where I have taken out the photographer subscription for about 12 euros per month. In addition to Photoshop, this subscription also includes Lightroom and some other things. For a relatively small monthly fee you always have the most recent version of Photoshop at your disposal.
Of course I have also tried alternatives, but because there is so much information to be found about Photoshop, this really remains the program for me to create my works.
Luminar
I use the Luminar plugin on all my images after developing the Raw photo in Adobe Camera Raw (part of Photoshop) to give my images a bit more pop. It’s very quick and easy and probably made me a little bit more lazy by providing me with simple sliders for tasks I had to do by hand in the olden days, saving me valuable time. I can’t recommend this software enough!
Topaz Studio 2
In addition to Photoshop, I also use the Topaz labs Studio 2 program for the digital paintings that I like to make. However, I have also written a tutorial on how to use this software without Photoshop to make a digital painting.
Topaz GigaPixel ai
I Use this software very often to upscale images I use in the digital art I make. Nowadays you need very high resolution artworks but ‘old’ camera’s I used over the years provide me with images in a too low of a resolution. Upscaling them using GigaPixal ai gives me a high-res version. If I want to use a stock image I can buy the cheaper lower resolution version and just upscale the image before using it.
I compared GigaPixel with the new image upscaler in Photoshop in an article I wrote here.
Topaz Adjust
I use this plugin to add some creative touches on the end-results of my images as part of my final touches. In almost all of my images I use this plugin. It’s also fun to just fiddle using this plugin to get some inspiration on where to go next on the finishing touches of a digital artwork.
Nik Color Efex
I used to use this plugin very often but nowadays I am not using it that often anymore after paying for the software twice and again having to buy the software for a too high of a price.
Daz3D is the 3d rendering software I use. Beware!!! This software can be very addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I personally think that as a photographer you can make beautiful pictures with Daz3D by releasing the photographic knowledge on such a 3D platform. Unfortunately it is not cheap. If you prefer to keep your budget, then a program like Blender is a much cheaper alternative.
Photo cameras
In my photo studio I shoot with a Nikon d610 digital full-frame SLR camera. Already getting older, but it still works fine for my studio photography. In the studio I use different studio flashes with different triggers depending on what is needed. I also like to take pictures with my homemade ring lamp.
When I’m on the road to take pictures, I use a Fujifilm cropframe system camera. The Fujifilm X-T30 is a wonderfully small and light camera and a real pleasure to shoot with. The camera has physical buttons to adjust things like shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation, and it feels wonderfully old-school. In addition, the Fujifilm X-T30 also produces beautiful photos. If you don’t want to edit too much yourself, you will look fine with the unedited JPG files delivered by the camera. I personally prefer to use the RAW files that this camera provides me.
Computers
I render my 3D images on a PC with a powerful graphics card. The graphics card I use is the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 which ensures that renders don’t take too long. At the moment it is very difficult to get a decent graphics card. However, do not skimp on memory.
If you mainly render with Blender, then you are a bit more flexible, but it is less simple than Daz3D.
I mainly use Photoshop and Lightroom on my laptop. This is a MacBook Pro so I don’t have to spend time and energy on system maintenance. I admit that the system maintenance of my PC is also not that bad these days, so it comes down to personal preference which computer system you want to use. That said, I think Apple’s trackpad is the best trackpad out there right now.
At the time of writing, there are rumors that Apple will come with a 14-inch MacBook Pro with their own processor. This will probably be my next laptop.
Drawing tablet
When I draw I use a Wacom Intuos pro drawing tablet, but I also have a drawing tablet with a built-in screen from Huion. This much cheaper drawing tablet than the Wacom tablet with screen, is for its price a real must-have for the advanced draftsman/painter who likes to draw on a screen.
Webhosting
The web host where my website is hosted is Cloud86, a web host based in the Netherlands with fast servers and a good price/performance ratio. I have written an extensive article about web hosting for image makers.
I use WordPress with the Lyrical theme and Visual portfolio as a portfolio plugin.
Books
An awesome book to learn to create stunning composites is Photoshop Compositing Secrets: Unlocking the Key to Perfect Selections and Amazing Photoshop Effects for Totally Realistic Composites. I still use this book very often.