Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

DreamSuite
Vendor: Auto FX Software
Purpose: Three editions of layers-based software to create graphical effects
Chapter 15 ■ Special Effects 183
Description
The DreamSuite software allows you to create stunning visual imagery, using layers to
isolate parts of the photograph while adding special textures and other effects. At the
time of writing, the vendor is clearly working towards separating this highly successful
product into Standard and Pro editions. Currently DreamSuite Pro is a free upgrade. It
contains the vendor’s SmartLayers technology, which combines masking, photos, effects,
and color correction layers into a single document. You can composite photos together,
and then change the layer opacity, or the order of the layers, all with the help of layer
presets that can be loaded using visual thumbnails displayed in an on-screen catalog.
DreamSuite may appeal more to graphic designers than to photographic purists, but
DreamSuite Series Two is aimed at graphically adventurous photographers and contains
14 unique visual effects for enhancing their images. For example, Mesh weaves together
strips of photos in a creative mesh effect; PhotoStrips lets you slice and overlap image
strips; and FilmStrip makes photos look like strips of movie or slide film.
DreamSuite Gel is more specialized, for illustrators who want the melted, radioactive
jellybean look.
Comments
Describing special effects packages in words is nearly impossible. You are advised to
check out the samples on the vendor’s Website. DreamSuite has the ability to impart an
instant professional look to an ordinary image, simply by duplicating it and pasting it
into a neat layout (as in the 4x5 effect of Series Two). For ads and brochures it is a useful
tool, especially if you want a quick solution. The vendor has created some detailed training
videos (available for purchase), which take you step-by-step through each product.
Version: DreamSuite Series One, Series Two, DreamSuite Gel (2008)
Plugs into: Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and up; Photoshop Elements 1.0 or higher; compatible editors
OS: Windows 98, NT, 2000, ME, XP, and Vista; Mac OS 9.0, native in OS X or higher
RAM: Windows 128MB; OS 9 256MB; OS X 512MB recommended
Supported file formats: Loads and saves PSD, TIFF, BMP, JPEG, and PNG
Price level: Series One $200, Series Two $150, Gel $99, DreamSuite Bundle $400
Address: Auto FX Software, 141 Village Street, Suite 2, Birmingham, AL 35242, United States
www.autofx.com