Love doll photography? Check out Topaz!

All Glamour Sydney Chase Deluxe Basic by Tonner Doll, click to enlarge.

My favorite little plug-in on the market is Topaz Adjust. I love this software! It helps pop my photos' contrast in a way that's smart and fun. I'm seriously a dummy photographer: if it's not easy to do, I won't do it. If it's not fast, I won't use it. Topaz solves these problems!

Through the end of September, when you use the code septadjust, you can get Adjust 5 for $24.99 instead of the $49.99 retail price. You can also try it for free for up to 30 days to see if you like it.

I use it as a plug-in to Adobe Elements (both Mac and Windows compatible), but it also works with the following programs:

• Photoshop
• Lightroom
• Aperture
• iPhoto (hmm--I should probably also install it here!)
• PaintShop Pro
• Serif Photo Plus
• Irfanview

I can even install it myself, without the assistance of my personal (computer) administrator. I'd also recommend you try out Star Effects and some of the other plug-ins. They are very fun, and dare I say, addicting!

I've taken a sample of how I personally use Topaz Adjust. Click on the photo for a larger version. On the left, you can see the original version of Sydney. It's not an awful photo; it simply feels a little drab.

The center photo is a result of a single click on the "I feel lucky" button. It's such a cool feature, and it gives you a finished artsy photo with a single click--perfect for those really lazy days. And come on, I must not be the only one to have days like this!

The last photo is one where I actually spent three minutes editing contrast, detail, and color. Plus I added a frame and vignette. Doesn't that one look absolutely spectacular when compared with the original? If I can spend three minutes and get that kind of result, why wouldn't I? I have no excuse. I think I'll go install Topaz in iPhoto now as well!

Go download a free trial--there's no reason not to try it out. I'd love to hear what you think!